EL CIELO

Excuse me?! Is this ProgArchives? I mean, where exactly is the progginess in this that causes progressive rock reviewers to rate this so highly? Nice pop-that-will-never-make-it-to-the-pop-charts, but, prog or progressive? Yes, there are a diversity of sounds and styles. There is a nice singer, nice atmospherics and ambiences, good, solid rhythm section, some very catchy melodies and chord progressions and lots of sound subtleties (very important to me), and the interludes are often quite nice, BUT, besides "Triangle," perhaps "Whoa Is Me," and the instant Post Rock classic, "The Canyon Behind Her," this is really an alternative/art rock, albeit a concept, album. Put this next to Genesis' "The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway," Marillion's "Brave," and Sylvan's "Posthumous Silence" and it does compare rather favorably in terms of emotional impact; it just doesn't hold a candle in terms of musicianship. Plus, the voice of Gavin Hayes, as good as it is, does get a bit monotonous.

***** 5 star songs: "The Canyon Behind Her" **** 4 star songs: "Same Ol' Road," "Sanzen," "Triangle," "Scissor Lock," "Of the Room," "It Only Took a Day," and "Whoa Is Me." *** 3 star songs: "Sorry But It's Over," "Convalescent," "Eighteen People Live in Harmony," and "Of the Room."

3.5 stars marked down for questionable progginess.