MUSIC FOR SHARKS

Quebec based neo progsters Red Sand are probably the best Fish-era Marillion imitators. Their debut album, Mirror Of Insanity, is definitly one of those records you´ll think it is the long lost 80´s Marillion LP. Well, Marillion itself was being labeled for years as a Genesis clone, so it is no big deal, as long as the music was good. And Red Sand proved to be very good. Far from just copycats those guys did capture the true spirit of that band and add a little something extra. But it seemed that the band was kind of annoyd with those comparisons. So much that their third album, Human Trafficking, saw the band steering away from the style that made them famous. But that move was not a successful one.

So two years after that CD they realease a new one. Music For Sharks is a kind of ´back to roots´? Well, sort of, but not really. Yes, the band is sounding a lot like early Marillion, and still they are different, adding new elements to their music (Pink Floyd and The Beatles are two obvious influences), making the new release a pleasant surprise. Caron is still delivering those great, Rothery/Gilmour like, guitar solos. The keyboards are a bit more subtle, but simply fantastic and dreamy. Vocalist Mathieu Lessand is back and does a fine job (in the true Fish fashion, but he does have his own way of delivering the message). Mathieu Gosselin is simply a wonderful, jazz influenced, bass player and Perry Angelillo also plays great drums.

This is a concept album about the music industry (something Fish might approve!). The CD is very well crafted, with no fillers anywhere. It´s hard to point out a highlight since the album flows very evenly from start to finish, but I believe the 16 minute epic Shark Man, with its many shifts and moods, will appeal to most progsters. Production is also top notch.

Conclusion: maybe Red Sand´s best album to date. They seem to have finally found a good mixture between a sound of their own and their terrific Marillion impersonation. I really hope they keep developing this way. Music For Sharks is a must have to any neo prog lover, but not only. 4 stars.

RED SAND is an encyclopedic example of how good can turn into bad. Their first release was awesome, pure classic Neo-Prog, a sensational record, dark and emotional, melodic and short enough to be the Masterpiece. But with every other album things were getting worse: not a slight sign of progress, the same harmonies, structures and influences, poor lyrics and average musicianship. The new one fits that formula perfectly, and this is the only echo of perfection that can be found in recent RED SAND material. If you're a die-hard Neo-Prog fan or just haven't heard band's fantastic debut, you may enjoy this one, but for me it's simply a disappointment. What a pity.

The fact that each listener derives his or her own enjoyment - or otherwise - from a piece of music is what helps deliver and support the diversity from which we all benefit - everything can only ever be judged on the basis of our own sense impressions. But it is difficult to see how anyone could pick holes in this stupendous offering - it's an absolute gem from start to finish, packed with wondrous guitar breaks, sweeping keys, sympathetic bass and drums, and top-notch vocals. The songs build and soar and dive and cascade like swarms of golden birds around silver fountains. Not a duff or "filler" track within a thousand miles.

Let's not be precious about the past and keep cleverly identifying who may have been influenced by which band or bands from yesteryear. We could all play this nodding game...but who really cares? Just take music at face value, as it is, here and now, and judge it on its own merits. And, by any dispassionate yardstick, this CD is simply fantastic. Ignore it if you prefer, but how much more rewarding it would be to give it a listen - it even puts Mirror of Insanity firmly in the shade, and that alone speaks volumes.

Whilst not quite meriting the award of 5 stars - since I must reserve such a score for the truly exceptional - this is nevertheless verging on (neo-prog) perfection and scores at the very upper end of the 4 star category. Excellent stuff.

What a refreshing tunes from this not so usual project. What a nice mellotron tone, accompanying these guitar riffs, vocal effort and lyrics trying.

I must admit that "Sad Song" is little bit cheap try, but pleasant. And also with good guitar mini solo in the middle of track. Indeed, "with the king of rock'n'roll" part of lyrics would suggest that it's r'n' inspired song. After couple of plays, these monotone, repeating lyrics can become irritating. I loved this track at first play, but then it grew and now I'm not so keen on. For comparing, "Time" by Pink Floyd was played for a period of half of a year, about 500 times and still was holding up. I know, it's not fair.

Logically, album with just 6 tracks will have one epic. This one is "Shark Man" which is, put in one word, great. I must say that sound of typing machine shocked me a little bit. Lyrics are intriguing and I didn't get them at the first listening. When talking about prog side, some of these tracks can be accused of being non prog at all. But this one will prove its quality.

This one deserves attention from anyone interested in good prog. Not the best, but good.

Usually I'm not really bothered about bands that are called clones of their great examples (mostly Yes or Genesis). In neo prog most lesser known bands are compared to Marillion, Pallas or IQ, the great founders of the subgenre in the eighties. In most cases of being called copy cats I hardly hear it or I don't think it's a big deal. Right here we have an example where the bl**dy limit is reached as far as I'm concerned. In the band description Hibou says that Red Sand is clearly influenced by Marillion without imitating them. Excuse me ?? This is the most terrible case of cloning I've ever heard.

Fish, Steven Rothary, Mick Pointer, Mark Kelly even the compositions are being imitated by this band. It's really not funny anymore. And that coming from me, I can hardly believe that myself but it's all I can hear every time I listen to this album. Especially Simon Caron does his very best to make his guitar playing sound like Rothery, just listen to the opening song Empty Calendar.

