PHIDEAUX

But that's not all. The album also features a significant number of guest musicians. One notable difference from most albums is the presence of an orchestra. Matthew Parmenter's vocals and violin parts add great value, as do Martin Orford's keyboard antics in the beautiful Formaldehyde. Every aspect of the album is beautiful. Over the course of 66 minutes, you're exposed to a charm offensive of progressive art rock, folk and psychedelia, with plenty of gorgeous melodies and excellent orchestrations. The music is filled with tasty arrangements, but no part dominates or aims to steal the spotlight. The result is a lovely pastel-colored blend of Pink Floyd, Moody Blues and the orchestral numbers of Caravan.

This ten-track album is the second part of a trilogy that explores a world destroyed by the government, a world you wouldn't want to live in. The title "Doomsday Afternoon" is not entirely coincidental, resembling the Moody Blues song Tuesday Afternoon. However, the lyrics here are much grimmer. Back to the drawing board.

The album is divided into two acts. With a digestible complexity, it offers a multitude of tempo and mood changes, with certain themes recurring throughout the album. It's delightful to hear bassist Matthew Kennedy and drummer Rich Hutchins excel in their roles. A complex album like this requires a convincing opening and that's exactly what you get.

The first track, the eleven-minute Micro Softdeathstar, feels like an overture, immersing you in the subtle atmosphere of the album from the start. Matthew Parmenter's lead vocals are perfectly balanced with the music, setting a high standard for the rest of the album. The band doesn't disappoint with the following track, The Doctrine Of Eternal Ice, a relatively short instrumental piece featuring simple piano playing and a delightful guitar solo. The orchestra sounds unbearably beautiful here and it's worth noting that French horns were chosen over trombones to achieve a mellower sound. The melancholy pours out of your speakers and it doesn't stop there. Candybrain is intriguing, thanks to the vocals of Phideaux Xavier himself, but the incredibly beautiful Crumble surpasses all limits. How can such a simple piano theme hit you so hard? The first act concludes with the second part of The Doctrine Of Eternal Ice, which is the vocal version and five minutes longer than the first part. Pay close attention to Joel Weinstein's exuberant guitar work.

'Act 2' begins with another strong track. Thank You For The Evil has a tight rhythm that beautifully frames the song's great buildup. Matthew Parmenter's vocals carry it forward and the Moog delivers a fantastic finale. The transitional track A Wasteland Of Memories leads to the three final pieces. There's an incredible vocal version of Crumble that will melt you as a listener. The following track is the aforementioned Formaldehyde, a song reminiscent of Mike Oldfield, featuring not only Martin Orford on synthesizer but also a beautiful guest performance by Stephen Dundon on flute. At this point, the atmosphere is wonderfully intense, fitting the album's concept. The actual closer, Microdeath Softstar, underscores how cleverly everything fits together. Listen to the drums rushing with a slightly hurried timing, while violin and guitar rush alongside them. Your heart will skip a beat as the opening notes of the album are repeated.

"Doomsday Afternoon" holds a special place in terms of ranking, both within their own discography and in terms of global recognition. Since its release in 2007, I've been very happy to have this album in my collection. Through my method of reviewing layer by layer, I've come to appreciate the album even more. It absolutely deserves a spot in my top five of all time. And that wraps it up nicely.

Orginally posted on www.progenrock.com

3. Snowtorch - Part Two with 3 drawers here, keyboards and choirs intro, arpeggio imprinting the tune, a rise of more than 3 minutes with metronomic drums to start with a discordant sound effect with icy wind; acoustic western guitar and a heavy riff accompanying the keyboard, the ever-present drums avoiding boredom; this is the key word of this progressive piece which now sends on a Genesisian organ... energetic; it's just halfway through that the voice of one of the singers begins; every 10 minutes you are entitled to a papa papa pappa which would be laughable in French; there it is cheerful that all languages are not equal; here is a guitar solo and phrasing eyeing that of Alice again; the finale on this piano holding the frantic rhythm with the warm choirs 4. (hidden, uncredited) and a folk title with a steady rhythm, somewhere between festive, bucolic and solemn; just enjoyable to remember that this album is giant.

