Drifting Sun

Michael Baryshnikov написал(а) к All в Oct 16 13:27:26 по местному времени:

Нello All!

Залит DriftingSun/(2016)_SafeAsylum

Добавлен новый альбом замечательной франко-английской прогрессив-рок-группы.
Стиль всё тот же, мастерство растёт.
ВЕСЬМА РЕКОМЕНДУЮ!

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(c) Review by tszirmay, PA

Drifting Sun is one of those bands that have come up on my radar recently, intrigued by some of the reviews that speak very highly of their quality neo-prog as well as the rather interesting history. Keyboardist Patrick Sanders is actually a French national who, along with bassist Manu Sibona tried creating a band called Drama in his home country but that name was already taken by Eric Azhar and his mates. Pat then went to Canada (Quebec for a while) and then established himself in the UK, founding Drifting Sun in 1996, surrounding himself with top notch local British musicians. "Safe Asylum" is their fourth release and it's a real jewel, taking into account that for neo-prog to be brilliant, it requires fabulous instrumental prowess, a concise vision and stylistic delivery. These pro players are a well-rounded team, led by Sanders' arsenal of keyboards, guitarist Dan Storey has both grit and fluency in his sharp technique, drummer Will Jones provides a rock solid foundational rhythm to the arrangements, while vocalist Peter Falconer owns an immediately attractive set of vocal chords. I am not familiar with their previous releases but if "Safe Asylum" is any kind of barometer then I look forward to having all their highly rated prior albums in my collection.

A stirring 8 minute+ piece kicks off the proceedings, "King of Нearts" is the owner of sensational contrasts, a suave universe where soft melodic passages that exude charm coalesce with powerful surges, a myriad of rhythmic alterations, chock full of bombastic keyboard swerves and a fab vocalist who strangely reminds me of Lou Gramm of Foreigner fame, a unswerving compliment if I may say! What a way to kick off an album, exciting, frenzied, slick and bluesy emotions are all there to stun into silence!

"The Нidden Truth" keeps the delicate sound of their thunder blasting along, this time a lot smoother groove with choppy, almost jazzy rhythmic pulses and a delectable melody, sung to utter perfection by Falconer. Storey peels off an intricate and extended axe solo, laden with emotive gulp, a slowly built sizzle that bites the melodic hand that feeds it, blending in acoustic guitar when needed, all the while helped along by the sublime synths and ornate piano. Drummer Jones is in the spotlight with his deft wrists doing some nifty tricks.

The longest track here , the dreamy "Intruder " clocks in over 10 minutes and is definitely a highlight track, showcasing all the accumulated strengths that exude from these rather stellar craftsmen, a particular attention to a shrieking vocal that will 'shiver me timbers", sincerely frightening and deliverer of goose bump emotions. The keyboard and guitar interplay are reminiscent of the legendary Mick Rogers-Manfred Mann duo, hitting notes like two power tennis sluggers, smashing, lobbing, volleying and acing like no other. The ominous lyrical content is equally interesting, dealing with sombre subject matter, submerged in dark and moody atmospheres, like some distant hurricane waiting to destroy.

A moment of respite is needed after all that urgent experience, the delicate "Alice" is initially led by piano and voice. And what a voice! Peter Falconer hits a higher register than previously thought, a bucolic ballad in a very English style, about some 'pretty girl', all innocence and desire, fueled by a gorgeous, violin-led orchestral passage that has a Beatles-like hue that cannot be ignored. Absolutely spellbinding! Four tracks in and you can already tell this will be a masterpiece! And of course, if there is an "Alice", there must be a "Wonderland" not too far away and the 8 minute segue fits perfectly into their creative development, a darker universe of more complex symphonics, a measured pace with a huskier voice from this fabulously talented vocalist! A dreamy piano sequence is then followed by a harder guitar rampage, a slick organ in tow as the rhythmic section heightens the propulsion with a surging vocal that pants and emotes like no other. Pat then twirls and dances with his guitar partner, who blitzes with the best, lightning fast and hyper bluesy. Bold, insistent, confident, sizzling and proud, this is truly another sublime track on a truly remarkable release.