Now at least I know and realize what other people go through when they detect cloning and punish an album for that with a low rating. Because in those cases it hardly matters anymore how good the songs are or how good the musicianship is, it's so annoying to listen to a too high grade of derivation. As is the case here with Music for Sharks. I can just squeeze out a 2 star rating for this because just about everything (especially production quality) seems to be ok except for ... Exactly and unfortunately it dominates the whole thing. Too bad.

It is strange that this work has been evaluated so little.

In my humble opinion there treats itself about a real success about this one almost unknown Canadian band that has a great future ahead. In some another comment it has been corrected of Marillion-clown, but I do not believe that it is like that, also we can find here influences floydians and the beatles, nevertheless, I think that, apart from his quality and good instrumental taste, it has full personality. They do a progressive within reach of almost all the tastes, specially of any lover of the soft-neo-prog. The CD does not have waste and for it I offer it 4 strong stars.

In despite of other reviews, i found this album very enjoable, and reach of good ideas. In some comments i read that they looks a Marillion clone, but i think just their first 2 album had many moments ripped off by Marillion sound and amosphere. Here you can find an evolute and refined sound, with influencies by Floyd for the guitar style of Simon Caron and Beatles for the melodies, with a slight simphonic touch here and there. The new vocalist Mathieu Lessand, is really good and does an excellent work here, and this time doen't try to imit Fish or Gabriel.

All the instruments here makes a good work, especially the bassist player, that performs some execellent solos in some mellow compositions. In this album Caron play even the keyboards, but in my opinion the band need a keyboardist because the compositions is often based on the guitar pattern. The better tracks of the album is the epic and terrific Shark Man, here there are some good vintage moments(mellotron and 2 acustic guitars) alternating with a more eletronic and modern approach.

The song start in a very dramatic/dark and aggresive mood, almost metal, with a keyboard riff that remember some horror movie by italian band Goblin, but after the 3 minutes begin a symphonic piano with a fretless bass, and here the vocalist reach his greatest expression, becoming very theatrical, but this pleasant moment change soon and start an intricate solo of guitar before and keyboards later over an uptempo rythm, for slow down after other 3 minutes; here an acustic passage end the composition with mellotron in background, over a minimoog solo that open the entrance of a awesome guitar solo that fade away the song. 4 Star

Forth album Music for sharks from 2009 issued by this great canadian neo prog band, is a let daown album in comparation with previous 3 works, I mean is far from the greatness and imaginative Gentry album, by far their best record they ever done. Music for sharks a little bland and pale in many parts but overall is not bad. First, to my ears is more laid back, more safe, the compositions never get over that mid tempo arrangements, and second the neo prog offered here is the most accesible band ever done. 6 pieces, most of the time geting in Marillion territory, specially the guitar of Caron. But Caron being an excelent guitarist and composer, I really like his tone of the guitar, knew to hide some passages that sounding to much a la Marillion and turning them is some ok ones with great solos and riffs. Maybe the best tune from here is Shark Man clocking over 16 min, the rest are ok and nothing more. In the end this album is the weakes Red Sand ever done, not really bad but mediocre. Hardly 3 stars

I am a massive fan of Progrules and follow the reviews avidly. Through recommendations, I have discovered one new neo-prog band after another - Collage, Satellite, Clepsydra, Riverside to name a few - to add to what I already knew i.e. Arena, Pendragon etc. I therefore noted the comments on Red Sand with interest, especially about Empty Calendar, and how Marillion-like it was. Well for the first time I (100% respectfully!) disagree! This song has become one of my favourites - brilliant in pace and relentless melody. Yes, it has obvious shades of Marillion, but for me it takes the best of them and expands on it. Just like Pendragon do with Floydian floatiness and Genesis moments to build their own glorious uplifting melodies. Add Empty Calendar to that the long track Shark Man, and we are up to 3' stars without even hearing the rest. Great stuff.

Canadian four piece formation Red Sand have released seven studio albums between 2004 and 2016, this review is about their fourth effort, from 2009. A year before Red Sand had produced a live DVD entitled Au Cabaret Du Liquor Store. I was very pleased with their performance on stage. And many times carried away by the compelling parts, loaded with howling guitar solos and majestic violin-Mellotron waves, the early Marillion hints are obvious. So how about Red Sand their musical direction on Music For Sharks?

Well, on their fourth album Red Sand still sounds like early Marillion, due to the wonderful and moving guitar work by Simon Caron, many compelling solos with the use of the tremolo-arm (in the vein of Steve Rothery). But the musical direction has moved more towards modern Pendragon, also because singer Mathieu Lessand his voice sounds pretty similar to Nick Barrett (with the same melancholical undertone). And in comparison with their previous studio-album Human Trafficking, I notice a more omnipresent role of the keyboards. This is also done by Simon Caron: from church organ in Empty Calendar and a flashy synthesizer solo in Love And Music to soaring keyboards in Sad Song. And the Mellotron can be enjoyed in its full splendor in most of the five alternating tracks, always a Big Plus.

The absolute highlight on this new CD is the long composition Shark Man (more than 15 minutes): it starts with angry vocals in a bombastic atmosphere with tight drums, then lots of changing climates (from dreamy with piano and warm vocals to a mid-tempo with sensational work on keyboards and guitar), culminating in a compelling build-up and a great grand finale: a sensitive electric guitar solo, accompanied by lush Mellotron and synthesizers, this is Prog Heaven!

What a wonderful blend of Neo-Prog and Old School keyboards, highly recommended.