Suffer and Misery (82)

Mainstream prog in the vein of Camel, Genesis and Yes.

Thee Image (75), Inside The Triangle (76)

Ex-Iron Butterfly on ELP's Manticore label.

Mais On Ne Peut Pas Rever Tout Le Temps (79)

Mais On Ne Peut Pas Rever Tout Le Temps is an all-instrumental work by the French artist, who combines the rhythm and symphonic style of Magma with a more refined approach, resulting in a work that alternates between quiet passages a la Asia Minor and the like, to full interludes with energetic percussion and chants that invoke the memory of Magma. This was originally released in 1979, and displayed a variety of musical influences from around the world, including Arabia, India, and Africa mingled with natural sounds, reminding at times of the Eno/Byrne collaboration, My Life In The Bush Of Ghosts.

Thibault was the original bassist in Magma (pre-recordings) and later became their producer, as well as several other artists on the Theleme and Egg labels. He released one solo album in 1979, which might be described as Mike Oldfield meets Weidorje, or a folk-oriented variation on the Magma zeuhl sound. It features other ex-Magma alumni Lionel Ledissez, Francis Moze and Richard Raux, as well as the ex-Transit Express violinist David Rose, and many others. This album is essential, possibly one of the best albums to ever come out of the French zeuhl school. The 13 minute opening track "Oree," featuring vocals by Amanda Parsons, is worth the cost of the disc by itself.

Laurent Thibault, producer, sound engineer, and Magma's first bass player, composed and recorded this solo album in 1978. He called on his musician friends to assemble an impressive group: Francis Moze (ex-Magma and Gong) on bass, Dominique Bouvier (ex-Transit Express and Rose) on drums, Amanda Parsons (ex-Hatfield and the North) and Lisa Bois (ex-Magma) on vocals, David Rose on violin, Jacqueline Thibault (his wife) on keyboards, Lionel Ledissez (ex-Ergo Sum) on vocals, and Richard Raux (ex-Magma) on sax. This concept album was Thibault's musical interpretation of Douanier Rousseau's paintings contrasting dreams with reality. The music ranges from beautiful bucolic passages ("Oree") to aggressive Magma-like sonic barrages on the title track. Yet certain musical themes repeat throughout, interspersed with various ethnic musics. A delightful musical suite! An excellent feature provided by Musea is the CD indexing that allows you to zero in on a specific passage within each of the four pieces. Again, as is usual with Musea reissues, there is an extensive 14 page booklet with history and photos. In this case, because of Thibault's musical career, you also receive a slice of Magma history. My only gripe is that at roughly 31 minutes the CD is JUST TOO SHORT! More of Thibault's music would have been great, but would no doubt disturb the flow and ambience of the album.

Thibault's single solo album is an album of beauty, both in subtlety and energy. The album draws from a variety of sources, including folk, Magma's zuehl style, and Arabic and East Indian song styles. Moods range from quiet pastoral passages to intense doses of raging, Magma-like fusion. The thirteen minute opening track, "Oree," features the clear, sweet, wordless soprano of Amanda Parsons (from National Health) who is my favorite female vocalist. The music is a rich blend of acoustic guitars, basses, percussion, saxophones, vocals, violins, natural sounds (birds, ocean, many other animals) and many other sonic textures. Easily, this album is some of the most inventive music to come from France's zuehl scene, or from anywhere else for that matter. The only "flaw" with the album is its 31 minute length. Still, in all, this is must-hear album. Highly recommended!

[See Magma]

A Thinking Plague (84), Moonsongs (87), In This Life (89)

Probably the weirdest new progressive band around, US ensemble Thinking Plague are one of those bands, which makes your neighbors and relatives scream "This is out of tune" while you are trying to enjoy it. Definitely unconventional (as Recommended bands tend to be,) I can't really compare them to anyone, but if music in the vein of the Art Bears, Slapp Happy, or Henry Cow takes your fancy, you may like this. In This Life is highly recommended.