I like to think every Phideaux album is an experiment to try and refine his craft. Here, in Snowtorch, this experiment was to create something similar to, say, Thick As A Brick by Jethro Tull, or Night by Gazpacho, being practically this one song, but due elements like vinyl or accessibility had to be cut down into smaller chunks, for portion sizes. Do not let this discourage you, because as I found out this album is this tightly knit package that delivers on so much. For starters, the two big epics of Snowtorch part 1 and 2 just deliver this immensely satisfying experience from beginning to end. The work put into these songs are not only spectacular, but I feel like as epics they get the job nicely done. How Phideaux and his crew formed this and pinpointed a certain mood of loneliness, but also expansion and exploration is quite a marvel in itself. I think the strongest part of these two songs is keyboard work, which feel quite similar to the workings of Keith Emerson, but instead of just copying his style, Phideaux managed to give off his own flair to it, only merely giving a nod and wink to the legendary keyboardist. Really, I feel like not making these two songs into big epics would hurt the album immensely, but since they are I feel like it all works out in the end.

The two smaller tracks of Helix and the hidden track on side two are also really superb. They aren't as big and grand as the two part epic, but they serve very nicely as side-closures that showcase Phideaux's expertise in packing stuff in a small package, with the hidden track being one of my personal guilty pleasures in Phideaux's discography. I think what really makes these special in my opinion is how they fit nicely within those two big epics, but Phideaux made them separate entities in the bigger picture, which I think worked out nicely. Again, this is not a big and grand album like Doomsday Afternoon, or Number Seven, rather it is a nicely packed little romp through two big epics and two bite sized workings that play with one another. I think that makes this album very special in my mind.

I also have to point out the lyrics, since I feel like it is Phideaux's best aspect in this record. How he ties in the formation of the Earth with a very powerful breakup story is so interesting, and very unique that I feel like it doesn't get enough credit. I have a few theories to what Snowtorch ultimately is, and one of them is it is a ballad between life and death, and they are trying their best distancing away from each other, but yet can never separate, like how, for example, the Earth's plates seem to separate, but inevitably they come back together in a supercontinent. The Earth is merely a tool for this type of ballad, and how Phideaux manages to successfully craft this unique experience is really telling how brilliant of a musician and songwriter he is.

Truly a beautiful and unique experience in terms of progressive rock musicality. I think this is an essential listen, not only for the beautiful musical workings found here, but also for the novel lyricism Phideaux manages to spread on this record that combines science with heartache. Absolutely go listen to this record, as it is a phenomenal experience front to back, to front again.

While the true masterpiece of Phideaux is undoubtedly "Doomsday Afternoon", closely followed by "Number Seven" and "Snowtorch", this album is my personal favorite from him. There is a distinction one should make between "the best" and "favorite", that being the personal connection you have to something. Obviously, all the songs on "313" were composed and recorded in one single day, not leaving much room for the same kind of complex song structures and deep lyrical themes as found on "Doomsday Afternoon" and "Number Seven". In exchange however, the album has so much personality and raw emotion found on few other albums. It explores lyrical themes that nobody else would think of. I think looking at some of the album titles proves my point - "Have You Hugged Your Robot?", "A Storm Of Cats" and "Run Singing Tiger" perfectly show the sweet quirkiness of the album.

The album does not fall short on musical value either. Phideaux has developed their own characteristic sound, which Phideaux Xavier describes as "psychedelic progressive gothic rock". It is very symphonic, making use of lots of piano and synths, and gets pretty dark and sensitive in some places. He sings using pretty much his normal voice like Mark Knopfler from Dire Straits, but he still manages to sound emotional. Phideaux makes heavy use of female vocals, something I think prog needs more of in general. What impresses me the most is that I would never assume that the entire album was composed in one single day. It does not sound improvised in the slightest.

Now for the songs themselves. 13 is a pretty high amount of songs for a 48-minute prog album, but I will review all of them, although I will keep it brief for the most part.

"Railyard" (3:32) is a heavy, dark yet beautiful opener carried by the piano and the captivating lyrics. The occasional synth sounds creates a mystical setting, and the female vocals are beautifully executed. A sample from the lyrics that particularly fills me with emotion is "There's a train at the end of the railyard, it is standing abandoned alone; the vines and graffiti are growing, the words have found their home".

"Have You Hugged Your Robot" (3:08) is a really playful, more energetic tune. It is shown by lyrics like "Robot, answer my call; Nobody knows what it's like in the virtual", as well as the conveniently added robot voice and beeping, like an early sci-fi film from the early 1900s. I love how they use a slightly altered melody of "The Hall Of The Mountain King" in the intro.

