{"id":10011,"date":"2016-01-28T05:30:04","date_gmt":"2016-01-28T05:30:04","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blog.musoscribe.com\/?p=10011"},"modified":"2015-12-18T17:53:48","modified_gmt":"2015-12-18T17:53:48","slug":"hundred-word-reviews-january-2016-prog","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/blog.musoscribe.com\/index.php\/2016\/01\/28\/hundred-word-reviews-january-2016-prog\/","title":{"rendered":"Hundred-word Reviews January 2016: Prog"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Today I&#8217;m serving up five more hundred-word reviews; today&#8217;s five all fit more or less into the progressive rock category, and they&#8217;re sourced from across this globe of ours.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-9989\" src=\"http:\/\/blog.musoscribe.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/12\/mekal_hasaan.jpg\" alt=\"mekal_hasaan\" width=\"300\" height=\"300\" srcset=\"http:\/\/blog.musoscribe.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/12\/mekal_hasaan.jpg 300w, http:\/\/blog.musoscribe.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/12\/mekal_hasaan-150x150.jpg 150w, http:\/\/blog.musoscribe.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/12\/mekal_hasaan-65x65.jpg 65w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" style=\"float: right; padding: 10px; width: 120px; height: 240px;\" src=\"\/\/ws-na.amazon-adsystem.com\/widgets\/q?ServiceVersion=20070822&amp;OneJS=1&amp;Operation=GetAdHtml&amp;MarketPlace=US&amp;source=ss&amp;ref=ss_til&amp;ad_type=product_link&amp;tracking_id=musoscribe-20&amp;marketplace=amazon&amp;region=US&amp;placement=B013YMGWV6&amp;asins=B013YMGWV6&amp;linkId=EZUSSASJFU5T3BQC&amp;show_border=true&amp;link_opens_in_new_window=true\" width=\"300\" height=\"150\" frameborder=\"0\" marginwidth=\"0\" marginheight=\"0\" scrolling=\"no\"><br \/>\n<\/iframe><br \/>\n<b>Mekaal Hasan Band \u2013 <\/b><i><b>Andholan<\/b><\/i><br \/>\nTalk about genre labels: I have some issues with the term \u201cworld music.\u201d While often well-intentioned, it marginalizes most anything outside the Western tradition. Here&#8217;s something that bridges the gap. Take equal parts muscular progressive rock and decidedly Indian-rooted vocals, and you&#8217;ve got the simply amazing record from the <b>Mekaal Hasan Band<\/b>. Stop-on-a-dime musical pyrotechnics, pig-squeal guitar, Indian melodic sensibility, and the transcendent vocals of <b>Sharmistha Chatterjee<\/b> all come together to create something truly special. Think of it as <b><a href=\"http:\/\/blog.musoscribe.com\/index.php\/2013\/08\/12\/album-review-spocks-beard-brief-nocturnes-and-dreamless-sleep\/\">Spock&#8217;s Beard<\/a><\/b> meets Bollywood. Flawlessly recorded in Lahore and Mumbai, this is one of the most intriguing releases of recent months.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-9988\" src=\"http:\/\/blog.musoscribe.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/12\/slivovitz.jpg\" alt=\"slivovitz\" width=\"300\" height=\"300\" srcset=\"http:\/\/blog.musoscribe.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/12\/slivovitz.jpg 300w, http:\/\/blog.musoscribe.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/12\/slivovitz-150x150.jpg 150w, http:\/\/blog.musoscribe.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/12\/slivovitz-65x65.jpg 65w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" style=\"float: right; padding: 10px; width: 120px; height: 240px;\" src=\"\/\/ws-na.amazon-adsystem.com\/widgets\/q?ServiceVersion=20070822&amp;OneJS=1&amp;Operation=GetAdHtml&amp;MarketPlace=US&amp;source=ss&amp;ref=ss_til&amp;ad_type=product_link&amp;tracking_id=musoscribe-20&amp;marketplace=amazon&amp;region=US&amp;placement=B014YSZVUW&amp;asins=B014YSZVUW&amp;linkId=FB4HERSJNKETCOMB&amp;show_border=true&amp;link_opens_in_new_window=true\" width=\"300\" height=\"150\" frameborder=\"0\" marginwidth=\"0\" marginheight=\"0\" scrolling=\"no\"><br \/>\n<\/iframe><br \/>\n<b>Slivovitz \u2013 <\/b><i><b>All You Can Eat<\/b><\/i><br \/>\nAs something of a dedicated liquorist\/mixologist, I know that slivovitz is an Eastern European plum brandy. And I recognize Chinese pictographs when I see &#8217;em. But none of that seems to have any connection to this progressive group from&#8230;Italy. You&#8217;ll find the standard instrumental lineup here, but adding electric violin \u2013 always nice \u2013 as well as trumpet, saxophone, and&#8230;harmonica. And it works. Hypnotic melodies seamlessly combine elements of rock and jazz into something powerful and alluring. There&#8217;s a playfulness at work here, as evidenced by song titles that reference Germany&#8217;s renowned currywurst, hangovers, and <b><a href=\"http:\/\/blog.musoscribe.com\/index.php\/2010\/03\/23\/dvd-review-frank-zappa-the-freak-out-list\/\">Frank Zappa<\/a><\/b> on foot (huh?).