Although In This Life was released on a UK label, Thinking Plague are a US band. The CD packaging typifies punk music, with hand-scrawled layout and roughly sketched drawings. Sitting on a shelf in a record store, the cover doesn't scream "Progressive Rock!" However, the music is one of the stronger examples of the modern progressive genre. Imagine what would happen if Dead Can Dance, the Cocteau Twins, and the Art Bears joined forces and tried to sound like Iconoclasta. This 70 minute disc captures a unique style that is about as reminiscent of Iconoclasta as that band is of Lamb-era Genesis. The guitar riffs have that unstructed, sloppy approach and the vocals remind me of Dagmar Krause at her best (or, as some might say, her worst). Actually, they are a hell of a lot more palatable than Dagmar ever was. One of the things I appreciate about this band's technique is that everyone pulls their weight. There are no virtuosos, no show offs. But the way that multiple guitar lines flow and intermesh with a tight, busy rhythm section show compositional insight. No plodding bass lines or drummer BOOM-BAPping his way to putting you to sleep. But don't run out just yet - this is pretty far from mainstream progressive music - Thinking Plague falls into the "progressively weird" category, but in a way no one has before. Keeping all this in mind, I give In This Life a resounding two thumbs up.

In This Life contains two tracks, "Moonsongs" and "Possessed" (both fantastic, with two different female vocalists), from the first two albums. "Audion" magazine refer to them as "a modern day Art Bears." I think this is pretty accurate. The guitar sounds uncannily Fred Frith-like in places. A really great release but not for those who don't like way-out RIO.

[See Drake, Robert | 5uu's]

Alchemy (69), Third Ear Band (70), Music From Macbeth (72), Experiences (76), New Forcasts From the Third Ear Almanac (89)

Neo-prog fans stop here. You thought Univers Zero was weird and dissonant? Try these guys, which were the earliest ensemble of chamber/rock/ragas around. Reformed recently, Third Eard Band were basically oboes, percussion, and other odd instruments that made unique and highly innovative music that definitely resembeled Indian ragas. Not for the timid, Alchemy, Third Ear Band and the soundtrack to Roman Polanski's "Macbeth" all come highly recommended to the explorative.

Thirsty Moon (72), You'll Never Come Back (73), Blitz (75), A Real Good Time (76), Starchaser (81)

Another superb German jazz rock band, that were quite innovative. Becoming quite hard to find, Thirsty Moon put out a series of albums in the seventies, of which the first two, Thirsty Moon and You'll Never Come Back are the best. Excellent and vital music.

I have their eponymous first album and the follow-up You'll Never Come Back. Both are excellent works that blend progressive and jazz elements with a touch of space and dissonance. Comparisons can be made to Secret Oyster circa Straight to the Krankenhaus. Lyrical saxophone or flute fights with heavy, sometimes blistering, electric guitar in a friendly war on a five song battlefield. (Each album has five songs.) The listener comes out the winner. These guys definitely put a new fresh twist on fusion. Original in the best way. English (I think) vocals are dispersed here and there. Highly recommended. -- Mike Taylor

I have their third album, Blitz. Interesting, as most Brain label bands are, but not essential. All-instrumental rock with heavy emphasis on guitars and percussion. "Lord Of Lightning" is a hard-rock song with crashing electric guitars and super-amplified harpsichord. "Rainbow" is an intriguing semi-improvisational piece in 9/4 with riveting guitar, cymbal splashes and atonal organ that somewhat resembles Soft Machine circa Volume Two. "The Jungle Of Your Mind" starts with a fascinating rhythmic pattern alternating bars of 8/4 and 7/4, but soon degenerates into a long percussion section that would be good if it weren't such a deadringer for Yes' "Ritual." Elsewhere they essay Führs and Fröhling-esque acoustelectronic music ("Magic Moon") and reggae ("Crickets Don't Cry"). -- Mike Ohman

This Heat (79), Deceit (81)

Very weird Recommended type trio that put out two albums in the late '70s / early '80s that a lot of prog fans absolutely love. A little too "Post modern" for me, although they did some neat things at times. This Heat, Deceit.

Experimental rock. Excellent ideas well executed. Only two albums. The second called Deceit is more "catchy."

