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| Progressive Rock CD Reviews |
Sense
Going Home
Review by Josh Turner
Recently I poured myself a glass of lavender cola. Similar to this, it’s not likeable with the first sip. Then it quickly grows on you. Before the bottle is kaput, you’re already fantasizing about the next cup. In case you’re wondering about that brand of cola, it comes from the Dry Soda Co. Their product line features other recipes with essential oils that are just as exotic: Lemongrass, Kumquat and Rhubarb for example. Can’t say you’ll like them all; just like I wouldn’t dare expect a listener to buy into every track here.
By my watered-down explanation, it may not appear to be Progressive Rock per se; but, this truly is innovative stuff. Probably best described as Yes over a dance beat, or Ritual submerged in Planet P Project’s subatomic rumba. For the buyer with the keen ear, I’m sure they won’t stop until they’ve consumed the last drop. Then just like me, they’ll be onto the next five-pack. And in case you didn’t get it, the number corresponds to the number of songs this was steeped in.
This review is available in book format (hardcover and paperback) in Music Street Journal: 2008 Volume 3 at lulu.com/strangesound.
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| Track by Track Review
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The Sweater
Amidst those previously mentioned elements, there is a tinge of Pineapple Thief in this concoction. If I had to relate this to a drink, it would be as cool and refreshing as a Jamaican Ting. |
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Stone in the Sky
This is half as long as the other songs. While those other four might get you to the grocery store, this should hold out just long enough for your buds to hash out who’s riding shotgun. Plus, it’s classical and stylistic in that Steve Hackett sense. |
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Going Home
Alas, we’ve made it to the title track. It’s the crown jewel in the pack. Make no bones about it. If you put this disc on shuffle, it’s apparent this is their flagship item. What gives it away is one highly solvent phrase. The verse “Going Home” is mentioned at least a dozen times. Analogous to the last track, this is Peter Gabriel as if he were performing a fizzy brew of Izz. It’s completely natural to consider the vice versa as well. |
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Aftermath
The aftertaste of this one is alarmingly pleasant even if our preliminary swig is closer to pure swill. To let the cat out of the bag or in this case; the chimpanzee out of his or her cage, this has Sleepytime Gorilla Museum written on its tag. Eschewed from their branding, the licks found here are dissimilar to the other songs. In a way, it’s counter-melodic or in other words; RIO. By that, I’m not referencing a river or a stock symbol. Actually, it stands for Rock in Opposition and this ditty fits that definition to a tee. Like buttermilk, it’s supposed to be sour. |
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Stranger Going Home
This is Yes’ "Dreamtime" crossbred with IQ’s "Harvest of Souls." There is also Moon Safari and Jethro Tull thrown in for good measure. In its lyrical libretto Matthew Parmenter’s "Astray" is evident in the teensiest trace amounts. As secret ingredients, Dave Bainbridge’s Veil of Gossomar can be heard in the guitars, and inextricably bound to the prismatic lattice of the glass is The Amber Light’s Goodbye to Dusk Farewell to Dawn. If I hadn’t read the credits, I would have guessed that Allan Holdsworth sat in on the session. As it turns out, they’re in the mezzanine and he’s in the penthouse. Give it some time and they’ll make it to his level. Not only is that floor associated with the second sphenic number bracketed between twin primes, it’s also the answer to everything. Just for the heck of it, I thought I’d slip that in. Retrospectively, I kick myself for waiting to engage the corkscrew. Ultimately, these suds are too effervescent to miss. If you got the Motts, don’t allow it to get soporific or flat. Sense’s Going Home merits immediate consumption once you’ve popped the cap. |
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