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Must-have, 19 Aug 2005

The album opens with a deep voice speaking the famous inscription on the stone that held the legendary sword, Excalibur: "Whosoever pulleth this sword from this stone and anvil is the trueborn king of all Britain." It then launches into the main theme - a majestic and perfect medieval motif - which segues directly into the first song, "Arthur," which tells of the quest to find a new king. Following this is "Lady of the Lake," the first of three short acappella vocal vingnettes, full of beautiful medieval harmonies. This brings us to "Guinevere," which tells of Arthur's wife's precarious situation - being loved by, and in love with, both Arthur and Lancelot. It also contains the first of many excellent Wakeman solos, during a beautiful, mellow jam. We then come to the centerpiece of the album, "Sir Lancelot and the Black Knight," which may not only be the most perfect single blending of rock, orchestra and chorus ever written, but among the best, most exciting prog-rock compositions ever written. Opening with a "restatement" of the main theme, it launches quickly into successive single measures of 7/8, 8/8, 9/8 and 10/8, settling into 7/8. After a couple of verses, it moves into an extended jam which contains some of Wakeman's most spine-tingling solos. I could listen to this single piece over and over and never tire of it. We then have the second of the brief acappella vocal vignettes, introducing us to the next composition, "Merlin the Magician," a multi-section instrumental. The second section, a 5/4 jam, contains more of Wakeman's most compelling solo work. The third section is repeated twice, the first time using multi-layered keyboards (including one that sounds like a banjo!), the second time arranged for orchestra. We then have the third and final acappella vignette, introducing us to our next character, "Sir Galahad," which segues into the final composition, "The Last Battle." Opening with a great double entendre - "Gone are the days of the knights" - it tells of the end of the Round Table, and Arthur's death, and features another mellow jam containing yet more marvelous Wakeman solo work, and ends with a masterfully orchestrated final statement of the main theme.

If a masterpiece is a work which is compositionally, musically, vocally and lyrically perfect, in which not a single note is out of place or misused, and which features exceptional production qualities, then "Myths and Legends" is an unequivocal masterpiece. So much so, in my opinion, that I have included it in my "desert island discs (DIDs)"; i.e., one of the ten albums I would choose to take to a desert island if I was confined to only ten albums. In any event, "Myths and Legends" is a must-have for any serious prog collection.

Thirteenth in a series, 19 Aug 2005

Although it is gratifying to see this album called "so different" and "the first album of the new millenium justified to have been recorded in it" (high praise indeed!), there is actually little on this album that was not presaged by "Hologram of Baal" and "After Everything Now This." That said, "Forget Yourself" IS an exceptional, immensely creative, virtually flawless album that shows yet again that The Church has become one of the chief standard-bearers of the prog-rock genre.

"Sealine" launches us immediately into a textured atmosphere as dense as anything the band has ever created, with fuzzed-out echo-guitars and treated drums, a radical chord progression (there are quite a few on the album), great guitar work, and a strong vocal from Kilbey, delivering yet another brilliant song-poem. "Song in Space" (a fave, with yet another amazing Kilbey song-poem) is a sound-filled composition full of retro-60s psychedelia, with hints of Beatles, Cream, and Moody Blues, filtered through the band's unique approach. "The Theater and Its Double" opens with one of the most wonderful guitar/drum beat figures the band has yet employed, moving into a quasi-arhythmic chorus section of arpeggiated guitar and breathy, hypnotic vocals, and ends with some great guitar work. "Telepath" opens with the band's most beautiful harmonies to date, moving into a nice arrangement of arpeggiated guitar, a nice drum figure, solid bass, and (need I say it?) yet another brilliant Kilbey song-poem, all surrounded in a dense atmosphere, especially in the middle and end sections. "See Your Lights" is a slight more straight-ahead light rocker propelled by dual guitars, solid drumming and bass work, and a truly neat guitar figure separating chorus from verse. "Lay Low" (another fave) opens with a bizarre keyboard, a neat guitar figure, and solid bass and drums, and quickly becomes one of the band's most compelling arrangements, with off-time drumming in the verses, stop-and-start vocals, and a powerful, sound-filled chorus that is uniquely The Church. "Maya" is a textured ballad, beautifully executed in a classic Church arrangement, with verses reminiscent of "Tranquility" (from "Hologram of Baal"). Recalling both "Louisiana" and "Buffalo" (from "Hologram of Baal"), "Appalatia" is a gorgeous arrangement (and another fave), and possibly Koppes' best work, including his strongest-ever vocal. "June" is a strange, almost solemn ballad with a straight-ahead approach. "Don't You Fall" - a nice, if mildly paranoid, light rocker - is a true Church original, harking back to their "Heyday" and "Starfish" period. With a similar opening figure to "Dome" (from "Priest=Aura"), "I Kept Everything" (yet another fave) has a fabulous Kilbey song-poem, supported by a beautiful arrangement of echo-guitar, great bass work, and heavily textured atmosphere. "Nothing Seeker" opens with powerful bass work, wild wah-wah guitar, heavy drumming and ultra-texture, and has a quick-stop chorus and a wild finish. "Reversal" (yup, another fave) has one of the band's best-ever textured arrangements, including a neat Beatle-esque bridge, and some of the best vocal textures the band has created. "Summer" (another ballad heavily reminiscent of "Tranquility") closes the first disc in true Church style with a beautiful, heavily textured, sound-filled arrangement, including an increasingly present grand piano. (Needless to say, as with any album containing heavily-textured music, this should be listened to first with headphones. And the first time it is played externally, it should be played loud.)

