|
NewEARS Album Of The Month
"Trying to describe this album with brevity is difficult, but I will try: imagine a combination of The Beatles and The Beach Boys at their vocal best, backed by the best choir in Heaven, underpinned by the most precise, often complex, but always perfect Progressive Rock instrumentation. The music performed to the highest level and co-produced by the best producer in Prog. It is a dense and layered cake indeed, and its taste is delectable and divine. 'Himlabacken Vol. 2', then, is a delicious melange.
Moon Safari - Himlabacken Vol. 2. Moon Safari have exceeded any and all expectations with Himlabacken Vol. 2. The band themselves deserve to be superstars - from Israelsson's underrated and brilliant drumming to the utter perfection that is the vocals of Sandstrom, Westerlund and the Akesson brothers, all delivered at the same time as their various staggering multi-instrumentals. There is quite simply not another band like them. And this is all rounded off with the powerful production of the most tasteful studio magician in Prog, the great Rich Mouser." PN-TPR "Hailing from Sweden, Moon Safari have been wowing audiences for nearly 20 years, yet still feels like one of prog's best-kept secrets. That's partly due to the 10 years that have passed since their last album, one of the longest pauses between a two-part concept album ever. In some ways, it's misleading to see "Vol. 2" on their new release, lest that suggest this is merely a continuation of Vol. 1 in the same mold. To the contrary, "Himlabacken Vol. 2" reeks of a tour de force comeback album, establishing its own unique identity and putting the band back on the map." SM-SP  Essential Track: "If the other tracks are the frosting and the filling of the cake, 21-minute epic 'Teen Angel Meets the Apocalypse' forms the core of this album. If you thought that Moon Safari was just about the vocals, one listen to this saga of a song will set that misconception right in a hurry (well after 21 minutes, at least). It is an extravaganza of varied Prog frenzy, ranging from sweeping choruses and writhing solos to jagged, staccato rhythms and mood swings from the most contemplative to the most frantic and heavy. It is Melodic Prog on steroids (or at least on a sugar rush). There is a part in the middle that reprises the children's rhyme 'London Bridge Is Falling Down' in a way that only Moon Safari can do. The section is also an obvious homage to The Beatles - clearly one of the band's most distinctive influences. London Bridge, quite frankly, never sounded so good, but there is so much more: crazy time signatures, a Moog solo, syncopated instrumentals, a searing and soaring guitar solo from Pontus Akesson using one of the best bluesy sounds you have ever heard and keyboard solos to cry for. The line 'Baby we don't need no borders cos we've got Rock 'n Roll' leads into a thematic climax as good as any in Prog. The cinematic peak then passes and allows the nursery rhyme to return to fade the track gently into the distance. 'Teen Angel' is, simply put, a magnificent performance by an exceptional band that is declaring its return with nothing short of Prog thunder." PN-TPR Read the full reviews on The Prog Report and Sonic Perspectives. Listen and watch the videos on the band's YouTube Channel. Buy the Album in the US from The Bandwagon USA or Laser CD or wherever great Prog music is sold. NewEARS Art Rock Series
There are no NewEARS show announcements at this time Click on the following link for a complete list of bands that have played for the NewEARS Art Rock Series New England Events
|
Featured Show:
12/8 - The Kate, Old Saybrook CT
12/9 - Crossroads, N.Andover MA 
With "a voice for the gods that can transport listeners to other realms" (Boston Globe), Mary Fahl is an expressive, emotional singer/songwriter who first achieved fame as lead singer and co-founder of the mid-1990s NYC- based chamber-pop group October Project. Her album "Winter Songs and Carols" won a 2020 Independent Music Award.
With an earthy, viscerally powerful contralto that bridges the generational gap between Fairport Convention's Sandy Denny and London Grammar's Hannah Reid, Mary Fahl makes music that feels timeless, esoteric and ecumenical. Her elegant, cinematic songs have a hauntingly gothic romanticism that inspired renowned writer Anne Rice to portray Mary's voice emanating from a dead woman's room in her 2013 novel The Wolves of Midwinter... Over the past few years, she's been touring and recording on her own label, Rimar Records, and her recent releases have garnered awards including an Indie Acoustic Award for Best Live Album for "Live at the Mauch Chunk Opera House" (filmed for PBS) and a 2020 Independent Music Award for her recent holiday album, "Winter Songs and Carols". Her latest release, a Blu-ray 5.1 surround DVD, "From the Dark Side of the Moon", brilliantly mixed by Bob Clearmountain, won the 2021 Immersive Album Audio Listener's Choice award and was named "Immersive Album of the Year" by Life in Surround. Latest New England Prog News
For the first time ever, after more than 50 years of friendship, it's the Satch/Vai 2024 Tour!
April 5 - Orpheum Boston MA ; April 7 - Palace Waterbury CT 
Announcing 'The Origins Tour' [playing the EP & The Warning] and featuring our good friends and special guests Armored Saint!! April 27 - Palladium Worcester MA; April 28 - Toad's New Haven CT  |
Season 10 of the NewEARS Prog Show is back on Delicious Agony Progressive Rock Radio  Click here for Season 4-10 and the latest podcast from Delicious Agony - Progressive Rock Radio Click here for a complete list of artists that have appeared on the NewEARS Prog Show Season 1-3 NewEARS Prog Show Sponsors
         |
