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Progressive Rock CD Reviews

Dazed Marrow

Gaeseki Dream Machine

Review by Gary Hill

This is definitely progressive music. It's also definitely not "rock" music. It's probably closest to something like Synergy. This is dark and electronic. This kind of a review would be a lot easier to do without the whole "track by track" element. This type of music doesn't vary a lot in terms of substantial elements from piece to piece, but each has its own flavor.

This review is available in book format (hardcover and paperback) in Music Street Journal: 2017  Volume 3 at lulu.com/strangesound.
Track by Track Review
Intro
Chiming sounds start this with an almost tentative and rather cheery sound. Then some sound effects enter feeling a bit like some kind of weird electronic birds. Other effects are added, too. This turns dark and oddly industrial. It's almost more sound effects than music. Yet the chiming, tuned percussion remains and eventually serves as the ending.
Venturing Into Etherea

More industrial sound effects start this. Then a rather odd electronic symphonic sound emerges amidst that to move the piece forward. Although the sound effects stuff remains, this gets into more traditional electronic music territory as it moves forward. It's lush and powerful, if a bit odd.

Insomnia Euphoria

Much more in line with more traditional electronic music like Synergy, this is pretty and almost restful. It has some driving energy, particularly later, though.

In Your Heart

Lush and mellower, this is quite pretty as it starts. It gets more industrial sounding percussive elements as it works forward, but still remains otherwise more or less the same. The sounds of children are heard at one point in the piece, too.

Feel Better My Friend

The sounds of a gentle storm open this. In fact, that alone makes up the first 45 seconds or so of the piece. Then some odd keyboards are added to the mix as it continues. This evolves very slowly with waves of keys creating sort an ebb and flow. Around the four minute mark, drums join bringing a percussive energy.

Outside-In (Lucid Dream)

Much more energized, there is a rather ominous vibe to this electronic piece. It has some trippy elements to it. It's very much an electronic prog kind of composition.

A Short One

Layers of keyboards create a sound here that's not dramatically changed, but still stands on its own.

Synergy

I think it's appropriate that a song on this set is titled "Synergy" as this music really reminds me a lot of Larry Fast's project by that name. This has some noisy waves of keyboard sound that get invigorated by some rhythmic elements that feel a bit like scratching, but fully electronic in nature.

Binary Brain

There is an almost clock-like timing to this piece. It does sort of feel like the brain work of synapses firing. The scratching percussive element emerges here, too.

The Universe

Tuned percussion sounds seem to wash in waves and echo around one another. It gets a bit on the noisy side later in the piece.

Rqn Piano

Dramatic sounds with a held note open this. The piece moves forward slowly at first. Then melody bits slide around one another. It almost feels like the sound you might get if a bunch of wind chimes were making their way down a slip and slide. Drums come into the mix after a bit. Piano sounds do emerge at the end. This seems to segue into the next piece.

Glass Jar

Weird chime like sounds are the concept as this starts. It swirls around in a rather unsettling way. Those things dance circles around each other as some drums create a tension and energy.

The Wait

Strange sound effects are based at the core of this, but the keyboards in the mix add a different angle to the basic concepts.

Darseki Gream Machine

This is very much a space rock kind of piece. It is a bit like something from a science fiction film.

Codex Gigas

There are some bits of spoken sound bites in this. That's amidst creepy electronic musical elements. The spoken thing slows to resemble some kind of alien entity. The speed of that voice continues to alter as the piece goes along. There are some electronic drum sounds and bits of weird ambient music combined with that. This really does feel rather alien.

Outro (Remix Of Jackcote†'s "Vignette" And "Loved Ones")

This is perhaps more musical than some of the rest of the stuff here. It's intriguing, too.

 
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