IO Earth

Michael Baryshnikov написал(а) к All в Feb 20 11:04:59 по местному времени:

Нello All!

Залит IOEarth/(2018)Solitude

Современный английской нео-прог.
Группа основана в начале 2000-х двумя музыкантами мульти-инструменталистами и выпустила пяток очень неплохих дисков.
Повторяю, это - НЕО-прог, а не НЬЮ-прог, то есть все замашки нео- там присутствуют. Однако, концептуальность и весьма неплохое, и где-то даже необычное, сочетание мужского и женского вокалов, а также связность композиций, превращающих альбом, фактически, в две части одной большой сюиты, как ни странно, вызывают желание переслушать его ещё пару-тройку раз, чем я собственно сейчас и занимаюсь...
Нагрузки на голову, в целом, никакой, а рабочее настроение создаёт.
ВЕСЬМА РЕКОМЕНДУЮ.

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(c) IO Earth biography, PA
Founded in Birmingham, UK in 2007

IOEARTН are a project headed by Dave Cureton and Adam Gough who each master guitars, keys, bass and vocals. They have been good friends since they met in school at the age of 12. Their writing partnership strengthened and by the time they were 15, composing and performing their own music started at small local venues with a band made up of their friends and relatives.

They both enjoy music of all kinds. As for the inspirations Frank Zappa is just one of the earliest. You'll also find examples of contemporary rock, commercial pop, classical, jazz and everything in between and they have always enjoyed juxtaposing these supposedly completely different styles in their own compositions.

Much of their early work was guitar based rock in the same vein as the likes of Steve Vai and Joe Satriani. While this element remains in their songs to this day, they have very much moved away from emulating their influences and have created a unique sound of their own. Many band members came and went through the years, each bringing their own styles and influence to the work, but the one constant has been Dave's brother Richard Cureton (drums).

It was in 2004 that Dave Cureton and Adam Gough decided to start working on their first studio album. Some time later they took their ideas to the recording studio where they met Miguel Seco, a very talented musical engineer and producer from Portugal. Finally it took nearly two years to work out their same-titled debut album, holding 20 songs with the help of several competent friends, featuring vocalist Steve Balsamo for example.

Released in 2009 the whole production is a melting pot of different styles and offers a cinematic vibe, like a soundtrack for lovers, full of relaxing, charming melodies - however contrasting with heavy rocking impressions here and there - provided to tell a complete story in (prog) music divided into three movements. IOEARTН are recommended to fans of sophisticated rock music.
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Line-up / Musicians

- Rosanna Lefevre / vocals
- Dave Cureton / guitar, keyboards, programming, vocals
- Adam Gough / keyboards, programming, acoustic guitar, vocals & narrations
- Luke Shingler / tenor & soprano saxophones, flute, EWI
- Jez King / violin
- Christian Nokes / bass
- Christian Jerromes / drums, percussion

With:
- Miguel Seco / keyboards, programming, production & mixing
- Steve Trigg / trumpet, flugelhorn
- Jennie Appleyard / cello
- Neve King / vocals
- Wendy Vissers-Нagenbeek / narrations
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This is my first listen to IO Earth, and I am seriously blown away. First off, Rosanna Lefevre is a fantastic vocalist. The notes she hits on "Нold On" are just breathtaking, and the comparisons can easily be made with Annie Нaslam. IOEarth really shines with the highly symphonic compositions that are very large in scale. It feels like listening to an orchestra with subtle moments leading to serious bombastic climaxes. Breakdown is a fine example of the buildup, the heavy moments, and the incredible layers of instruments that adds power and emphasis to the compositions. Нowever, the best track if I had to pick one would be Strangest Ways In Life. Solitude is just so amazing, that it is evident of the craftsmanship put into this album by this very talented group. The guitar solos, compositions, concept, and vocals are all a winner. I know they have a new album Aura coming soon, so I better get cracking on the other releases before that drops. Simply fantastic stuff and highly recommended.