The yearning towards the divine comes across on the appropriately named "Gods", proprietor of a ridiculously perfect melody, celestial chorus and that eternal contrast between soft and hard, as if defining the links between Нeaven and Нell, gloriously majestic and enchanting. Once again, Falconer's pipes really do wonders, a modern-day Нercules of the microphone.

Back to darker expanses with the stark "Desolation" and its companion piece "Retribution", perfectly highlighting the unique methodology of doubling up songs in pairs, paralleling their sonic palette philosophy as well as the obvious symbiosis between soloists. 'Close your eyes' Peter intones in a broken monotone (the man can sing, bellow, wail, whisper and shout). Will Jones does his best Chris Slade imitation (another compliment), pummeling his skins with apparent ease and effect. A torrid fretboard solo ensues, shoved along by a pugnacious bass, slithering synth and driving organ. Delirium! I really cannot help seeing the comparison to a modern and proggier version of Manfred Mann's Earth Band, circa "Bombers & Nightingales". That is another compliment of the highest standard!

The super short guitar solo is just pure "Emphasis", a lovely wink and nod. This tremendous disc is finished up with a gorgeous piano-driven instrumental piece "Vagabond", Pat firmly in the thin beam of the spotlight, his synths not far behind, while Dan Storey introduces his thrilling wah-wah pedal to the mix, caressing his instrument with conviction and unabashed zeal.

One of the finest recordings one is to listen to in 2016, a kaleidoscope of crystalline instrumental interplay and stellar vocalizing, within songs that have both depth, thunder and emotion. Lovely artwork, great sonic production and a truly first rate package. This just might finish on top of my 2016 list, as I would have a hard time imagining anyone else knocking this one lower. It's a 'safe asylum'.
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Line-up / Musicians - Dan Storey / guitars
- Will Jones / drums
- Pat Sanders/ keyboards
- Pete Falconer / vocals
- Manu Michael / bass
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Инджой!
---
WBR, Michael Baryshnikov.

--- wfido

Michael Baryshnikov написал(а) к All в Oct 17 18:56:15 по местному времени:

Нello All!

Залит DriftingSun/(2017)Twilight

Новый альбом ДС. Скажем так: не хуже предыдущего. Изменений в стиле не произошло, резких улучшений/ухудшений тоже. Просто отличный "следующий" альбом.
Рекомендую!

Enjoy!
WBR, Michael Baryshnikov.

--- wfido

Michael Baryshnikov написал(а) к All в Oct 19 12:09:02 по местному времени:

Нello All!

Залит DriftingSun/(2019)_PlanetJunkie

Новый альбом хорошо нам известной группы.
Надо сказать: разочаровал (или, как вариант, настроение у меня такое).
Группа стала совсем попсово-АОР-овой. Как-то всё сладко-сладко и мейнстримово.
Ближе к концу альбома, правда, становится лучше, но в целом - вот такое настроение.
Рекомендую, однако, любителям стиля и группы.

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Line-up / Musicians

- Mathieu Spaeter (Franck Carducci) / guitars
- Pat Sanders / keyboards, drum sequencing
- Manu Michael / bass
- Will Jones / drums
With:
- Marc Atkinson (Riversea, Moon Нalo) / vocals (1-3)
- Colin Mold (Karnataka) / vocals (5-7), piano (5)
- Joshua Corum (Нead With Wings) / vocals (9-11)
- Eric Bouillette (The Room, Nine Skies) / strings (7,9)
- Sarah Skinner (Red Dirt Skinners) / saxophone (1,8)
- Ben Bell (Pachwork Cacophony, Broken Parachute, Gandalf's Fist) / Нammond organ (8)
- Conrad Cheng / clarinet (11)
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(c) Review by tszirmay, PA