[See 1919, La | Quiet Sun]

Form and Meaning Reach Ultimate Communion (86), Great Trucking Songs of the Renaissance (88), Hot Dogma (90), The Beasts of Suburban (92)

They count if you mean progressive as in making progress, not merely copying earlier progressive bands. They are a very sarcastic band singing alot of stuff that is pretty normal (except lyricly - that's what sets them apart). The best parts are the poems. eg. "Life Kills" continues when suddenly the lead singer starts reciting. The song ends. He continues. The next song starts around him later. (it is all, btw, highly depressing). Best song titles "Bishop = Handjob," "Kill Americans" (yeah!), "Lillee Caught Dillee Bowled Millee Vanilli" (cricket reference).... I have forgotten the best ones now! Any way, they are progressive lyrically and musically they are 1/2 indy/alternative, 1/4 progressive, 1/4 sarcastic bastards.

It'll End in Tears (83), Filligree and Shadow (87), Blood (90)

This Mortal Coil (TMC) is not a group at all. It is the pet project of 4AD producer Ivo Watts-Russell. The Britsh 4AD record label has produced many alternative and progressive bands such as Bauhaus, Dead Can Dance, and the Cocteau Twins. In TMC, Ivo pulls together various individuals from 4AD bands, and he crafts music around their special talents. The first album, It'll End in Tears, is the most provocative. It appears that the artists had a great deal of input into the composition process. Liz Fraser gives two stellar vocal performances on Tim Buckley's "Song to the Siren" and Roy Harper's "Another Day." Like Liz' singing for the Cocteau Twins, these arrangements are mysteriously incognito, yet more elegant the most Cocteau Twins songs. "Another Day" features a string arrangement by Martin McGarrick that foreshadows his importance in later TMC albums. "Holocaust," "Fond Affections," "The Last Day," and "A Single Wish" feature some beautiful keyboard and guitar work by Martin Young (Colourbox) and Simon Raymonde (Cocteau Twins). Young also teams up with Mark Cox (The Wolfgang Press) to create an electronic music piece that incorporates the simplicity of Minimalism with an almost Heavy Metal beat in a track called "Fyt." Vocal performances by Gordon Sharp (Cindytalk) on "Kangaroo" and by Howard Devoto on "Holocaust" I found to be dull compared to the rest of the material. Lisa Gerrard (Dead Can Dance) dominates three contiguous tracks with a blur of heavily processed (get this...) accordion as well as her haunting vocals, both reminicant of her early albums. The first of these, "Waves Become Wings," is quite similar to works on later TMC albums. Ivo's use of ocean wave sounds is expertly integrated into the ambient flow of the accordion tape loops. It is this use of "found sounds" that becomes the corner stone of many tracks on later TMC albums. This album is capped off by an rockin' rendition of Colin Newman's "Not Me" with exquisite performances by Robbie Grey (Modern English), Manuela Rickers (Xmal Deutschland), Robin Guthrie and Simon Raymonde (Cocteau Twins). This song is so hot it almost does fit the rest of the album. Since TMC is not a real group, per se, they tend to do a lot of covers; this trend continues in the later albums as well. The second album, Filligree and Shadow, represents a significant transition in production. First, there are fewer compositions by the artists that perform them. This implies that there are many cover tunes by such artists as Judy Collins, Van Morrison, and others that I don't recognize. It also implies that may compositions are from TMC itself (i.e. Ivo, McGarrick, John Fryer, etc). Secondly, this album was carefully crafted for the CD format; the music was digitally mixed and the pieces blend from one to another seemlessly and effortlessly. (It is also more than seventy minutes long!) This flow facilitates a new musical experience, but it also restricts the types of compositions and arrangements possible. Many of the TMC-composed pieces are strictly instrumental; celloist (and arranger/con- ductor) Martin McGarrick and violinist (and viola) Gini Ball, in conjunction with John Fryer and Ivo on everything else (including "found sounds"), form a semi-group that is This Mortal Coil. On the vocal side, we see the emergence of Dominic Appleton, Deidre and Louise Rutowski, and Allison Limerick, among others. I am most impressed by the Rutowski sisters; their voices tackle the most demanding ranges with grace and style. Allison gives an awesome punch to David Byrne's song "Drugs," which like "Not Me" in the first album is a rockin' tune that doesn't quite seem to fit. The third (and last I have been told) album, Blood, is very similar in style to Filligree and Shadow. Again, Ivo is joined by McGarrick, Fryer, and others to tangle us in a web of ambient and rock sounds that leaves me relaxed if not hypnotized. Not to say that there is no tension in this album. "I Come and Stand" is a hauntingly beautiful arrangement of a song composed by The Byrds (lyrics by the Arab poet ?Ahmad? Hikmet); this songs tells of a young child as a ghost who has died in the bombing of Hiroshima. Other covers include Syd Barrett's (Pink Floyd founder/songwriter) "Late Night," Randy California's (Spirit) "Nature's Way," Chris Bell's "You and Your Sister" and "I am the Cosmos," among others. The pieces composed by Ivo (and the gang) constitute a strange lot: a collage of strings, vocals, drum machines, "found sound" tape loops and effects, and a splash of gritty/squealin/droning guitar and keyboards. "Baby Ray Baby" is by far Ivo's most interesting "found sound" composition, in which an infant beautifully and effervescently babbles in its pre-phonetic language. These works remind me of Steinbeck's use of "interchapters" in the "Grapes of Wrath"; they form a musical glue or transition between the cover songs. The effect is usually pleasant and often surprising.