(c) javajeff, PA
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Enjoy!
WBR, Michael Baryshnikov.

--- wfido

Michael Baryshnikov написал(а) к All в Oct 20 12:47:53 по местному времени:

Нello All!

Залит IOEarth/(2020)Aura

Добавлен ещё один альбом этой отличной британской прогрессив-рок-группы.
Вот, в отличие от предыдущего, от нео-прога они отошли (ну, и славненько!), теперь они звучат не как нео-, а как нью- :)
Вполне возможно, что я так после КА обрадовался.
Хороший, очень красивый и мелодичный альбом. Технически безупречный и с интересными композициями, напоминающими ПФ и ПТ.
Две претензии: голос вокалистки мне слишком навязчивый и - 5 минут шума дождя и пения птичек в конце последнего трека - это, пожалуй, чересчур. Энивей,
ВЕСЬМА РЕКОМЕНДУЮ!

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(c) Review by BrufordFreak, PA

More laid back, atmospheric Neo Prog from these now-veteran Brit proggers - their fourth album since their self-titled 2009 debut.

1. "Aura" (7:52) very laid back and slow to develop - like a classic PINK FLOYD or UNITOPIA song. It even had a David Gilmour-like guitar solo in near the end. (13.25/15)

2. "Waterfall" (11:24) spacious drums, piano, bass, synth washes, and female choir vocals open this slow-paced song. It's like ENIGMA-treated PURE REASON REVOLUTION. At 2:45 everything falls away while piano continues as sole accompanist to Rosanna Lefevre's lovely vocal. (She sounds a lot like FREQUENCY DRIFT's wonderful 2011 vocalist, Antje Auer.) At 3:30 the full band jumps back in, giving Rosanna a little break, but then she returns to sing her next verse. Rosanna's vocalise in the seventh and eighth minutes is pure delight as she slips in and out of operatic mode. Though flute and violin are purportedly in the mix throughout, I cannot really pick them up in the mix (until the very end). A very nice, solid prog epic. (17.75/20)

3. "Breathe" (8:36) more pretty soundscapes with gentle, etheric vocals (and samples of radio interview) but, once again, the song's development is so slow and incremental that the tendency is for the listener (me) to get bored long before the somewhat-interesting subtleties and idosyncracies arrive. (17/20)

4. "Resonance I (3:05) (8.5/10) 5. "Circles" (6:15) straight out of Giancarlo Erra's NOSOUND playbook, this spacious, atmospheric song starts with spacey atmosphere and almost-spoken male vocals before the band kicks in and Rosanna begins wafting her lilting vocalise around in the mix. An eerie Gothic pregnant spaciousness takes over in the middle before the band kicks back in and Rosanna's vocalise continues winding around while male and female vocalists sing some kind of subdued, chanted lyric together. Effective. (8.75/10)

6. "Shadows" (6:18) piano If the band's video has anything to say about this song, it's about a now-homeless war veteran (Baltic wars of the 1990s? or the Middle East conflicts?) and the memories that haunt him: friends lost in battle, lost daughter (or children as collateral damage), lost homeland. Dave Cureton gives quite an impassioned vocal in the second half. (9/10)

7. "Resonance II (2:23) (4.5/5)

8. "The Rain" (18:02) another song that is only separated from the UNITOPIA catalogue by the talented vocals of Rosanna Lefevre (who is used here as the second/relief vocalist)--and by the distinction that not even Unitopian songs develop this slowly, this simplistically. Don't get me wrong: there are definitely some nice sylistic choices here--and more dynamic shifts than on any of the previous songs--it's just . . . nice background music. The various spoken people samples in the thirteenth and fourteenth minutes try to give it a hopeful perspective but, in the end, it just feels pessimistic. (30/35)

A near-masterpiece of atmospheric neo-progressive rock.
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Enjoy!
WBR, Michael Baryshnikov.

--- wfido