New Album Roundup - Fall 2024
Before moving on to the best of the year reviews and assessments, here are my favorite albums and picks from the Fall of 2024 (October and November releases). Many more great albums to check out.
Versa - A Voyage A Destination, Part 2
This is the 4th album from this Canadian Prog band led by multi-instrumentalist-vocalist Matthew Dulmage. This follows as a direct continuation of their previous album,
A Voyage A Destination (Part 1) from 2022, but I think this album improves upon that quite good album in almost every aspect. It is a mainly instrumental album that features acoustic instrumentation (piano, flute, violin, horns, etc.) in their arrangements. It is filled with beautiful, soothing melodies and harmonies that provide a welcome respite from the harsh, aggressive, violent world around us. Most songs start plainly and simply but build with delicately intricate melodies and harmonies, as well as build throughout the album to reach impressive heights in the later tracks. Vocals are used sparingly, but quite effectively, and often treated as another instrument in the lush sound profiles, and adds substantially to the whole. Also includes contributions from some notable guest artists, including
Ross Jennings (Haken),
Sam Vallen (Caligula's Horse), and
Michael Trew (Moon Letters). Although some have labelled this as a type of post-rock, I don't hear that at all. It's too melodic and structured for post-rock, more along the lines of New Age, but with a strong prog aesthetic and appeal. Overall, a joy to listen to, and all the tracks merge into a wonderful sonic experience, from the short Prelude to the epic-length Artemis.
Best Tracks: Artemis, Destination, Flew the Coop, Breaking and Entering.
Rating: 4óOddleaf - Where Ideal and Denial CollideImpressive debut album from this French progressive rock band featuring a symphonic prog style that mixes elements of classic 70's prog (
Camel, Yes, Genesis, Renaissance) with a modern prog aesthetic (
Big Big Train, Wobbler). Keyboard-driven songs (from composer-keyboardist Carina Taurer) highlighted with flute (Mathieu Rossi), exquisite lead female vocals from Adeline Gurtner, and nice multi-part harmonies form the core of the band's sound. Equally comfortable and proficient with the vocal and instrumental sections of the tracks (and closing the album with a wonderful 11 minute instrumental), the album soars with great melodies and wonderful instrumental solos and passages. A great new contribution for any fan of Symphonic prog that combines the best from old and new styles to create some all new classics.
Best Tracks: Back in Time, Ethereal melodies, Coexistence-Part 1, Life.
Rating: 4ó Kite Parade - DisparityKite Parade is the creation of
Andy Foster, as he writes and sings the songs, plays virtually all the instruments (guitars, bass, sax, keyboards, etc.), and coordinates all the parts. And he has thrived with his own brand of progressive pop, mixing superb prog elements with accessible pop melodies and classic rock vibes. With this, his 3rd album in 3 year, a concept album dealing with aspects of the disparity of wealth around the world, he has reached new heights, and produced his best album yet (and so far, each album has been better than the last), with dynamic, catchy songs and wonderful technical wizardry throughout. For this album, Andy has added a bass player (Marcin Pallider) and drummer (Jimmy Pallgrosi) to provide a livelier feel, as well as some noteworthy guest vocalists in
Christina Booth (Magenta) and
Lindsey Ward (Exploring Birdsong). It all works here, as the songs flow together to make a wonderful album.
Best Tracks: Broken, Make It Beautiful, This World is Mine, Is There Hope?, Forgotten Youth.
Rating: 4óFrost* - Life in the Wires
Frost* returns with this follow-up to their 2021 release Day and Age, a sprawling double concept album (14 tracks, 86 minutes). As masterminded by keyboardist-vocalist
Jem Godfrey and ably assisted by
John Mitchell (guitars-vocals),
Nathan King (bass), and
Craig Blundell (drums), Life in the Wires tells an all-new story set in the same imaginary world as Day and Age, following a character through various adventures in an AI-run dystopian world. Musically, this contains many elements from the earlier Frost albums (especially
Milliontown) as well as the later ones, in their somewhat edgy progressive pop style. I found this to be somewhat structurally and stylistically reminiscent to some of
Neal Morse's concept albums. There are many great and brilliant moments throughout the album, both in the vocals and instrumental sections, and numerous highlights. However, there are also some problems that keep this from being a completely satisfying and consistently entertaining experience. The length of the album is an issue, as there is a sameness to several songs, and the album doesn't flow well, with many abrupt transitions, not only between songs but also within them. The recurring spoken word sections from the DJ character also are intrusive and disrupt the flow and feel of the album, and it just took too long to get to the one of the album highlights, the extended track Life in the Wires part 2. A couple of the songs just don't work or are annoying (Idiot Box). Overall, there are several great songs here, with many highlights, enough to make a great album, but for me at least, there wasn't quite enough to justify the extended length of the album.
Best Tracks: Life in the Wires Parts 1 and 2, This House in Winter, The Solid State Orchestra, Moral and Consequence.