Quand Le Bruit Devient Trop Aigu (71), Watch The Devil Go (75), Résurgence (78), Cinq Hops (79)

Prog.

Thor (79)

[See Metamorfosi | Spitaleri, Davide]

Locked Inside (83)

Psych/folk/prog.

A Third of a Lifetime (71), Three Man Army (72), Mahesha (73), Two (74)

Hard, prog rock.

[See Gun]

Wounded Land (93)

A decent CD with four good tracks out of eight. Threshold has a harder edge like Dream Theater. Not something that I really care for, but there are some good tracks. The first time I heard one of the tracks, I thought I was listening to Robert Plant. -- Steve Puccinelli

[See Landmarq]

Thrice Mice (71)

German underground jazzrock, sort of a mix of Soft Machine and Blood, Sweat And Tears. I heard their song on the Hamburg 70 compilation, lots of horns. Pretty good. -- Mike Ohman

[See Altona]

Ultima Thule (87), Natt (90), Frostbrent (93)

One of the most bizarre and interesting recent progressive rock bands, Norwegians Thule released the first (very rare) Ultima Thule and have recently released the doomy and gothic Natt, which is dark and intense progressive that is quite unique. A little Pink Floyd is evident, but more or less Thule is just Thule.

I have Ultima Thule, the first album by this Norwegian quartet. Instruments are the usual guitar, keyboards, bass and drums. There are similarities to Pink Floyd (mostly in the Gilmouresque guitar and use of space and atmosphere) and Trettioåriga Kriget (rock orientation, strong bass presence) from nearby Sweden. There's also a bit of gothic quality to the music as you hear spoken text over howling winds (at the beginning of the first song) and there is an overall dark aura that pervades the entire album. This album is progressive the same way Trettioåriga Kriget is (or isn't the same way T. Kriget aren't). They sound like a rock band with some progressive tendencies, I guess in a manner similar to Rush. If you like Trettioåriga Kriget, you'll probably like Thule. If you don't care for T. Kriget, you'll probably want to stay away. Me? I enjoy them both.

Cornucopia (86), Melancholia (87)

Many years ago, Thurow was in the politico-prog band Eulenspygel. These albums of computerized synthesizer music turned up much later on. I have Cornucopia, and I believe it to be one of the electronic masterworks using digital keyboards. Thurow has a very imaginative style that's instantly recognizable, yet possibly derived from a variety of influences, from Klaus Schulze to Eela Craig. Thurow uses alien sounds and samples of more familiar ones side-by-side, often to stunning effect. "Chronological Order" is an exotic piece full of sampled percussion and jungle-like sounds that rather resembles a hipper, digitized Martin Denny. A couple of the songs feature outside instrumentation: "Detour" includes the classically-trained oboe of Roswitha Maier, while "Transmigrant" has an emotional sax solo by Bernd Konrad. The best track? Probably the hypnotic, slowly-developing "Intermission". Words simply cannot describe its beauty. Melancholia is supposed to be equally good. -- Mike Ohman

Hinn Islenski Thursaflokkur (78), Thursabit (79), Gæti Eins Verid (8?), Thursaflokkurinn a Hijomleikum (8?)

