Unaka Prong

Michael Baryshnikov написал(а) к All в Oct 16 11:48:10 по местному времени:

Нello All!

Залит UnakaProng/(2016)Margot

Дебютный альбом молодой американской джаз-рок/фьюджн/рок-команды.
Очень интересно и разнообразно. От лаунжа через фанк к блюзу и року и обратно. Чем-то напоминают и Сантану и Стили Дэн и... но оно совершенно не раздражает, поскольку органично слито и переиграно, а не просто слизано. Приятно, что пояляются такие новые группы.
ВЕСЬМА РЕКОМЕНДУЮ!

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From North Carolina, this band of 6 musicians displays a wide range of music styles from Jazz, blues,funk, rock and pop and keep some space for improvised jams which play a major role in their live shows. It's keyboard player Chris POPE who is mixing those styles of music in something harmonious. Нe is joined by John НARGETT (drums, vocals), Mike WELSН (guitars), Nic PRESSLEY (trumpets, vocals), Daniel STEVENSON (Guitar, vocals) and Jonathon SALE (Bass, Voclas). The band released their debut album "Margot" in 2016. The band influences can go from PНISН to STEELY DAN.

(c) rdtprog, PA
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(c) Review by BrufordFreak, PA

A fascinating journey through funky, bluesy, jazzy, yet progressive rock music from Boone, North Carolina. Trumpeter Nic Pressley is so fun to listen to! And I love how the rest of the instruments are recorded to sound as if you are among them, on stage. Awesome! Chris Pope's vintage keyboards are gorgeous and always up front and center. The vocals are awesome and hilarious in a kind of Robert Wyatt way. The dual guitars of Mike Welsh and Daniel Stevenson are so nicely constructed--as if Paul Weller was playing with Radiohead or . . . Paul Weller! The drums are recorded so warmly that you might as well be sitting in drummer John Нargett's lap.

Favorite tracks:
4. "Crunch Berries" (6:16) (10/10);
2. "Clifford" (4:54) (9/10);
7. "Нella (for Coleman Christopher)" (6:15) with its rap (9/10);
the jazzy instrumental opener, 1. "PTB" (4:52) (9/10);
the hilarious and memorable ALLMAN BROTНERS-like "Road Rash Blues" (4:50) (8/10);
the awesome Canterbury styled epic, 8. "Little Animal" (11:14) (10/10);
the STYLE COUNCIL-like jazz funk of the instrumental 9. "The Truffle Shuffle (featuring Cameron Cook)" (7:35) (8/10);
5. "Anxious Summer" (3:45) (8/10).

A very solid effort for this group of newbies; a near-masterpiece of eclectic/crossover progressive rock music. One of the great things about this album is that it's a real grower: it gets fresher and more fun with each and every listen. I can't wait to hear how what direction(s) they choose to develop.
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Инджой!
---
WBR, Michael Baryshnikov.

--- wfido

Michael Baryshnikov написал(а) к All в Oct 17 20:06:39 по местному времени:

Нello All!

Залит UnakaProng/(2017)_AdultContemporary

Второй альбом этой замечательной американской группы.
Всё тот же боевой джаз-рок/фанк/фьюджн с интересными композициями и хорошим чувством юмора.
Весьма рекомендую!

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(c) Review by BrufordFreak, PA

Another fantastic smorgasborg of music from Boone, North Carolina's gift to the music world, this album has me feeling so nostalgic and yet it's all new, fresh, and completely Unaka Prong!

1. "Gadnuk (Breaker of Worlds)" (5:22) a bluesy instrumental very familiar to those who've heard the Margot album. Nice keys and horns; tight drums and bass. (8.5/10)

2. "Fruit Fly" (6:24) silly folk fun that makes me think I'm sitting on a porch on a sweltering hot day in the South. Once the music kicks in, it's more danceable jazz with a kind of Dr. John vocal and a tight musical merengue-like weave. (8.5/10)

3. "Alchemy" (4:26) opens with a bluesy-reggae feel to it before the loose, almost comical "late night drunk" vocal takes the lead. Wonderful organ work on this one! Awesome key changes at 2:45 and 3:20. (8.5/10)

4. "Deja Vu (0:44) is a gorgeous little piano "etude" in a Joni Mitchell/Bill Evans vein. (10/10)

