CAUTIONARY TALES FOR THE BRAVE

Occasionally I hear something new that produces a dopamine rush. Such was the case with PURE REASON REVOLUTION. At just under 30 minutes, their 2005 album "Cautionary Tales For The Brave" is a brief but impressive showcase of what the group is capable of, and their following album "The Dark Third" -- which reproduces a couple of tracks from "Cautionary Tales For The Brave" -- is even better in my opinion.

The music sounds to me like a mixture of PORCUPINE TREE, THE BEACH BOYS, NIRVANA, EVANESCENCE, OPETH, THE DANDY WARHOLS and TIMOTHY PURE to name a few groups, with the occasional undertone of punk to boot. The vocals and harmonies are great, and the counterpoint between the female singer and the lead male singer is good - no, make that "very, very good". Gorgeous voices. The music is quite poppy in places, quite 'heavy metal' in places and, yes, complex and different enough to warrant labelling it as progressive music. It's well-crafted, melodious, lush, varied music by a group of talented players and singers, and that does it for me. Love the use of keyboards and violin, too.

Some of the reviews in the mainstream media mention PINK FLOYD influences and label PURE REASON REVOLUTION's music as Prog Rock. Well, despite the track title 'The Bright Ambassadors Of Morning' being lifted from the Floyd's 'Echoes', I'm only reminded a little of the Floyd by some of the music on this album and the subsequent album "The Dark Third", and it ain't Prog Rock "as we know it, Jim", i.e. we're not talking about the classic 1970s Prog Rock sound at all, but there is certainly a complexity and variety (and quality) that separates it clearly from the mainstream. I thought the label 'New Prog', as distinct from 'Neo Prog', would suit this music well, only to discover the term already exists and the group has already been tagged with it, so it seems I'm thinking along the right lines.

With tracks and videos available on the group's MySpace page (not to mention a track here on Prog Archives), you can try before you buy. In my case I was so impressed I couldn't buy "Cautionary Tales For The Brave" and "The Dark Third" fast enough.

A solid 4-star album (Excellent addition to any progressive music collection) that could please both dyed-in-the-wool fans of 1970s Prog Rock such as myself and fans who like the newer, heavier, metallic groups. Welcome to New Prog; the king is dead, long live the king. Highly recommended.