AZIGZA

It was through the live ProgDay2001 recording that I became aware of this San Francisco band.That otherworldly Middle-Eastern / Indian flavour with those gorgeous vocals had me itching for more. I picked up their second and so far final album "Kriya" which surprised me because the vocalist Cyoakha Grace had a very limited role but the impressive thing was how complex the music was. Also they even had more traditional instruments. It was different though from the ProgDay 2001 concert. Anyway this debut may not be as impressive as far as the compositions go but it's still freaking amazing, and Cyoakha is front and center just like at that ProgDay concert. So to be honest it's tough to pick which one of the two albums I like more. Both are a valuable part of my collection.

"Glass" has lots of percussion as the vocals join in at a minute. It settles back briefly then kicks back in as these contrasts continue. Cool ending to this one. "Remember" opens with violin with atmosphere then it kicks in fuller before a minute. Lots of violin and percussion. It settles with vocals then kicks back in again. She's such a great singer. Love this track.

"Petra" features a guest appearance from Daevid Allen (GONG) on guitar. Very cool. Atmosphere and vocal melodies as percussion joins in then vocals. Dreamy stuff. Keyboards after 4 minutes then the song becomes more urgent. A calm 5 1/2 minutes in. Excellent tune. "Touch Moon Window" is experimental to start. It kicks in with heavy drums and violin then vocals. Great sound ! It settles and she becomes the focus with her vocals. It kicks back in as contrasts continue. Check it out after 3 1/2 minutes when the guitar comes in.So good.

"Ratzinitza" is very ethnic sounding with violin, percussion and clapping. A TEA PARTY vibe when the sitar comes in each time. I like this one. "Distance" opens with vocal melodies, violin and acoustic guitar.Vocals before 1 1/2 minutes. Back to the violin on this mysterious track.

"Zaman" is a melancholic track that is one of my favourites. "Friends" is a LED ZEPPELIN cover that is freshly done if you know what I mean. A triumph ! "Edallah Ya Rashidi" is very Middle-Eastern sounding. Guitar changes that somewhat after 2 1/2 minutes but certainly not completely.The guitar ends before 3 1/2 minutes though as percussion and violin lead. It speeds up after 5 minutes (nice) to the end.

I'm just so impressed with this band.You can't go wrong with either of their albums either. Both are easily 4 stars.