"A Storm Of Cats" (2:34) has a similar approach as the opener but is less heavy and has a more warm, cozy mood. The lyrics begin soft and playful, but take a violent turn in the end with "When all my cats were gathered together, and we did go to the potting shed; A violence so awful I cannot remember, The stems and the petals, 'A twisted and dead". The lyrics seem to be about a character living on a farm learning about their own mortality by communicating with their cats.

"Never Gonna Go" (3:43) is the one song that introduced me to Phideaux and remains one of my favorites from him to this day. This song is probably the darkest on the album, both lyrically and musically. It begins with an expressive guitar tune that is reminiscent of the characteristic saxophone melody from "21st Century Schizoid Man" and its lyrics seem to be about some kind of spirit trapped in a cathedral and being exploited by the priests: "I can't be the one to free them, I am a puppet of the priests; There's no escape, they trapped me like some domesticated beast". Seriously, I could write an entire essay about the different lyrical themes on this album. Simply an excellent song.

"Pyramid" (4:13) might be the proggiest tune on the album, switching between time signatures including odd ones. The song is founded upon a dark, spacey soundscape created by synth effects, piano and a reverberating guitar, as well as distorted vocals in the verses. This is another song where the female vocals play a big role. While the music itself is pretty dark, the lyrics are actually really hopeful. It seems to be about a relationship between two soulmates, demonstrated by the opening lyrics "I always thought that it was true, I always thought that you had been there too among the million bits of sand; everyday I come for you, I'll be there in your dreams and you'll be there with me too". One of the best songs on the album in my opinion.

"There's Only One Of You" (2:37) is a pretty short tune. The song is once again built around the piano and is further characterized by melodic drumming on the cymbals and soothing female vocals. The lyrics seem to be a continuation of the theme of the previous song, this time being about loneliness. Since the lyrics are pretty short, I can really not be sure, but I think it is about a heart-wrenching breakup.

"Orangutan" (2:57) is one of the few songs that has made me cry out of sadness for real. Its message is very obvious - it is about the orangutan facing extinction and getting its home devastated. The personal way it is delivered, like "They say that you will be extinct by 2085, because the place that is your space will no longer be wild" just brings a tear to my eye every time I listen to it, not to mention the closing lyric "They say that you and I will walk together miles forever; They say that you and I we share a vine that can't be severed".

"Sick Of Me" (5:41) is my favorite track on the entire album. It delivers the emotion like no other songs on the album, both in the lyrics and the music. Probably one of the more proggier tracks on the album, it features a more dynamic range of instruments and a big change in tempo about two thirds through. It even sees a comeback of the robot voice at the end of the song. The lyrics seem to be about a desperate, insecure form of love: "You think I'm so wonderful, it won't be long; I don't belong in your company". Just begin listening to this song and you will probably be motivated to listen to the entire album.

"In Search Of Bitter Ore" (4:03) is a bit of a creepy tune with muffled drums that sound like they are being played in another room and cryptic lyrics that are hard to decipher: "Saints forgive me, I have chosen to wander with the wind; beside the ragged nasturtiums, I have fasted but for them". If I have to guess, it is about some religious pilgrimage, but the song is very sparse in lyrics, so I can only assume. This song is probably the closest to what you would call a filler track of all the songs on the album, which does not mean in any way that it is a bad song.

"Body To Space" (5:33) is, as the name implies, a spacey song. The title is taken from the finishing lyrics from the opening track: "Gravity take me and pull me away, my body to space". It mostly features mellow synth soundscapes and elements from other songs on the album. Almost entirely instrumental, the only lyrics are a continuation of "A Storm Of Cats": "I was there, your dear cat faithful, up the tree by the potting shed; Aye, but I was so very careful, nobody knew I saw what they did".

"Watching Machine" (2:27) takes a very wild turn. This is the most energetic tune on the album where the crunchy bass in particular shines. The song is seasoned with creepy synth sounds and a weird rhythmic scratching sound (?) in the background. As the very aptly named title suggests, the song seems to be about a dystopian surveillance state: "Now the walls have eyes, isn't that great? Once there was a choice, but now it's too late". The chaotic music itself captures the paranoia as you walk down the street constantly being watched.