Their name on their first eponymous album was Hinn Islenzki Thursaflokkur (translation: The Icelandic Flock of Trolls / Hinn = The). This album was released 1978. When they released their second album Thursabit they had shortened their name to Thursaflokkurin (translation: The Flock of Trolls), and that is what everyone call them (even in the notes of the first album). Their third album was live and was probably released in 1980. It is said that they had made a fourth album 1994. -- Gunnar Creutz

This band hails from Iceland, and to get a hint at their sound you might think of a Scandinavian Gryphon mixed with a large dose of Gentle Giant. Thursabit was their second album, released in 1979. Hinn Islenski Thursaflokkur are by no means anything close to a Gentle Giant clone - they just do their own thing which happens to incorporate a lot of the kinds of things that make Gentle Giant such a good, original band; odd meters and constant time changes, lots of dynamics, quirky rhythmic and melodic motifs, excellent musicianship, a healthy variety in their sound, even within the same song, and well performed, if sometimes odd, vocals. The music is also reminiscent of bands such as Hatfield and the North and National Health. They have folk roots, but except for maybe two songs, this influence is heard more in the vocals than in the music. There is some excellent prog here, very energetic, that serves as a setting for old Icelandic verse. The extensive liner notes come with the lyrics in Icelandic as well as explanation and background on the poetry in English. Very interesting reading. The instrumentation is guitar, a variety of keyboards, bass, drums, and sometimes bassoon, all played with plenty of enthusiam and intensity. In my opinion, this is as good as anything Gentle Giant has done, and it is one of the best CDs I've gotten this year (along with Locanda della Fate, the double CD of Magma Live, Banco's Io Sono Nato Libero and Darwin!, Ozric Tentacle's Live Underslunky; pretty good company!). If you don't mind the idea of Icelandic vocals (I find them quite interesting), consider giving this a listen. And if you do try it, just ignore the first track. It's rather "poppy" in a 70's kind of way, but its only 3 minutes long and sounds nothing like the rest of the album. Great stuff. -- Rob Walker

[Many people inccorectly refer to "Thursaflokkur" and "Thursabit" as "Pursaflokkur" and "Pursabit", which is incorrect. The Icelandic letter for "Th" looks sort of like a pregnant letter "I" and not unlike the letter "P". This similarity and unfamiliarity with the Icelandinc language is the source of confusion.]

Steve Tibbetts (77), Yr (80), Northern Song (82), Safe Journey (84), Exploded View (86), Big Map Idea (89), The Fall Of Us All (94)

