UNFOLDED LIKE STAIRCASE

If DISCIPLINE's name was inspired by KING CRIMSON's album of the same name, then those two hold no similarities. Whereas the album completely disregards progressive rock roots, the band nurtures directly from it - particularly VAN DER GRAAF GENERATOR. They're not a copy of any sort, but the influence is pretty visible, especially through the gloomy atmosphere (and dark alto sax playing). As if, above you, dark thunderous clouds gather, cold northern winds blow, the warmness of the sun is roughly inexistent, all this happens as you gaze at the ocean, a lighthouse in the corner. Basically, as if you're in the north of Great Britain with all the cold, muddy, gritty characteristics you might think of. There's heavy fog too, sure, why not.

UNFOLDED LIKE STAIRCASE is less cryptic than VDGF (excluding that enigmatic title) lyrically, although conceptually it might be just as shady. Well, actually, if DISCIPLINE had the same limelight VDGF, perhaps their intentions would be clear. Nonetheless, what I understood through this album is that those fellas are melodramatic pessimistic. "Melo"(dy) is especially visible in Canto IV and Crutches (my favorite song on the album), whereas "dramatic" is predominant on the (relatively) energetic performance of Into the Dream the 22-minutes-long epic.

That song is peculiarly interesting. GENESIS's influences (particularly from TRESPASS and FOXTROT) are astoundingly visible. Matthew Parmenter might not materialize a fairyland nearly as beautiful as Peter Gabriel does, but he makes some delicious gimmicks with his strangely contralto-sounding vocals (a guy that sounds like a girl that sounds like a guy, nice one). If anything, he's on the right track. The outro is particularly good at mimicking Mellotron and the Moog.

What is particularly adorable in UNFOLDED LIKE STAIRCASE is exactly this; there are little technical power and A LOT of melodic introspection. Whether or not they're incapable of bringing virtuosity is disregardable; they succeed at their melodic pretention. I suppose it's important to cite that while there are certain similarities between DISCIPLINE's musical style here and Neo-Prog, it's too much of a stretch to consider them so; they're not technically simple and honey-overdosed enough. Sure, both tempos are slow(-ish), but DISCIPLINE is much grittier than you'd get from Neo- Prog. Not unfair to say they resemble though.

A lovable album to both neoproggers and archaicoproggers. If that beautiful cover didn't captivate you enough to give this a shot, do it nonetheless - the music will do it.

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