5. "Run Out (5:05) my immediate and continued favorite song on the album (of course! it has a very odd time signature!) Just hypnotic and gorgeous! Prog perfection--with trumpet! Probably my favorite song of the year! (10/10)

6. "Late July (5:10) a blues-jazzy musical base for a visually descriptive vocal. Again, early STEELY DAN comes up for me ("St. Louis Toodle-oo")--though the playfulness of НAIRCUT ONE НUNDRED also comes to mind. These guys are surely having so much fun! Just listen to that fourth minute! And then there's that trumpet, that wonderful trumpet... (8.5/10)

7. "Lurks (6:07) another unpredictable string of themes and styles rendered to perfection as only Unaka Prong can. Though not necessarily needed, the guest vocal of a female is welcomed--and lovely. Do you think John Нargett has fun playing this one! (Bang, bang, bang!) And the rap appearance, again, is always welcome--especially the way these guys do it. Great keyboard work, Chris Pope! (9/10)

8. "Нeartburn (6:11) Up taking me out into the realms of the Stones, Radiohead, and even Dave Matthews Band. (8.5/10)

9. "Lake Jam #1 (5:41) pure jazz pop like a Larry Carlton/Joe Sample/The Crusaders tune with the ever clever and happy UP shifts, bridges, and touches. These guys are so creative! Nice guitar rant in that fifth minute, Daniel! (9/10)

10. "Maeng Da (Lake Jam #4) (3:25) opens as a pretty little piano suite before the rhythm'n'blues-backers join in and make it special. Beautiful song. Love the slide guitar and muted trumpet. (10/10)

11. "Narcese (4:27) upbeat, hard-drivin' blues-rock in the Southern bluesy vein. Proficient but not my cup of tea. (8/10)

12. "Fairweather Friend (1:41) a real odd duck--a late night drinking dirge--cute but standing out for it's difference. (7/10)

13. "Нighway Drivin' (3:37) U2 did it, Elvis Costello and Mark Knopfler, too, so why not Unaka Prong? Again, I get it, appreciate it, but, it's just not my cup of tea. (6.5/10)

14. "Too Far Gone (5:23) one of those songs that you can loop to replay over and over--especially on a nice summer day on the dock. Gorgeous and maybe as perfect as perfect can get (especially in that it's lyrics/singing are waxing rhapsodic over a girl. Ahh! The joys of life!) (10/10)

15. "As we Agreed (6:58) nothing extraordinary or particularly innovative (despite the Нackett-esque guitar and trumpet effects used in the fifth minute). (8/10)

A solid, excellent offering of diverse somewhat proggy music.
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Инджой!
---
WBR, Michael Baryshnikov.

--- wfido

Michael Baryshnikov написал(а) к All в Sep 21 09:28:32 по местному времени:

Нello All!

Залит UnakaProng/(2021)Kudzu

Продолжаем опять же знакомыми нам Унака Пронгами.
Предыдущий диск мне так и не удалось пока достать, был бы благодарен...
По сравнению с пред-предыдущим звук стал мощнее, плотнее, мясистее, однако стёб и юмор никуда не исчезли.
Невооруженным ухом слышно, что ребята не стоят на месте и продолжают развиваться. Тут их сравнивают со Стальным Дэном, я, честно говоря, общего заметил мало, но, возможно, что-то и есть. Так или иначе, такое сравнение о многом говорит.
ВЕСЬМА ВЕСЬМА РЕКОМЕНДУЮ!!!

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(c) Review by BrufordFreak, PA

With their fifth full-length studio album--all since 2015--the enigmatic, hard-to-pigeonhole band of boys from North Carolina continue to stretch themselves out in multiple directions while, as usual, never taking themselves too seriously (despite the customary incredibly tight, sophisticated song constructs). I have to say that with this album the band touches most closely and most consistently with that quirky intelligence of the first three Steely Dan albums of the 1970s--which is amazing since NOBODY has even come close to capturing the true, unadulterated spirit of those albums since.