Steve comes from St.Paul, Minnesota, where in another reality he is a DJ at one of the local radio stations there. To say that he is a guitarist is truly an oversimplification of his unique style of combining all the possibilities of the studio with any and all instruments he happens to have handy. He is also a master of the mandolin, kalimba, and synthesizer also, although his music rarely uses it. He combines his guitarwork (both electric and acoustic) with an array of exotic worldwide percussion played by Marc Anderson, and tape loop studio effects created by both. The sound depends heavily on experimentation, both from the tape and from the music itself; Absence of sound plays an important part also, using silence and dynamics to tie things together. His first album was started as a project for an Electronic Music class in college. The five tracks on side one blend together to create a side-long experimental guitar opus. Side two kicks off with a heavy synth-track "Jungle Rhythm," then stretches out into some spacy guitar and electronics, and wraps up with "How Do You Like My Buddha?," an intense experiment in tape loops overlaid with heavy guitars and synth. The second album (Yr) is a must for guitar junkies: Each track overflows with multiple layers of acoustic and electric guitars, mandolin, dobro, and exotic percussion; each flows nicely into the next, creating a sonic tapestry that is in constant evolution. Two tracks in particular, "Three Primates" and "You And It" are positively incredible! Northern Song is his first one for a major label (ECM), Recorded in Oslo, Norway, it relies almost exclusively on acoustic guitars and bongos/congas with studio acoustics and tape loops. The feeling is very sparse and spacy, very unlike the electrified Yr. Many of the overdubs sound as if they were added without listening to the tracks previously recorded, giving an out-of-sync effect, especially on the side long "Nine Doors/Breathing Space." With Safe Journey, Steve decided to turn the electricity back on, although many of the ideas from Northern Song are revisited here, further refined. This album has more variety than any of the others, from roaring adventures in guitar feedback ("Test") to the quietly dark and haunting "Night Again." Eastern ideas are explored in "Mission," using tabla, steel drums, tape loops and sitar. Another gem is "Any Minute," an experiment with multi-tracked kalimbas, guitars, percussion and tape loops that creates a mind shattering wall-of-sound effect. Exploded View is probably the most violent and edgy of all his recordings, dense and rough, almost frightening at times. This feeling carries throughout, from the snarling feedback of "Name Everything" to the other-worldly feeling of "Assembly Field." Vocals are used on several tracks (for the first time) for elevation and effect only (no lyrics). The variety of Safe Journey and the first two is not to be found here; the entire project has a unifying sound that is distinct from the others and unique unto its own. A challenging listening experience. Big Map Idea returns to a more acoustic sound, similar to the instrumentation of Northern Song, but more directed and defined. The compositions are more spastic and abrasive, jumping from one idea to the next without warning, erupting and dissolving. the only familiar tune here is a cover of Led Zeppelin's "Black Mountain Side"; all the other musical events on this album don't happen long enough to sink in and stay with you. Wouldn't reccomend it for starters.

Tibet (79)

From their first live performance in 1972, it was seven years before Tibet released their sole LP. By the time of their LP, were a six piece: Klaus Werthmann (vocals), Deff Ballin (keyboards, percussion), Dieter Kumpakischkis (keyboards), Karl-Heinz Hamann (bass, percussion), Fred Teske (drums, percussion, guitar, vocals) and Jurgen Krutzsch (guitars, percussion). Despite all the percussion listings, this is not a particularly percussive album. However, for a brief passage in the longest track, "Take What's Yours," it sounds like we have drums, shakers, cymbals and other percussion, so I suppose the listing is warranted. It seems the drums were poorly recorded as they sound extremely thin and boxy. I don't think this is a by-product of the noise reduction used in mastering from an LP because the other instruments sound okay. Fans of the Hammond organ will be delighted because there is an obviously strong keyboard dominance on this album. There are loads of organ solos, several synth solos and many waves of mellotron. Of the seven songs, which range from 4.5 minutes up to 7.5 minutes, only two are entirely instrumental. The remainder usually have longish instrumental breaks between the English lyrics. Comparison-wise, Tibet are in the vein of several German symphonic bands, including Eloy, Amenophis and Novalis. To me, the trademark of these bands is the layers of organ and synths, wrapped in a spacious and atmospheric bundle. The guitar is usually laid back rather than driven, creating a relaxing, uncomplicated and pleasant atmosphere. "Eagles," the second instrumental, is a perfect example. While not as strong an album as Novalis' Sommerabend, those of you into that style should find Tibet to be a worthy listen. -- Mike Taylor

The Crowded Room (79)

This Belgian group released only one album in the late '70s. Musically, they are fairly original and unique, with a sound that combines elements of jazz, folk and pop, with hints of classicism. The lineup consists of Hadi Al Gammal (lead vocals, 12 string acoustic guitar), Christian Gilbert (drums), Didier De Roos (keyboards, acoustic guitar, background vocals) and Sam Mackinney (basses). The sound is driven by everpresent acoustic and 12 string guitar and piano, with simple yet colorful arrangements. Hadi's voice may remind of Greg Lake at times. Overall, difficult to draw any convenient comparisons to, but some general comparisons could be drawn with groups like Terraced Garden, with emphasis on the songs. Lyrics are in English. This is an outstanding album.

