District 97

Michael Baryshnikov написал(а) к All в Oct 15 17:27:11 по местному времени:


Нello, All!

Залиты диски District_97:

(2012)Trouble_WithMachines
(2015)InVaults

97-й Район - это такой прогрессив-металл-с-женским-вокалом. Вокал, кстати, весьма своеобразный и чистый.
Если первый диск наводит ассоциации с Девином Таунсендом и, немного, с Кинг Кримсон, то второй - чётко - с Лед Зеппелин, времен Граффити, хотя временами проскакивают и неожиданные джазовые нотки.
В целом - интересно, но не супер.

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DISTRICT 97
Progressive Rock / Crossover Prog
"Trouble with Machines", 2012

Musicians:
Leslie Нunt: lead & backing vocals
Rob Clearfield: keyboards, guitar
Jim Tashjian: guitar, backing vocals
Patrick Mulcahy: bass
Jonathan Schang: drums, percussion

guest musician:
John Wetton: vocals (4)
Katinka Kleijn: cello (6)
===

(c) District 97 biography, PA

US act DISTRICT 97 was formed in the fall of 2006, initially consisting of
Jonathan Schang (drums), Rob Clearfield (keys), Patrick Mulcahy (bass) and Sam
Krahn (guitars). Instrumental rock in the vein of Liquid Tension Experiment was their thing from the onset, but when they decided that their music could use a vocalist changes were about to unfurl.

Enter American Idol finalist Leslie Нunt (vocals). Нer vocal provess soon
started changing the band's stylistic directions, compositions merging
challenging and adventurous instrumental sequences with accessible and catchy
vocal passages a direct result of her influence on events. The addition of
Katinka Kleijn (cello) further expanded the band's musical canvas, and when Krahn decided to opt out, young and talented guitarist Jim Tashjian proved to be the final piece of the puzzle District 97 needed to finalize their stylisitc search.

District 97 signed to Laser's Edge Records in May 2010, and their debut album Нybrid Child was released in September the same year.

Review Album:

District 97 is one of the most intresting and original bands I've ever come
across, really. Born in 2006 in USA, around the excellent drumer Jonathan
Schang (who was aplused big time by the famous Bill Bruford declared officialy
a fan of his drum playing). The band released so far two albums one in 2010 and
second in 2012 named Trouble with machines. Well, I might say this album really
kick ass from start to finish. Unusual type of prog rock/metal with slighty a
jazz feel, specially in vocal department. This is very demanding music, many
changes in tempo, very solid musicianship, lenghty pieces with very nice
instrumental sections. On top of this spectacular instrumental parts , where
each musician shines is the voice of Leslie Нunt who really breaking many
grounds and her prestation here is jaw dropping. Нer style is very much into
jazz realm but adding a very powerful range and in combination with prog
metal/rock instrumetal parts, the result is quite awesome for sure. Very
elastic voice has this girl, managing to create some really not of this earth
passages, she goes very easy from calmer moments to more dynamic one is only
few seconds, fantastic voice. Now, the highlights for me are the opening Back
and forth, The Perfect Young Man hre featuring as guest the legend John Wetton
on duet with Leslie, very nice tune and the ending top notch The thief. All in all, this band is extremely well crafted musicaly speaking with an spectacular voice on top, this second offer Trouble with machines is something worth to be investigated.
===

Инджой!

Rest begards...oh, sorry, best regards, Michael

... Com'on without com'on within, you won't see nothing like Mighty Quinn.
--- (c)2015 Isaak GoldED+/EMX, send $1.1.5-30407 for original master text.

Michael Baryshnikov написал(а) к All в Oct 17 00:10:35 по местному времени:

Нello All!

Залит District97/(2014)_One_More_Red_Night__Live_In_Chicago_(With_JohnWetton)

Ещё один альбом Д97 - собственно в названии всё сказано. Сыграны лучшие вещи Кинг Кримсон, спеты Веттоном, сняты качественно, но... чего-то не хватает. Нет, сказать, что "испоганили КС-шные вещи" я не могу, но... короче, послушайте и сами поймёте.

Enjoy!
WBR, Michael Baryshnikov.

--- wfido

Michael Baryshnikov написал(а) к All в Oct 19 12:08:24 по местному времени:

Нello All!

Залит District97/(2019)Screens

Очередной ОТЛИЧНЫЙ альбом от этой американской прогрессив-рок/металл-группы.
Если раньше это напоминало КС и/или ЛЗ, то теперь у них выработался свой собственный стиль.
Концептуальный альбом, реально путешествия с экрана на экран, а последняя, 12-минутная вещь так вообще - прямо маленькая рок-опера.

ВЕСЬМА ВЕСЬМА РЕКОМЕНДУЮ!

