NIGHT DREAMS & WISHES

In 2016 band leader and mastermind of the MODERN-ROCK ENSEMBLE, Vladimir Gorashchenko launched his debut album after many decades of his on again / off again projects that actually began all the way back in the 80s. With "Touch The Mystery," the MODERN-ROCK ENSEMBLE which found Gorashchenko on vocals, synthesizers, guitars, sitar and in the producer's seat along with 16 other musicians caught the attention of the prog-o-sphere with an intricately designed blend of disparate styles of progressive rock. While conveniently tagged as neo-prog, the album exhibited a wide swath of influences ranging from the expected symphonic prog styles of Genesis, the derivative neo-prog bands that followed as well as the space rock atmospheres of Pink Floyd. Added to that were touches of classical, heavy rock and early touches of the Moody Blues, and it was no wonder why the prog world was so impressed with this belated effort that took many, many years to achieve.

Well, great things are worth the wait and although it took three years to conjure up a second coming, the MODERN-ROCK ENSEMBLE triumphantly returns in 2019 with the sophomore album titled NIGHT DREAMS & WISHES which tackles the unusual subject matter of finding inspiration and creativity through the forces that work with us in the night especially in the dream state where we can filter all illusions and unrealistic ideas and sublimate them into reality of course accompanied by the process of extreme effort and will power. The album is another lengthy one that maximizes the playing time of a CD at 78 minutes long and once again delivers an eclectic romp through the prog universe only even more so than its predecessor. Graced with an impeccable production and a cast of over 16 musicians and vocalists, NIGHT DREAMS & WISHES delivers the prog goods in a modern context with references to the past but with an identity existing in its own domain.

While bands like Wobbler and All Traps On Earth have displayed that prog rock is alive and well in the 21st century, those bands exhibit a retro experience whereas MODERN-ROCK ENSEMBLE sounds like a completely contemporary band, one that has learned from the past but has forged new territories and just one listen to NIGHT DREAMS & WISHES will unleash a plethora of modern day prog excitement unlike many out there who are simply retreading paths already taken. Like "Touch The Mystery," NIGHT DREAMS & WISHES takes the listener down a long and winding musical journey where one can suspend one's expectations for the duration and simply sit back and experience the sonic display of a magnitude rarely matched in the rock music paradigm. While the album is technically divided into 9 tracks with various sub-parts, in reality the entire listening experience is tantamount to one lengthy suite that encompasses a variety of moods, tones timbres and dynamics as well as checking off the list in the prog playbook but what really animates the experience is the creative flow in how it's all presented.

While starting off with a rather ambient mood with "Intro- Night, Universe and Our Inner Space" quickly followed by the cello-rich mellowness of "Overture," it would be easy to think that this was some sort of modern classical album with progressive electronic touches. Yes, the album does take its time on the rocket pad before launching but once it does, it bursts into the same style of jazz-fueled heavy rock that Steve Vai is famous for at least in the guitar department while symphonic keyboard chops and jagged time signatures take you into the prog heaven. The moral of this story is that motifs and cadences come and go. Heavy rock bursts onto the scene and then slowly fades out while organ bombast rules and then trades off. Other tracks exhibit a dreamier side of things such as the placid acoustic guitar strumming on "Night Comes, Dreams" which finds the first signs of vocals which are noticeably less prominent on this second album.

Lullaby rock gives way to flute based folk prog on "Barocco Scherzo" whereas "Childhood & School Days" bursts back into the heavy symphonic prog with the jazzy guitar sequences. "Insomnia" yanks the mood back to the mellow zone with a nice steady stream of flute driven prog but the track really goes off the deep end and delivers a series of avant-prog workouts with jagged angularities right out of the Yugen playbook. One of the highlights is the three part "Dark Kingdom & The Evil King" which swallows up over 28 minutes of playing time. As you can imagine, such ambitious efforts cover a lot of ground and displays the entire sound spectrum of MODERN-ROCK ENSEMBLE that alternates the symphonic prog with the jazz-fusion heavy rock, the Moody Blues type narrations and a lengthy journey down a technically infused instrumental workout that covers many tempos and time signature workouts. Nice touches include choral vocal efforts and freaky keyboard solos that stake out a new claim on overweening symphonic pomp in the brave new world but in a GOOD way of course!

The album ends much like it began with soft lushly orchestrated dreamy time music and after 78 minutes of listening time seems like a familiar friend. NIGHT DREAMS & WISHES is another excellent chapter in the recurring reality of the MODERN-ROCK ENSEMBLE who have proved that this project was in no way a one-off enigma and is hopefully here to stay. The music is professionally composed and the production is flawless with all the modern day attributes of keeping the sounds contained in their own spectrum of accessibility. The compositions display a range of complexities but never stray too far into the extremities of weirdness although dissonance and angularities pop up from time to time. Richly based in classical and progressive rock traditions, this album is easily digested for those well versed in the genres. NIGHT DREAMS & WISHES delivers a well laid out run of various tunes but on a personal note, i find it drags on way too much and doesn't take into account that the modern day attention span needs a much more dynamic range of changing things up. While this is a personal preference, i just find that no matter how good an album is, 78 minutes is too much especially given the nebulous subject matter at hand. Nevertheless, another amazing achievement for a talented Ukrainian band.