Not content to leave well enough alone (thank God!), The Church included a bonus disc featuring three additional compositions. It is in the first of these that the band does something truly extraordinary: they add to the lexicon of sound textures possible using standard instruments and studio tricks. With the 14-minute experimental instrumental, "Serpent Easy," the band proves that not every possible sound/texture has already been created and/or used by Pink Floyd, Moody Blues, Yes, Genesis et al. Opening with a "2001: A Space Odyssey"-type rumble, the band moves through a succession of sounds and textures that run the gamut from fairly ordinary to highly creative, to absolutely mind-blowing. (Note that I do not recommend listening to this while under the influence of any hallucinogenic substances!) "Cantilever" is an extended composition with a neat, quasi-experimental, sound-filled arrangement, plus a truly great Kilbey song-poem, delivered using some of the strangest vocal inflections he has ever used. "Moodertronic" is a respectful nod to Frippertronics, with a couple of repeating guitar figures, plus a lightly synth-textured, Eno-esque atmosphere.

Although I am not prepared to call this the definitive Church album - and, although I want to, I'm not going to suggest that the band won't ever be able to top it, since I've been wrong not twice but thrice in this regard - there is no question that the sheer creativity on "Forget Yourself" is phenomenal, that the album may in fact set a new bar for the band, and that it belongs in any important collection of prog-rock. (As an aside, has anyone considered what the "real" name of this album is? Also, any thoughts as to what all the phrases on the insert refer to?)

Eighth in a series, 19 Aug 2005

Beginning with the Moodies-like chords and expansive reverbed atmosphere at the opening of "Aura," you know that something different and wonderful has happened to the band. Kilbey then delivers a tour-de-force tale (in his now-trademark talk-singing style) of the power of love over hate, undergirded by a masterful arrangement full of solid keyboards, minimalist guitars, and almost impossibly lush atmospheres, all building to an outro that Floyd would be proud to claim as their own. "Ripple" has the band in superb form: solid beat, great guitar work, a truly haunting key change between verse and chorus, a wonderful instrumental break, another great outro, and another great "tale" from Kilbey. "Paradox" takes us into "dream" territory, with excellent interplay between guitars and keyboards, and hypnotic double vocals. "Lustre" is the "new" Church at its finest and most original, with a fantastic arrangement full of exciting key and texture changes, and yet another great "story" from Kilbey. "Swan Lake" is the first of three "mini-tunes" on the album (all under 2.5 minutes). Sardonically mocking, it is a beautifully concise waltz-time composition. "Feel" has a U2 feel, complete with a hopelessly infectious beat and Edge-like guitar riff, but filtered through the band's unique sensibilities. "Mistress" is a true Church original, clearly marking the band's unique brand of storytelling, arrangement and texture. "Kings" is another U2-ish song, with another Edge-inspired guitar riff and another infectious beat, along with another great Kilbey song-poem, again all filtered through the band's unique sensibilities. "Dome" is one of Kilbey's most poignant song-poems, underpinned by a deceptively simple arrangement. "Witch Hunt" is the second waltz-time "mini-tune," this time a humorous ditty about the dangers of helping people. "The Illusionist" is the story of a carnival-based pseudo-magician, with an extraordinary rhyming lyric supported by another deceptively simple arrangement (sort of like Dylan meets Floyd). "Old Flame" is the final "mini-tune," this one a gorgeous, bittersweet double-guitar piece. "Chaos" is an extended composition with the band's most aggressive performance thus far, including a neat beat (dig that subtle cabasa in the verses!), a Fripp-ish guitar figure, and a length Crimzoid instrumental section. "Film" closes the album with another great Church instrumental, this time an appropriately-titled composition that might have served well on a film score.

"Priest=Aura" is not simply a perfect album (no bad, or even "lesser," songs), but one on which not a single note or idea is out of place. From this point forward, The Church would produce only top-quality progressive albums full of creative, compelling and often exciting music.

Highly recommended, 19 Aug 2005

Having done so, I even now amazed with the fact that by now I fully can enjoy the full stream (from start to end) of the opening track "I Am The Sun - Part One" (15:03) when at first listen I completely rejected. I don't really know why did I hate the song that is now becoming one of my favorite TFK tracks? Consciously, I really now enjoy this wonderful and energetic track from its intro, all the way through complex arrangements and variations until the music really ends. There are so many style changes from upbeat music into avant-garde and jazz improvisations in the middle of the track till end. It's really a wonderful composition. I even can enjoy the mellow track with jazz touch "Dream On Dreamer" (2:43).

"Rumble Fish Twist" (8:06) is an instrumental piece that starts off with sound effects followed with hard driving rhythm music in complex arrangements and relatively fast tempo. The keyboard provides great sound effects accompanied with solid bass lines, guitar rhythm and machine-gun drumming. The guitar solo is truly stunning. I like also the part where Michael Stolt is given a space to give his wonderful bass guitar solo even though in a short time. The music suddenly moves into quiet passage in a spacey nuance. Bass guitar shows off the talent here. What a great musical break!

Wow! "Monster Within" (12:55) is really an energetic song with a very uplifting mood. This track really elevates my emotion especially hearing the powerful vocal by Hasse Folberg and Roine Stolt. It's an adrenalin exploder, really. The music changes in style in the middle of the track with guitar solo and inventive keyboard work. The song ends in uplifting mood at the end part with a somewhat blues influence music. "Chicken Farmer Song" (5:09) and "Underdog" (5:29) are bit light in terms composition but it's still an excellent song. "You Don't Know What You've Got" (2:39) is a ballad with acoustic guitar rhythm.

"Slave To Money" (7:30) brings the music back into a rather complex arrangements but with a smooth flow from start to middle until it reaches a change in style and complexity. "A Kings Prayer" (6:02) is relatively slow track with ambient and ballad style, accessible to most listeners as it has memorable choruses. The album concludes with "I Am The Sun - Part Two" (10:48) beautifully.

Overall, it's a highly recommended album. Keep on proggin'