<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-9987\" src=\"http:\/\/blog.musoscribe.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/12\/dwilki_dharmawan.jpg\" alt=\"dwilki_dharmawan\" width=\"300\" height=\"300\" srcset=\"http:\/\/blog.musoscribe.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/12\/dwilki_dharmawan.jpg 300w, http:\/\/blog.musoscribe.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/12\/dwilki_dharmawan-150x150.jpg 150w, http:\/\/blog.musoscribe.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/12\/dwilki_dharmawan-65x65.jpg 65w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" style=\"float: right; padding: 10px; width: 120px; height: 240px;\" src=\"\/\/ws-na.amazon-adsystem.com\/widgets\/q?ServiceVersion=20070822&amp;OneJS=1&amp;Operation=GetAdHtml&amp;MarketPlace=US&amp;source=ss&amp;ref=ss_til&amp;ad_type=product_link&amp;tracking_id=musoscribe-20&amp;marketplace=amazon&amp;region=US&amp;placement=B014YSZZBM&amp;asins=B014YSZZBM&amp;linkId=32NQRBUW45A6EUPG&amp;show_border=true&amp;link_opens_in_new_window=true\" width=\"300\" height=\"150\" frameborder=\"0\" marginwidth=\"0\" marginheight=\"0\" scrolling=\"no\"><br \/>\n<\/iframe><br \/>\n<b>Dwiki Dharmawan \u2013 <\/b><i><b>So Far So Close<\/b><\/i><br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/blog.musoscribe.com\/?s=moonjune\"><b>Leonardo Pavkovic<\/b>&#8216;s MoonJune label<\/a> has been on quite the roll of late. The label releases a staggering volume of new music, and it&#8217;s nearly always excellent. This album \u2013 recorded in Los Angeles and Indonesia \u2013 features excellent engineering by jazz keyboardist <b>Jeff Lorber<\/b>, and yes, in places it sounds a tiny bit like stuff you might hear on The Weather Channel&#8217;s <i>Local on the 8&#8217;s<\/i>. It&#8217;s modern instrumental fusion that bears up to active listening, but works just as well as background music. The music calls to mind <b><a href=\"http:\/\/blog.musoscribe.com\/index.php\/2015\/11\/18\/jean-luc-ponty-i-can-still-play-in-tune-part-1\/\">Jean-Luc Ponty<\/a><\/b>&#8216;s mid 1970s work, and that&#8217;s never a bad thing.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-9986\" src=\"http:\/\/blog.musoscribe.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/12\/marbin_agressive_hippies.jpg\" alt=\"marbin_agressive_hippies\" width=\"300\" height=\"299\" srcset=\"http:\/\/blog.musoscribe.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/12\/marbin_agressive_hippies.jpg 300w, http:\/\/blog.musoscribe.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/12\/marbin_agressive_hippies-150x150.jpg 150w, http:\/\/blog.musoscribe.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/12\/marbin_agressive_hippies-65x65.jpg 65w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" style=\"float: right; padding: 10px; width: 120px; height: 240px;\" src=\"\/\/ws-na.amazon-adsystem.com\/widgets\/q?ServiceVersion=20070822&amp;OneJS=1&amp;Operation=GetAdHtml&amp;MarketPlace=US&amp;source=ss&amp;ref=ss_til&amp;ad_type=product_link&amp;tracking_id=musoscribe-20&amp;marketplace=amazon&amp;region=US&amp;placement=B016WON252&amp;asins=B016WON252&amp;linkId=OPLTMFMVQ56LQXPH&amp;show_border=true&amp;link_opens_in_new_window=true\" width=\"300\" height=\"150\" frameborder=\"0\" marginwidth=\"0\" marginheight=\"0\" scrolling=\"no\"><br \/>\n<\/iframe><br \/>\n<b>Marbin \u2013 <\/b><i><b>Aggressive Hippies<\/b><\/i><br \/>\nI&#8217;ll keep championing these guys until you&#8217;ve bought all their albums (this is the <a href=\"http:\/\/blog.musoscribe.com\/?s=marbin\">third disc<\/a> of theirs I&#8217;ve reviewed). Most attempts at fusion of rock and jazz end up failing at both; Marbin is the relatively rare exception. Distorted, wah-wah guitars meld effortlessly with saxophone. Part of the key to their success is that Marbin is a small (four-piece) group, so their musical adventurousness remains rooted in a rock sensibility. Thus, they should appeal both to the noodle-dancing jam band crowd and the arms-folded, black t-shirt prog rock community. Guitarist <b>Dani Rabin<\/b> can shred, and knows when not to.