Music Street Journal - Music News & Reviews

Progressive Rock CD Reviews

Yagull Yuna Review by Gary Hill I always land this act under progressive rock, but in many ways that label doesn't fit. Acoustically driven and instrumental, the music is made up of just guitar and piano. It's quite pretty and often intricate. It's also evocative. While it isn't progressive rock in the standard sense, it's progressive music that's very much art based. It's also not that far removed from acts like California Guitar Trio. Call it what you like, but give this set a chance. It's compelling. This review is available in book (paperback and hardcover) in Music Street Journal: 2019 Volume 1. More information and purchase links can be found at: garyhillauthor.com/Music-Street-Journal-2019.

Track by Track Review

Searching for the Moon Piano starts the album in pretty and quite classical ways. Guitar joins after a bit as the cut continues to grow. This becomes quite a pretty musical exploration.

Dawn Acoustic guitar brings this into being with delicate textures. Piano joins as the number grows outward.

Sabbath Bloody Sabbath Yes, this is the classic Black Sabbath song. It's brought out into the light with this piano and acoustic guitar based arrangement. This is a very pretty tune. Don't get me wrong, I'm a huge fan of the original. This version just lends a completely different sound and flavor while revisiting the familiar melodies. They do get into some more rocking territory, but nothing anything near the zone of the original.

Muse There is a sad beauty to this number. It's slow moving and intricate. It's dramatic, too.

101 There is a bit more rock in the mix on this number, but the piano and mellower instrumentation still rule things. This works into some dramatic jazz directions as it continues onward.

Fall Winter Another very pretty piece, this has gentle acoustic guitar tempered and augmented with piano.

Riverwas This is quite complex and very powerful. It's a pretty song that makes good use of the instrumentation in swirling, spinning circles of sound. There are moments here when I'm reminded of California Guitar Trio. This is such a strong piece. In fact, it might be my favorite here.

Mori (Forest Song) More sedate and quite pretty, this has plenty of drama within its effective soundscape.

Yuna I love the pretty and effective piano work on this dramatic tune. This number is a change in that it has some non-lyrical vocals.

Kiri A crack of thunder is heard as this begins. The acoustic guitar rises up after we hear a bit more of the storm. There is a bit more of a rock song structure here. The tune evolves into an effective and almost mainstream piece as it works forward. I can hear hints of Pink Floyd in the mix. The storm returns at the end.

Unlisted Track There is a short (45 seconds) track at the end that's not listed. It's actually a reprise of the first piece, creating a nice bookend for the album.

More CD Reviews

Metal/Prog Metal

Non-Prog

Progressive Rock

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 United States License.
© 2024 Music Street Journal Site design and programming by Studio Fyra, Inc./Beetcafe.com