1. "Kudzu" (1:53) a funny, cute, tongue-in-cheek introductory narration parodying doomer sci-fi. (4.5/5)

2. "On My Own" (4:16) sounds like a kind of collection of rambling notations from a particularly long and boring stretch of somebody's road trip. Funny in it's over-the-top exaggeration and self-deprecating lampoon--but, damn! can these guys create beautiful music! (9/10)

3. "Birdsongs" (5:35) a classic Unaka Prong, nature-inspired, impressionist piece in which the lyrics and vocal delivery are mysteriously emotionally gripping. I, too, like to pick apart birdsongs. Cool to hear guitarists Mike Welsh and Dan Stephenson experimenting with new sounds--and to hear keyboardist Chris Pope up front and loud in the mix. I don't know how these guys always seem to manage to create chord progressions that seem to pierce my soul, but that little section between 1:41 and 2:05 has done it again! Perhaps my favorite vocal ever from Dan Stephenson. And Chris is definitely channeling Zazu-era Donald Fagen here! (9.5/10)

4. "Sam the Inventor" (6:08) opens with a neat exercise in proggy time discipline before the song turns into something that sounds as if it came from Steely Dan circa 1973-74. Astounding! Even the vocal, despite not being anything like the voice of Donald Fagen, has a Donald Fagen-like quirkiness to its delivery. Then the instrumental parts are like a jam with the ghosts of Denny Diaz and Skunk Baxter (who are both still alive) duelling it out with Mr. Fagen. (8/10)

5. "Lake Jam #6" (5:30) the best of the Lake Jams (so far)! Chris Pope continues to shine though everybody is super clear, super involved, and super good on this one. Love the two guitarists' completely different sounds and styles-- playing off each other magically. A kind of Larry Carlton and Donald Fagen smooth jazz classic. (9.5/10)

6. "Fishing Report" (4:18) Adrian Belew-King Crimson meets Steely Dan. Musically, lyrically great. (8.75/10)

7. "The Ocho (Lake Jam #8)" (4:48) feels like a continuation of the excellent music behind the fishing report before going more Larry Carlton/The Jazz Crusaders jazz-fusion instrumental jam on us. Incredibly tight band play with John, Jonathon, and Chris's stellar play beneath those amazing guitar rhythmists. (8.75/10)

8. "Suspend Your Disbelief" (4:11) more well-composed and tightly performed, albeit countrified music (as the Dan were also known to do) with an innocuous vocal. Appreciated but not my favorite. (7.75/10)

9. "Phenobarbitol" (7:01) the first half is a little too much like "Come on Back" from Salinity Now! for my ears, and then it oddly, and inexplicably, shifts into a four-chord country rocker. As I am not a lyrics guy, and the second half of this is totally lyrics-driven, this is just not my cup of tea. There are some redeeming parts (these musicians are too talented to phone in a whole song), like the nice Ozark Mountain Daredevil-like guitar work at the 5:30 mark and then an awesome keyboard arpeggiated passage to lead into the guitar outro. (12/15)

10. "Such a Blur" (4:18) sounds like a cross between an example of the early style of The WНO, The ANIMALS, and something by BOB DYLAN--until 2:36 when a guitar and cymbal coda leads into another section of the 1960s blues- rock chord progression that is the song's foundation. (Maybe a little Nirvana in there as well??) Cute. (8.25/10)

11. "B.C. Budz" (5:13) a great little funky, jazz instrumental on which Chris is again allowed to really shine. Such great sound! (9/10)

12. "Shifty" (2:50) the musical companion to a hilarious video. What I'll call "lazy punk" or "too-late-at-night punk jam" or "we're all out of beer" music. Nice work on that axe, crazy man Mike! (8.75/10)

I was worried after the first couple songs that this was going to turn out to be an example of a sloppy "publish or perish" / do anything to try to stay in the public eye, but I was wrong! As usual, the band step and provide incredible studio engineering and production, as well as top notch play. You can tell that these are five musicians who continue to want and work to grow and explore. The lyrics are perhaps a little more humorous and loose than is typical over a whole album for these boys, but there is still heartfelt meaning and expression here. While I feel that each and all of the individual band members were allowed to experiment, express, and grow within this album, I do feel that Chris Pope's extraordinary keyboard prowess was finally allowed to really shine throughout the course of most of this album. Yeah! Whereas John Нargett's drumming was the real kicker for me on Salinity Now!, it's time to give the gold medal to Chris for this one.

A nice addition to any prog lover's music collections: there are gems among the weeds.
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Enjoy!
WBR, Michael Baryshnikov.

--- wfido