EL CIELO

El Cielo seemed a bit of a strange album to me, at first. I'd been introduced to them as a progressive band (some time ago) and was not expecting the songs to sound so... down to earth in their structure. Upon first listen, I wondered if this band was really progressive. Upon further listens I realized that this was not only progressive, but a masterpiece.

Sure, some of these songs show off a sort of ambient pop sensibility. But does that make this bad? In no sense of the word. If this album had been any more complex in its musical approach it would not have achieved what it was striving for - down to earth emotion. And that's not to say this album isn't complex, either; it simply keeps its intricacies subtle, and not immediately in your face. And this simply -works-.

But the most notable thing about this brilliant sophomore effort is the level of *emotion* achieved here. The songs Same Ol' Road, Sanzen, Scissorlock, Of The Room and 18 People Live In Harmony particular stood out to me in this respect. There are many points in this album where I get chills, where I just want to pump my fist up in the air and sing along as loud as I can. That, my friends, is the sign of power in music.

Overall, this album is simply a magnificent journey, recommended to not only prog fans but music fans. As long as you aren't overtly anal about music maintaining a certain amount of technical complexity, this should be a very intriguing listen.

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