Rating 3.5ó Rosalie Cunningham - To Shoot Another DayThis is the 3rd solo album from the former leader of UK Prog band
Purson, and with this album, composer-multi-instrumentalist-vocalist Rosalie has crafted an endlessly interesting, creative, and entertaining album that is one of the year's best. An uncategorizable mixture of many different styles, with a pop sensibility at the forefront, but so many intriguing twists and turns not only between songs but within them as well. With a sound that combines 60's psychedelia with elements of rock, jazz, blues, nostalgia, and eclectic pop, there are delights to be found in every song. Rosalie's vocal style is somewhat of a fluid mixture of
Chrissie Hynde, Kate Bush, and Michelle Shocked resulting in a unique sound, and her compositions and arrangements are always interesting and surprising. From the
James Bondian aspects of the title track, various occurrences of
Beatles-like melodies, quirky vocal theatrics, eclectic bits of old-timey nostalgia, to unlikely combinations of styles within songs, it all works, providing musical oddities that still manage to be accessible and catchy fun. Great sound and production, and also great musicianship throughout.
Best Tracks: Heavy Pencil, In the Shade of the Shadows, To Shoot Another Day, It's Good to be Damned, Denim Eyes, The Smut Peddler.
Rating: 4.5óBen Folds - Sleigher
A surprisingly quick return from
Ben Folds, and with a Christmas-themed album no less (just a year after
What Matters Most, following an 8-year gap from his previous album). Although ostensibly a Christmas album, not surprisingly, it is not exactly traditional, as it features an eclectic mix of mostly original songs (7 of 10 songs are original), and as Ben describes it, the album examines the passage of time through the lens of Christmas, reflecting on memory, loss, and longing as it explores the variety of ways the yuletide season marks the chapters of our lives. Thus, this is more a
Ben Folds album that happens to be set at Christmas, rather than a Christmas album. But Ben does deliver some great songs, and a couple that could become Christmas classics. Ben's originals span a variety of styles, both humorous and heartfelt (and include 2 piano instrumentals), but always engaging and enjoyable. Ben's songwriting has developed to include more classical stylings while still retaining abundant pop appeal. Even among the 3 covers that are included, only one is what would be called a traditional classic (The Christmas song), with the other 2 being relatively obscure novelty songs from the 50s and 60s.
Best Tracks: Sleepwalking Through Christmas, Christmas Time Rhyme, We Could Have This, Me and Maurice, Waiting For Snow.
Rating: 4óBeardfish - Songs For Beating HeartsThis celebrated but previously disbanded Swedish prog band from the 2000's has now returned for their 1st album since 2015 (when keyboardist
Rikard Sjoblom left to join
Big Big Train), and with their original lineup back intact. And they return with a stellar new album that returns to some of their classic prog roots and adds in some more folky influences and a comfortable 70's feel. The centerpiece of the album is the extended 5-part Out in the Open (20 min), which goes through various changes and moods, delivering some emotional and heartfelt sections. My favorite song is the more acoustic and folky In the Autumn, with its rich melodic flow. Torrential Downpour is another highlight, featuring the most heavy and dramatic mood and vocals. For me, the ambitious title track, Beating Hearts is less successful, although the string quartet sound and arrangement is wonderful, the song is burdened with an unappealing melody. These plus the evocative Ecotone sequences all add up to a quite wonderful album overall, and the very welcome return of Beardfish.
Best Tracks: In the Autumn, Out in the Open Parts 1-5, Torrential Downpour, Ecotone - Norrsken 1982.
Rating: 4óVon Hertzen Brothers - In Murmuration
For this 9th album from the 3 Von Hertzen siblings from Finland, and following their great previous album,
Red Alert in the Blue Forest (2022), the boys have taken a much different approach, unleashing a full-on hard rock album, with much less of a prog emphasis and fewer folk influences. Which, for me, is a bit disappointing, and leads to a less impressive album than their previous one, as those more folky and proggy aspects were what I loved most. Nonetheless, there are some great tracks here, and they still have a great sound and style, just a more hard-rocking and classic rock direction on this album. And they certainly unleash the power and high-energy bangers throughout this dynamic rock album, yet they still retain their great melodic sensibilities and harmony vocals. Several high-quality, high-powered rockers here, but I still prefer the more subtle and evocative side of the band, such as in the closing track, Wait For Me. Overall, a fun rockin' album, with catchy songs and great musicianship.
Best Tracks: Wait For Me, Tightrope Walker, Ascension Day, Beneath the Silver Stars.
Rating: 3.5óNeal Morse and The Resonance - No Hill for a ClimberCelebrated progger elite
Neal Morse is back once again, and with a totally new band this time. With the recent uncertain status of Neal's other band-related projects,
Transatlantic and the
Neal Morse Band (due to
Mike Portnoy leaving to re-join
Dream Theater), the ever-active Neal found some new mates to hang with, a group of local musicians Neil started jammng with that became this new project. And this new blood has revitalized Neil's music to some degree, as he delivers his best album since the last
Neal Morse Band outing,
Innocence and Danger (2021). Constructed with opening and closing mammoth-length epic tracks with shorter songs in-between, Neal has once again concocted an engaging, satisfying album of world-class prog. And this new band is more than just back-up for Neil, as they make great contributions with stellar playing, soloing, and additional new elements. Sure, it still sounds quite a bit like several other
Neal Morse projects, but there are some new wrinkles here, and when the music is this good throughout, it's hard to complain that it should somehow be different. It all pretty much works here, with great songs, jamming, and emotional heft throughout. One minor complaint is that neither one of the epic tracks fully justify their extended lengths (at 21 and 29 min., respectively), they contain many wonderful and brilliant moments, but also have some lackluster or less appealing sections that could have been cut or reduced. Overall though, a wonderful album that presents a new band and indicates some possible new directions for Neil.