Espace Fini (89), Ocean (90), Parade (92)

French progressive which doesn't really sound like anything else, but doesn't hold my interest very well either. Some songs click, but others don't seem to go anywhere for a long time.

Parade is the third release from the French band, whose works consist of all-instrumental pieces generated by a keyboards/guitars/drums line-up. The music is quite similar in style to some of Kit Watkins' earlier solo releases, in terms of the keyboard contributions, augmented with electric guitars. There are enough variant time signatures to deliver bliss to the prog-heads who enjoy that sort of thing, and the playing is adventurous enough to prevent the sameness that sometimes afflicts all-instrumental bands. Other comparisons could be made to countrymen Edhels and Minimum Vital.

French instrumental trio consisting of guitar, keyboards and drums/vibraphone. This band recalls Shylock, but with a lot more angularity and urgency, the rapid-fire changes in time-sig and tempo within the music take place at a near schizophrenic pace. On the first album, guitar-keyboard interchanges take on a pyrotechnic feel, with later albums expanding on this basic style with more electronics. All three albums are very worthwhile, recommended for fans of mid-period King Crimson. Start with the first album or Parade.

Tiemko's Ocean is a breath of fresh air in the modern scene. Recorded in 1990, Ocean offers an interesting and unique approach. Entirely instrumental, containing rapid time changes and moderately proficent playing, there are so many styles covered in 50 minutes of music that I can't begin to describe them all. From the opening track, "Episode," they sound reminiscent of the style of Minimum Vital without vocals, but I really have to stretch to hear the similarities. After going through about 15 time changes in the first couple of minutes of guitar/keyboard lead work, no real theme had emerged. They would use a certain pattern in a certain key for only a run or two then exchange it for something new. Beautiful! This is exactly what I want to hear after all those bands that turn five minute ideas into 10 minute songs. "Episode" ends with a drums solo which surprised me - I tend to consider such material filler - but didn't detract from the overall quality of the music. The next two tracks approach from a pseudo-jazz point of view, though again they accomplish this fusion in a refreshingly new style. Often they intersperse a jazz progression with a quick run of a classical style, then back into the jazz. It's schizophrenic mix that works perfectly. I was constantly surprised and pleased when I first listened to it. The fifth and final track is a 20 minute opus that probably could have been cut down to about 15 without losing any musicial ideas. It doesn't drag on, but it tends to repeat itself a little too often compared to their short and to the point approach on the first four. They even touch on an electronic style at moments, though not enough to get an idea of their approach from. They also could have left out the guitar solo at the beginning which goes nowhere and makes me think they put it in to make the song longer. The sound is refreshing as well. With only a guitarist, keyboardist (doubling on bass) and drummer, they miss a full sound of band with four or more musicians though they do plenty to make up for it. The guitarist uses whammy bar harmonics and heavy effects on his instrument through the entire album, while the keyboardist relies on a heavy but "thin" style, as opposed to the classic Moog or Hammond prog sound. The bass is the least interesting instrument, usually buried in the mix, and rarely active enough to capture my attention. Obviously the keyboardist prefers the keys! The only real detraction is the fourth cut, "Vodka Frappee," which contains a minimal drumming effort and repetitive bass rhythm. Personally, I would have cut out parts of the 20 minute piece and added some variety in guitar effects, but that's about all the nitpicking I can do! Although they never get into truly complicated writing with counterpoint or intertwined melodies, their "one lead at a time approach" is sufficient since it is backed up by an active, busy drummer who's not afraid to add fills as often as possible. While Ocean is not a classic, its remains quite good and definitely worthwhile for anyone looking for a new sound. For Tiemko's third release, Parade, the band has pursued a slightly different musical direction, but I can't say that it's all that interesting. The focus on Parade is keyboard/xylophone/guitar-harmonics blends, with a number of tracks taking a more conventional power trio approach. Again, their style is hard to nail down, including diverse influences such as King Crimson and Tangerine Dream but with a modern sound. I'll admit that they are doing something different, if not unique. But the music itself ruins their creativity with its simplistic "hold chord - scale - hold chord" approach. Sounds like something composed in an afternoon rather than being well thought out. Two chord rhythms and monophonic melodies don't do this instrumental band any justice though there are enough hooks to keep a casual interest. If you're a fan of previous Tiemko albums, give it a shot. Otherwise, I wouldn't suggest buying it without hearing it first.

