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Progressive Rock CD Reviews

BunChakeze

Whose Dream?

Review by Gary Hill

This is quite an intriguing disc. The music here is both original and yet rooted heavily in classic progressive rock. It’s got enough familiarity to make it feel like something you’ve heard before, but it’s fresh enough to keep it from really sounding like any particular act. It’s a disc that shows these guys have a sense for proper pacing and understand the benefits of alternating more electrified music with mellower sounds. Those are both arts that are frequently lost in the modern world of music. Indeed, this is really music that feels current, while still showcasing the things that have always made great progressive rock, great.

This review is available in book format (hardcover and paperback) in Music Street Journal: 2011  Volume 5 at lulu.com/strangesound.

Track by Track Review
Bun Chakeze

Here’s a frantic, fusion-like instrumental to open things up.

Whose Dream?
A mellower piece, this feels a lot like Peter Gabriel era Genesis. It’s a tasty piece of music that works quite well. It includes a bouncy section that rocks a bit more later.
Walk in Paradise
Coming out of the previous tune, this one rocks out hard. It’s a lot more of a classic rock meets prog sound. It’s a fine cut that’s more accessible than anything we’ve heard to this point. Of course, they pull the cut through a number of changes and variants and it turns more prog-like later – not that it wasn’t proggy to begin with, but this is seriously more progressive rock oriented.
Handful of Rice
A dramatic and evocative prog movement brings this in melodic. Then it moves out to an off-kilter and rather unusual jam with a lot of classic music built into it. They work out into a somewhat weird jam later as this continues to alter and change.
Flight of the Phoenix
This essentially comes out of the previous number, working as a mellow, balladic piece. Although it gets more powerful in terms of the vocal performance, the music remains mellow and intricate. It’s got some of the more sedate and delicate music of the whole set. When it does power up, it’s a bit like Pink Floyd at times, but with hints of Nektar, too. It develops into some seriously powerful progressive rock from there. There’s a fast paced movement later that again calls to mind Nektar a bit.
Midnight Skies
Mellow, fusion-like sounds lead us out here and take us to the verse. As the cut continues there’s a bit of a Pink Floyd meets jazz sort of element on display. They move us through a series of changes and this is quite a powerful and dramatic piece.
Long Distance Runner
Quite a melodic tune, this is still very definitely progressive rock. It’s a great piece of music that’s packed with intriguing changes and emotion. It’s got a lot of Pink Floyd built into it, but there’s definitely some Genesis, too. There’s a killer jam later that’s Genesis-like and keyboard-laden.
The Deal
This comes in feeling a lot like Pink Floyd, but then shifts to music more like Fish era Marillion, mixed with that Floyd sound. There are a lot of moody elements here built with other sounds, too.
Whose Dream? reprise (instrumental)
An instrumental version of the title track closes the set in style. It is a fun sounding cut with a lot of Genesis and other elements built into it.
 
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