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-9985\" src=\"http:\/\/blog.musoscribe.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/12\/try_gunn_waters.jpg\" alt=\"try_gunn_waters\" width=\"300\" height=\"300\" srcset=\"http:\/\/blog.musoscribe.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/12\/try_gunn_waters.jpg 300w, http:\/\/blog.musoscribe.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/12\/try_gunn_waters-150x150.jpg 150w, http:\/\/blog.musoscribe.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/12\/try_gunn_waters-65x65.jpg 65w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" style=\"float: right; padding: 10px; width: 120px; height: 240px;\" src=\"\/\/ws-na.amazon-adsystem.com\/widgets\/q?ServiceVersion=20070822&amp;OneJS=1&amp;Operation=GetAdHtml&amp;MarketPlace=US&amp;source=ss&amp;ref=ss_til&amp;ad_type=product_link&amp;tracking_id=musoscribe-20&amp;marketplace=amazon&amp;region=US&amp;placement=B00T3N249A&amp;asins=B00T3N249A&amp;linkId=RWHC4BUBDISHJ5L4&amp;show_border=true&amp;link_opens_in_new_window=true\" width=\"300\" height=\"150\" frameborder=\"0\" marginwidth=\"0\" marginheight=\"0\" scrolling=\"no\"><br \/>\n<\/iframe><br \/>\n<b>Trey Gunn \u2013 <\/b><i><b>The Waters, They Are Rising<\/b><\/i><br \/>\nThe former <b><a href=\"http:\/\/blog.musoscribe.com\/index.php\/2015\/07\/28\/six-years-of-musoscribe-king-crimson\/\">King Crimson<\/a><\/b> guitarist is unrelentingly ambitious. This album could serve as a companion piece to <b><a href=\"http:\/\/blog.musoscribe.com\/index.php\/2011\/11\/22\/album-review-jakszyk-fripp-and-collins-a-scarcity-of-miracles\/\">Robert Fripp<\/a><\/b>&#8216;s 1979 LP <i>Exposure<\/i>, and <b>Peter Gabriel<\/b>&#8216;s 1977 self-titled solo debut. Though the instrumentation is largely limited to Gunn&#8217;s touch guitar, the whole album has a classical chamber ensemble feel to it. Very much a deeply textured, contemplative mood piece, <i>The Waters, They Are Rising<\/i> is an exemplar of the idea that one attracts more attention by whispering than shouting. And speaking of Gunn&#8217;s former bandmate Fripp, the soundscapes here are often more interesting than Fripp&#8217;s own (and that&#8217;s truly saying something).<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Today I&#8217;m serving up five more hundred-word reviews; today&#8217;s five all fit more or less into the progressive rock category, and they&#8217;re sourced from across this globe of ours. Mekaal [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":9989,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_exactmetrics_skip_tracking":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[49,56,65],"tags":[2600,1250,1393,2601,1518,2599,2266],"class_list":["post-10011","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-new-release","category-prog","category-review","tag-dwiki-dharmawan","tag-king-crimson","tag-marbin","tag-mekaal-hasan","tag-moonjune","tag-slivovitz","tag-trey-gunn","cat-49-id","cat-56-id","cat-65-id","has_thumb"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/blog.musoscribe.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10011","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/blog.musoscribe.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/blog.musoscribe.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/blog.musoscribe.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/blog.musoscribe.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=10011"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"http:\/\/blog.musoscribe.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10011\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":10028,"href":"http:\/\/blog.musoscribe.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10011\/revisions\/10028"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/blog.musoscribe.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/9989"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/blog.musoscribe.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=10011"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/blog.musoscribe.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=10011"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/blog.musoscribe.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=10011"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}