I have two of their albums, Ocean and Parade. Both are excellent albums and well worth a listen. The band is a trio of keyboards, electric and acoustic guitars, and drums. The music is an amalgam of jazz fusion and symphonic progressive. The electric guitar work is reminiscent of someone like Allan Holdsworth or David Torn. The acoustic guitar works reminds me of the current John McLaughlin Trio or, perhaps, Pat Metheny without a guitar synthesizer. Since there is no bass, the keyboards are responsible for adding richness to the low-end, which they do very well. The 20+ minute title track to Ocean blends the electric fusion (guitar) with classic symphonic progressive (keyboards). The mixture comes off sounding fresh and fairly original. The closest comparison would probably be another French band, Minimum Vital. Fans of one would do go to check out the other. On Parade, the style continues in the same vein, though the sound is changed somewhat. The songs are shorter (nine on Parade compared to five on Ocean) and some of the fusion styling has been replaced with a somewhat 20th century classical feel--some of the melodies are slightly more angular. There is still plenty of the same electric solo style as on Ocean. It just seems the keyboard work is brought out more with more exploration of texture and space. Very good albums, indeed! -- Mike Taylor

They tend to get less press than Edhels or Minimum Vital, which is sad, as I think Tiemko are the most original and exciting of the new Musea bands. I must admit, I wasn't too impressed on first listen. But Tiemko makes the kind of music that takes several listens to fully appreciate. The band is a trio encompassing guitar, keyboards and percussion. In their music, I can hear bits of King Crimson and Happy The Man, as well as some more exotic (perhaps Chinese and/or Balinese) influences. Unlike Minimum Vital, Tiemko are not afraid to use dissonance in their music. They also make greater use of intricate rhythms, aided no doubt by their drummer, who effortlessly pulls off the tricky time-signatures. He's obviously the best drummer of the latest wave of French prog. The guitar is very Robert Fripp sounding. Tiemko are also one of the most imaginative users of digital synths this side of Univers Zero. I'd very much recommend Parade. I don't know how the others compare to it, but I hope to hear them soon.

Parade is the third album by the superb French trio of Remy Chauvidan (electric guitars, keyboards), Jean Jacques Toussaint (synthesizers), and Eric Delaunay (drums, vibraphone, xylophone). Chauvidan, Toussaint, and Delaunay each contributed three tracks to Parade. Tiemko creates an amalgam of rock, jazz fusion, and progressive music (e.g., King Crimson, Ptose, Sensations Fix, and Pat Metheny). Their music ranges from the excellent pseudo-Mellotron of Delaunay's "Good Bye Mister Prog," through Chauvidan's oriental piece "Taille One," to the breath taking acoustic guitar of Delaunay's "Hymne." While on this musical journey I encountered Toussaint's "Spirale" with a lead guitar line that sounds like the melody from Sergio Mendez' '60s hit "The Look of Love." Not at all what I expected from Eric Delaunay's medieval influenced cover art! I guess you can't tell a CD by its cover. Buy this CD and join Tiemko on a parade through their unique blend of music.

[See Delaunay, Eric]

Vanhat Valokuvat (??), Maisemakuvia Suomesta (??), Films (??)

Keyboardist/soundtracks composer.

Al Fin (75), Alcocebre (7?)

Electric folk-rock.

Time (75), Prime Time (84)

Prog.

Time (72), Time II (75), Zivot U Cizmama S Visokom Petom (76)

Italian-styled prog.

Act II:Galileo (95)

Prog metal in the vein of Dream Theater and Fates Warning. Galileo is one 52 minute song.

Sunset Glow (75), Streetnoise (??), 1969 (??), Tropic Appetites (??), Encore (??, w/ Brian Auger)

Tipographica (93), The Man Who Does Not Nod (95), God Says I Can't Dance (96)

El Profeta (??)

Prog concept album, one of the rarest from South America.

What's Beyond (9?)

Titus Groan (70)

Early prog.