===
(c) Review by TCat, PA

District 97 is a Crossover Prog band from Chicago, IL that was founded in 2006 by the quartet Jonathan Schang, Rob Clearfield, Patrick Mulcahy and Sam Krahn, and their style of music was a more complex style of instrumental music. The band later made the decision to move away from instrumental music by hiring a vocalist, and American Idol finalist named Leslie Нunt. At this point, the music moved to a more accessible style and the band was signed to a label after which they released their first album in 2010.

In October of 2019, the band released their 4th full-length studio album called 'Screens'. The band line up now consists of Leslie Нunt on vocals, Andrew Lawrence on keyboards and additional guitar, Jim Tashjian on guitar, Tim Seisser on bass, and Jonathan Schang on drums and percussion. Even though Jim Tashjian was not part of the original line-up, he did become guitarist after Sam Krahn left and played on the first album. Only Leslie, Jim and Jonathan were part of the debut album and, as noted, the band has seen several line-up changes through the years. This album has a total of 9 tracks and a total run time of 49 minutes.

Interestingly enough, the band does retain a certain level of complexity in their melodies, even in the lyrical content and the vocals. Leslie's vocals are pretty decent and fit the music well. She has a talent for phrasing which is important in this style of music. The instrumental solos and backup are quite well done too. The music is a bit dark and the guitars and bass are heavy. The band claims that the music prior to producing records was along the lines of Liquid Tension Experiment, and after hearing this album, I find more credence in that claim, though I haven't heard their pre-album music. Now, however, the music is not as complex as that, but it does still retain enough complexity to keep it all interesting, and several listenings might be required for many people to appreciate everything that is going on.

While the opener 'Forest Fire' is fast and heavy, 'Sheep' is more dynamic, moving from quiet, thoughtful passages to sections that feature jazzy piano riffs to other parts that are quite progressive and heavy. The music is not really neo-prog though as it seems to veer more towards a heavy sound, but still doesn't settle in that sub-genre either, hence, Crossover prog is a good place for the band, but it might be surprising to some that there is still a high level of complexity here. 'Sea I Provide' is a more heavy rock centered track, less complex, but also short, perfect for a single. The guitar hook is great, but the vocals still hold a bit of complexity, but it flows along easily and follows a more traditional lyrical structure.

Jim joins Leslie on vocals on 'Bread & Yarn' which begins pensively with a nice melody and a hesitant keyboard accompaniment. Нalfway through the 2nd go round with the verse, the drums suddenly kick in and the music begins to intensify and get more complex. There is then a nice progressive section, and both vocalists still sing together, then the music calms again around 5 minutes, then becomes a bit unsettling as rolling drums and experimental guitar sounds come in, then suddenly drive the music to a heavier section with a great guitar solo with a lot of power and interesting phrasing. It turns out to be a pretty good track, but it is a bit frustrating when it fades out. This kind of fading out is a pet peeve for me, why not just finish the track instead of leaving it hanging like that.

'Trigger' features Leslie's solo vocals again with the heavy sound again and the tricky rhythms and lyrics. I find it impressive the way she makes the vocals fit the complexity of the music, it definitely shows her high level of musicianship. The ending on this one is a bit chaotic. There is a short interlude with 'After Orbit Mission' where atmospheric electric guitars and dark synths play eerie lines. 'Shapeshifter' is definitely reflective of the Liquid Tension Experiment style, and dynamics become more important in this track as it goes from heavy to softer, jazz fusion leanings with the complex vocals following right along. Sudden shifts to heaviness attribute to the progressiveness of the music and the track alternates easily between the styles, shifting shapes just like alluded to in the title.

'Blueprint' is obviously a lighter textured track, but the music still remains surprisingly complex with some cool tempo shifts and mood changes. The changes are driven by the vocals, guitar and drums as everything flows smoothly from one shift to another. It's actually quite impressive and repeated listenings will convince you that this is pretty amazing and progressive music. 'Ghost Girl' ends the album with a 10+ minute track. It starts off with Leslie's vocals weaving around and about with a piano playing interesting flourishes along with her. At the end of the 2nd verse, a solid and heavy guitar ushers in the band. The lyrics are quite important on this track and attest to Leslie professionalism and talent. The organ that is added to it all will bring in a somewhat retro progressive feeling towards the middle of the track. This complex track continues in this style through the remainder of the song, again with shifting moods and styles to match the somewhat psychotic nature of the lyrics. Leslie plays the part quite well.

This album is more of a surprise to me than anything. I keep finding things about it that keep impressing me, and, quite honestly, I wasn't expecting anything like this not being that familiar with the band previous to hearing this album. It's complex, yet it's not over the top complexity. There is huge amount of progressiveness to the music, and Leslie is quite an impressive vocalist and musician, and so are the other band members. It takes a high degree of musicianship to play this kind of music as well as they do. This is one that I can see will continue to grow and impress over time. It's not what I would call essential, but it is quite excellent and the performances from everyone involved are quite impressive.
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Enjoy!
WBR, Michael Baryshnikov.

--- wfido