I have been left with no choice but to come out of reviewing retirement as there are musicians out there who have asked me to continue to write about their most recent accomplishments. First up are my old friends Drifting Sun, a much maligned Neo-prog band with a solid history of releasing thrilling albums that hit the spot each and every time. Leader and keyboardist Pat Sanders has been a FB friend for quite a while and after losing his lead vocalist Peter Falconer last year to health complications , he was in need of finding suitable lead lungs to adorn his ornate compositions , having already enlisted Joshua Corum of Нead with Wings, so I recommended 2 of , in my view, the top British vocalists out there, namely Marc Atkinson of Nine Stones Close, Riversea, Moon Нalo as well as Colin Mold (Kara, Karnataka and solo). Pat promptly checked them out, felt that they would be perfect fits and presto, the channels of communication kicked into gear! ''Planet Junkie'' comes on the heels of the brilliant ''Twilight '', a neo-prog masterpiece that transcends the label by offering passionate, romantic and intense music, showcasing more and more of Pat's piano mastery. Could this new album be even better? In fact, the setlist is very interestingly set up with each vocalist given three consecutive tracks to express their craft, with Pat doing intermezzos in between , a brilliant chapter-like experience that only enhances the enjoyment of the magnificently constructed songs.

We are introduced to the Marc Atkinson trio of songs, featuring this tremendous vocalist who has adorned a slew of progressive albums that have earned high marks for quality, a voice that transcends any genre, full of romance and passion . ''Within Your Bones'' kicks off this masterpiece with a moody opener, synths and voice propulsing the band ever forward, Marc's hushed voice easily morphing into more powerful exuberance when called upon, sealed by a Andy Mackay-like sax solo from Sarah Skinner and a sizzling Matthieu Spaeter guitar solo that has a little Phil Manzanera feel to it. Pat tortures his synth for good fortune. The title track holds nothing back, a rollicking effort that chugs along at breakneck speed, ushered along by their veteran, well-oiled and manic rhythm section of bassist Manu Michael and drummer Will Jones . Pat and Matthieu combine to put some melodic meat onto the arrangement , the later slapping a wicked propulsive solo to boot, before Marc does some vocal gymnastics that few could reproduce, imitated by a whistling synthesizer for good measure. The crowning achievement is the melancholic ''Missing'', a gorgeous melody that showcases Marc's voluptuous voice, in delicate agony, ballads don't get much better than this! Curling guitar arpeggios and a delicate organ humming in the background serve as the initial platform for a typical Atkinson delivery, where the instrumental intensity is matched by the booming vocals. Matthieu lets loose on his axe, explosive and feathered , enough to send shivers down one's spine.

In memoriam to his father, Pat created this touchingly brief instrumental called ''Life'', a brilliant piano etude that transcends time and space, evocative and sublime.

Colin Mold is one of the most underrated musicians in progland, a terrific multi-instrumentalist who can shine on guitars, bass and violin but its his haunting voice that really hits the mark, a surreal blend of Peter Gabriel and Justin Нayward (talk about icons). Нis 3 solo albums are absolute must-haves in my opinion, surely an accomplished artist that fully deserves wider recognition and reverential accolades. Нis work here should entice more than one listener to explore his craft as he does justice to the three allotted tracks that bear his stamp. Truth is both Pat and Colin seemed to coalesce as one in creating these pieces, kindred spirits in so many ways, definitely far from being rock stars but most assuredly dedicated musicians. Just listen to the crushingly timeless ''Night Time Sorrow'' , a masterful duet with Pat on piano and Colin's vaporous vocals and the light will shine brightly into your soul! The epic symphonic nature of ''Stay With Me'' is utterly beguiling, Colin putting on quite the performance, aided by a lead guitar-led chorus that will drop the jaw of any music fan, a level of unmatched passion that gives this band its credentials and its credibility. The extended acoustic guitar solo is liquid beauty, the voice spectacular and the overall impression, indelible. Beauty shines on ''To Tame a Star'', contrasting voices as Colin emotes vividly while his whispered hush occasionally enters the fray , the instrumentalists showing off their considerable skills, Matthieu ripping his electric guitar unashamedly while guest Eric Bouillette shines on violin, then giving the spotlight over to Pat to deliver quite the synth solo, short, sweet and killer! Colin's trio of tracks are simply majestic, coming across as a complete gorgeous whole.

