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Progressive Rock CD Reviews

The Blessed Beat

MIV

Review by Gary Hill

This is definitely progressive music. You might argue with that classification, but honestly, the mix of world music, fusion and more can’t really fit anywhere else. A lot of this makes me think of Bruford Levin Upper Extremities, but it’s never easily pinned down or held in one place for too long.

This review is available in book format (hardcover and paperback) in Music Street Journal: 2016  Volume 1 at lulu.com/strangesound.
Track by Track Review
I Feel It In My Blood
Tuned percussion and other world music type sounds open this piece. It has a subtle, freeform sound to it. That mode continues for quite a bit of this extensive (over seven minutes) piece of music. Past the half way point, it shifts to pounding, powerhouse jazz jamming. It’s still quite freeform and reminds me a lot of Bruford Levin Upper Extremities. There are some really noisy moments as this keeps getting louder and crazier.
Doesn’t Look Dead to Me
Driving percussion opens this and other elements join as that drumming really screams forward. This is hard rocking, even though it’s also mostly percussive. It’s another unusual, but particularly effective piece of music. A horn fills the last moments of this all alone.
Like Garbage Left in the Sun
Coming in tentative with waves of atmospheric melody, this builds gradually from there.  There is a lot of world music in the mix here. This has a bit of a space sound, too. It’s an organic and rather straight line type of progression.
The First Thing to Come and the Last Thing to Go
Noisy horns are interrupted by loud, industrial metal moments on the opening here. Eventually the song shifts out to a killer prog jam with a lot of jazz in the mix. It’s like a cross between King Crimson and BLUE.
Best F*** I Ever Had
Coming in hard rocking, this one has a real King Crimson meets Djam Karet and BLUE kind of vibe to it. It’s a smoking hot tune with some great horn soloing.
Just Like a Mermaid
This one is a bit more constant than some of the rest. It has a mellow kind of percussion meets jazz approach. To me this one tends to overstay its welcome, though.
You’ve Been F***ing Dead Women All Your Life
Noisy and rather crazed, this thing is part jazz and part industrial.
Only a Damn Fool Falls in Love
This comes in atmospheric and grows outward very gradually. It’s an extensive cut, filling more than the final eleven minutes of the disc. It doesn’t change much, but yet it is a very effective piece. It’s subtle, but also strong.
  
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