"Run Singing Tiger" (3:37) demonstrates the "anything goes" feeling of the album really well. It has no meaning or depth other than a running, singing tiger, and I cannot spot any analogies either: "Run singing tiger like you've never run before; Run if you want to, right across the floor". The song itself slaps pretty hard though, built around a delightful wurlitzer piano and featuring some good guitar solos. My favorite part of the song and one of my favorite moments on the entire album is how they use the lyrics from Jefferson Airplane's "Good Shepherd" - "One for Paul, one for Silas, one for Julie" - but replace all the "one"s with "run".

"Benediction" (4:05) perfectly finishes the album off with an atmospheric, meditative track only using an acoustic piano, cymbals and what I assume is a digging sound in the background. One of my favorite lyrics on the album appears on this song: "We cheat the death that night will bring by everyday awakening". They even repeat the sacred hindu syllable "Aum" in harmony throughout the song.

This was a very long review, but probably my most favorite of all the reviews I have ever done. Being the very first neo-prog album that I got into (even if it is on the more accessible side of the spectrum), and the album being one of my favorites of all time when it comes to the lyrics, my personal connections to this album are obviously very strong. Despite my bias, I can say that I recommend it for anybody looking for a fun, emotional music journey that does not fail to satisfy your ear for song quality either. I especially recommend it for people who are looking for female vocals in prog, because I know there is a high demand and low supply for that.

9,5/10 for me.

Some tracks are more Floydian than others, with the live version of "Thank You For the Evil" leading the pack, where Phideaux is joined by female singers and the guitars combine with very fluid keyboards. Overall, this album should not be considered as yet another artist trawling through the archive and bringing out different versions and unreleased songs to milk the punters for even more. Firstly, as with all his catalogue this is a "name your price" release, and secondly this contains some really nice songs. It means that this is an album which even a newcomer to Phideaux can pick up and happily enjoy ? they do not need to already know the rest of the catalogue. I truly hope that more people will take the opportunity to discover the wonderful material of Phideaux Xavier.

So, what about it? Given that most of the material appears on 'Infernal' (albeit in different versions), and the title song appears twice (once as a "single" version, and once "stripped") it really isn't a surprise that this is very much in a similar vein to that double CD. Unlike his earlier material, here he brought in three different female lead singers, who also provided plenty of support, plus some wonderful cello and violin as he expanded the sound. There are times when it is simplistic, others way more complex, and it is the wonderful arrangements which grab the listener and refuse to let them go. Floydian at times, this is gentle and embracing music which brings in the listener and comforts them. When the guitars are fuzzed and distorted. they are the perfect accompaniment to the layered vocals, creating a harsher backdrop which is calmed by the smooth harmonies.

This release appears to have bypassed many fans of Phideaux, and they should take all steps to resolve that issue.

Vocals are very much front and centre, while acoustic guitar is also a mainstay of the songs, and it could almost be Cat Stevens with other instruments kept to the rear, so the emphasis is on the man behind the microphone. Rich is always there, providing the correct emphasis, which may be dramatic drum fills, a hard-hitting snare, or just sitting there doing nothing which at that moment is the proper accompaniment. The electric guitars, often fuzzed and distorted, are the ones which take us into more progressive territory, making us think at times of Pink Floyd and at others of Gong, with the overall result being an album which appeals across the board. Looking at the reviews on PA it is something of a shame to realise that there has not been a Collaborator/Expert review of this album for some 12 years, and given the amount of exposure the more recent releases have been getting I am quite surprised. This may be different in many ways to what he is now more well known for, but this is a delight and one which progheads need to rediscover, especially if they enjoy shorter more psychedelic material as opposed to more drawn out affairs.

He's not kidding either. With just an electric guitar, a reel to reel tape recorder and some drums (plus he has now cleaned it up with pro tools) he has created something which is hypnotic, ambient, but also with an edge. The tracks vary in length with one as short as ten minutes, but two are more than 20 while the other two are more than 40. Does it stand up against his current albums? No, of course not: these were recorded 40 years ago when he was still at school, long before he learned what he wanted to do with his music and while he was still heavily experimental. But as a piece of archive recording it is incredibly interesting, with more than a hint of krautrock about it. This is not music which is going to appeal to those who want it sat firmly in the mainstream, but for those of us who like to be a little more adventurous and challenge ourselves in our listening habits. With the tracks being so long I did find that when playing on headphones that time seems to stand still as all there is left in the world is the drone, the swirling change, and the images created in my mind.

This may not be the Phideaux we have become used to, but a very different, darker and avant garde version, and it is strange to think he was creating music like this when he was so young, especially given the lack of facilities to undertake home recordings like this back then. Intriguing.