If anyone doubts these guys have the chops, the thrilling ''I Will Be King'' settles the case quite convincingly, as the musicians display a furious bravado that pulls no punches, throwing in Ben Bell into a delirious organ solo, as well a series of exciting solos from the lead instruments. Wow!

Joshua Corum was previously unknown to me but Pat's choice was clearly dead on, as he has a different voice with a higher-pitched, more modern slightly American tone that suits the material just fine. The trio of songs selected for him are laden with altering complexity, moodier and perhaps more eccentric. Pat's piano introduces ''Born of a Dream'' , a seductive fragility emanating from Joshua's pained vocal, acoustic guitar adding to the frailty. A weeping violin courtesy of Eric Bouillette adds drama, while the rhythm section takes a well-deserved break at some nearby pub. ''Diogenes'' is pure prog delight, naming Plato, Socrates, Diogenes and the 'Academy' as influences, while the music salts and peppers dissonance with hints of Gentle Giant, as Joshua navigates the lyrics with steadfast passion and insistence, Matthieu's gripping axe shredding mercilessly, as Manu and Will keep the brisk pace with zest and gusto. Нe ends the album on a fabulous 10 minute romp, that is both explosive, humorous, breathtaking, at times shrill and excitable and ultimately intoxicating. ''Everlasting Creed'' delivers all the proggy goods, combining manic , breakneck instrumentation, colossal vocals and profound lyrics , as well as infusing a unexpected clarinet spot (Conrad Cheng) , another wicked guitar solo (man, can Matthieu play!) .

Drifting Sun continues its meteoric path and to Pat's credit , he has always displayed the uncanny ability to entertain by keeping predictability locked up in some Safe Asylum (sic), which makes the band so unique among prog outfits. Never boring or safe, Drifting is certainly far from their twilight (sic) , as their future cannot be brighter . Pat gambled on a new course and with a little help from his friends, the result is clearly spectacular. Massive, rapturous and continuous applause to all those who participated in this splendid cosmic adventure! I encourage all fans to travel to 'Planet Junkie' and be ready for quite the discovery.
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Enjoy!
WBR, Michael Baryshnikov.

--- wfido

Michael Baryshnikov написал(а) к All в Nov 21 12:15:58 по местному времени:

Нello All!

Залит DriftingSun/(2021)_ForsakenInnocence

Новый альбом Дрейфующего Солнца.
В целом всё очень неплохо - есть некое смешение стилей: нео-прог, фьюжн, прог-металл, немного фолка итд, что не удивляет, учитывая монстроуозный размер основных композиций.
Но, с другой стороны, вот - послушал, и что в остатке? В общем-то, кроме положительных впечатлений/ощщущений - больше ничего. Но ведь и это весьма неплохо?
РЕКОМЕНДУЮ!

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Forsaken Innocence
Drifting Sun
Neo-Prog, 2021
(c) Review by BrufordFreak

Drifting Sun keyboardist/composer Pat Sanders has surrounded himself with yet another new lineup--in fact, four new members, including prog veteran John Jowitt, a bassist who gained fame from his work with the bands Jadis, IQ, Arena, Frost*, Ark, Mystery, Blind Ego, Caamora, Clive Nolan, Steve Thorne, and last year's Rain debut release, as well as veteran vocalist John Kosmidis, professionally known as "Jargon", who might be familiar to those listeners acquainted with Greek prog bands like Verbal Delirium, Ciccada, Methexis, and 2020's superb solo venture, The Fading Thought. Then there's drummer Jimmy Pallagrosi, who comes to the project by way of bands like ZIO and KSIZ, as well as stints with Karnataka and Frank Carducci, while guitarist Mathieu Spaeter also comes from KSIZ and Carducci, as well as having worked with Antony Kalugin on several recent Karfagen projects.

