Pascal's Prog Journey

Coming tuesday I will be auditioning for the conservatory in The Hague, very excited and of course busy with practising it all. Got a pretty confident feeling, due to what people say to me and the fact that I'm already accepted at Codarts.

On a different note, I just published a track of my coming album, already pretty far with it and I think it will be more interesting than the previous ones. More experimental and instrumental, the most is completely through-composed/written out. I try to blend a lot of styles (will be quite jazzy but will also sound like modernistic classical music) and also make it complex as well as romantic. Defenitely not everything of all that is hearable in this short track, but I think that it's a nice preview anyway 

Audition in The Hague in almost a month now, I think I have a slight preference for that one, so I'll let you know by then.

Good luck with your exams/auditions 

This learnt me to start with the debut next time 

Gentle Giant - Interview: an improvement of the preceeding Free Hand. More daring and more songs that peek my interest more. Delving a little deeper in the unique style they were creating, which is a very creative and eclectic whole. Indeed I miss more emotion and the mysticism and beautiful atmospheres that they created in earlier albums which put them above anyone else IMHO- the coda of I Lost My Head though does not fail to really move me, just like the outstanding ending of Three Friends, and parts of Empty City remind me of their debut album. I've lately been appreciating these early albums even more. But Interview is still quite good and the best vocal parts in this album are among my very favourites in their discography. I think I like it as well as The Power And The Glory, so: 8.5

Anglagard - Hybris: such powerful music. "like standing on the edge of massive fjord while a maelstrom of wind and rain is sending trees flying, and an avalanche is destroying a nearby village" describes the feeling very well indeed, typically sounds like Scandinavia, though I don't dare to say why exactly.   I really love the melodic themes and climaxes, played with a perfect guitar tone. There is very few vocals on it, but I wouldn't wish there to be any more. Also I was thinking this could be the music the mellotron suits the best. Anyways, very interested in other albums by these guys, rate this one an 8.5

Anyone's Daughter - Adonis: also a an album with a very distinct and emotive vibe. The singing really succeeds in taking me to where the music goes, to a place only "romantic" music can get you. The way they composed the epic reminds me of Nous Sommes Du Soleil: divided into parts; very clear parts which are one for one nicely bound together but the parts have very little to do with each other, which makes it a little disjointed (but with purpose? Can't get that part out of it unfortunately). Another thing which I miss once I've heard some of Gentle Giant is those creative compositional highlights, which I've only heard from GG and not from Anyone's Daughter nor any other band, to be honest. And that's a point which distincts prog from rock. Now I know that it's possible not only in classical music, I miss it in almost every other album that I hear, I miss that extra dimension which makes you listen to it truly deeply, not only paying attention to how the notes are played, but also the musical meaning of these bricks of music.

Well, leaving that thought for a moment, I'll give this album a little lower than Hybris: 7.5