Best Tracks: Ever Interceding, Thief, No Hill for a Climber, All the Rage.
Rating: 4óJoe Deninzon and Stratospheerius - Imposter!
Violinist
Joe Deninzon (current member of
Kansas) shows his versatility with his own band here, singing lead vocals and playing a variety of string instruments (violin, viola, cello, guitar, bass), and backed by a stellar band, including keyboard plyer
Bill Hubauer (
NMB,
We Came From Space) and drummer
Jason Gianni (NMB). Here, Joe and the band serve up great symphonic prog with a classic rock spirit and vibe. Not surprisingly, some of the songs have a definite classic
Kansas sound and feel, whereas other songs go in some different directions. But it's not all Joe and his strings, as the whole band really shines, especially
Bill Hubauer's keyboards and
Michaelangelo Quirinale's scorching guitars. Definitely a hard-rocking edge and spirit throughout, but plenty of great melodies and vocals as well. Guest artists include
Randy McStine, Michael Sadler, Rachel Flowers, and others to further enhance the experience. Delivers great rockin' prog with a Kansas edge.
Best Tracks: Imposter!, Chasing the Dragon, Voodoo Vortex parts I & II, Frame By Frame.
Rating: 4ó Other Noteworthy EntriesDawes - Oh Brother!
Apparently now down to a duo, the Goldsmith brothers deliver a solid, enjoyable album filled with clever songwriting. But overall, it all sounds a bit too familiar and doesn't quite live up to their past successes. 3ó
The Coward Brothers - The Coward Brothers
Elvis Costello re-teams up with T-Bone Burnett to play The Coward Brothers and create this sort of 'greatest hits' album for this imaginary pseudo-legendary roots music duo through the years (There's also an Audible radio play that tells their made-up story). An interesting and intriguing project, 20 short songs of various styles, producing some gems, but also many throw-away ditties. 3ó
Weather Systems - Ocean Without a Shore
Somewhat of a reincarnation of Anathema (and taking their name from one of their best albums), Daniels Cavanagh and Cardosa have re-formed in their spirit, providing orchestral rock, electronica, atmospheric prog elements, and vocal harmonies. Good, well-crafted but not extrordinary. 3ó
Isbjorg - Falter, Endure
Danish Neo-Pog band deliver keyboard-driven catchy, melodic progressive pop. 3.5ó
Samurai of Prog - The Time Machine
Another quite tasty album of symphonic prog from this prolific morphing multi-national prog collective, featuring many guest stars. 3.5ó
The Mommyheads - One-eyed Band
Fun, quirky power pop from this veteran indie pop band. 3ó
The Smile - Cut-Outs
Thom Yorke and Johnny Greenwood's 3rd outing as the Smile improves upon the previous offerings. Some pretty good stuff, but still not great. 3ó
Some Late Additions
Circuline - C.O.R.E.
Great mix of styles from sweet pop melodies to darker heavier aspects and instrumental flourishes throughout from this U.S. Prog band. Both male and female vocalists provide a rich tapestry. 4 ó
Jupiter Fungus - Garden Electric
Greek band that features mostly instrumental classic 70's-style prog rock with abundant flute and extended jamming. 3.5 ó
The Winstons - Third
Singer-songwriter-inspired progressive pop with Beatlesque style and quirky arrangements. 3.5ó
WIZRD - Elements
Mostly instumental prog mixing classic and modern elements. 3ó
Metal Fatigue - No thanks, Just not for me
Opeth - Last Will and Testament
Mur - Mur
BB’s Rating scale:
1ó – Terrible, torturous to have to listen to
1.5ó - Poor, not worth your time
2 ó – Fair, maybe a couple half-way decent songs, but
sub-par overall
2.5ó – Average, OK, meh, not bad but not that good either
3ó – Good, solid album, several good songs, but not
spectacular. Certainly worthy, but may not be something you come back to very
often
3.5ó – Very good album. Some stellar tracks, very
enjoyable overall
4ó – Great album, filled with great songs, one that you
will want to come back to over and over again
4.5ó – Excellent album, beyond great, superb in every
way, just short of a masterpiece
5ó – A Masterpiece, among the greatest albums of its
type, and has stood the test of time
Yes, it's been a pretty great year for new music overall. What did you think? OK, that's it for now. I am trying to put together another Christmas collection and hopefully that will be ready to upload soon. After that I will present my overall ranked favorites for the entire year in the year-end wrap-up. Until then, happy listening!