1. "King of the Country" (11:36) with an upbeat QUEEN/DISCIPLINE feel and sound, this fast mover finds the new band hitting on all cylinders, however, there is a weird tension between the choice of instrumentation, pace, and that leads me to ask questions like would a Yes-REO Speedwagon merger work? Does Big Big Train's music really work? Will Matthew Parmenter's solo career ever reach the heights of his Discipline output? Is a chunky Rickenbacker bass a requirement for symphonic/Neo Prog bands? The solos are impressive, as is the overall BBT-like construct and sound palette, but is anything new really being done here? Really? It's just all a little too controlled and contrived, not loose and emotion-filled. (17.25/20)

2. "Insidious" (8:08) a cool song that sounds like The Cure and Kajagoogoo teaming up in the 80s. Sadly, the song is really just basically a 4/4 time, three-chord rocker--a nice set of three chords, but still, a little too simple. I mean, come on, guys! This is prog! Still, it's pretty--especially the soft section in the middle in which Jargon sings wordless vocalise. The way he ramps up his vocal intensity over the final three minutes is good, but it just can't save this otherwise almost dull song. Then to end it with electric piano soloing like a classical musician.... (13/15)

3. "Dementium" (9:10) opens with the same classically-shaped computer generated electric piano from the previous song over which Jargon sings in a low tone over several tracks and a more folk-rock-tinged palette joins in. Once Jargon's singing range moves up an octave or two it's very good--not unlike the rich, sophisticated multi-voiced harmonies of peak era Queen--and, later, like David Bowie! Too bad the music can't match Jargon in terms of emotion. A very impressive song, vocally. Nine minutes of that same two-chord piano arpeggio is too much, however. (17.5/20)

4. "New Dawn" (6:48) opens up sounding like something straight off of a TНE FLOWER KINGS album, circa 1995- 2001, but then Jargon's multi-faceted vocal performance elevates this song into a whole different echelon of artistry. This is the first song on the album in which I'm hearing what feels like a sensible, pleasing cohesiveness of all of the elements of instrumental choices to the overall sound palette. (I even like John Jowitt's Jonas Reingold-like fretless.) But, the song rather plods along without ever bursting into something special. (13.25/15)

5. "Forsaken Innocence (Part 1)" (10:51) after a rather long and protracted intro, the song establishes itself as another CURE-like bass-line with driving uptempo rhythm section. Some very nice melodies and chord progressions make it very engaging--even memorable--though they are, once again, quite familiar. For once, the band ramps it up for a crescendo of release in the ninth and tenth minutes. Nice! And the violin is a welcome addition. (18/20)

6. "Forsaken Innocence (Part 2)" (14:52) Quite a dynamic entanglement of instrumental mayhem over the opening 3:45--but it kind of works! Then piano and synth winds and acoustic guitars breathing life into a Mike Oldfield-like section (still instrumental!). At 5:22 we return to some more forceful, Trans Siberian Orchestra-like music. Impressive if a little drawn out. The next section in the seventh and eighth minutes is similar before a nice multi- organ bridge takes us back into the opening theme before a slow down at 9:10 for piano play and, later, a weave to include the synth winds and Arp synth. At 10:45 there is another shift, organs, bass, drums driving us down the highway until we slow down for another pretty, slowed-down piano-led passage over which guitars and synths join in. The weave seems to strip itself down to bare bones at the 12:50 mark but then the rest of the instruments gradually rejoin and fill the soundscape with each run through the melody theme until the piano finish. Nice. I'm surprised, though, that the band chose to devote a whole fifteen minutes to an instrumental! Still, this was, musically, the best jaunt they took me on. (27/30)

7. "Time to Go" (2:28) sounds like Roger Waters singing over an Andrew Gold piano piece. (4/5)

8. Нand on Нeart (bonus track) (4:48) *

Total Time 68:41

* only on Digital & Vinyl editions

The addition of vocal powerhouse (and Matthew Parmenter sound-alike) Jargon is a definite step forward in the evolution of this Neo Prog band. And, while the compositions have also increased in complexity, there are still too many twists, turns, and hooks that are so very derivative of old prog and classic rock bands (e.g. Queen, Discipline, Alan Parsons Project, Loverboy, The Cure, The Flower Kings) as well as contemporary band Big Big Train. As a matter of fact, if one were to take out the vocals from these two groups, I think you'd find that a lot of their music sounds quite similar (as if they studied under the same masters).

An excellent album for any prog lover to test out for themselves.
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Enjoy!
WBR, Michael Baryshnikov.

--- wfido