The End is Nigh, Long Live the Beginning!

Well, the last show of 2007 has been broadcast.  I can now sit back and look at all the shows that I have broadcast during the year and feel, quite rightly I suppose, proud.  But I’m proud for two reasons, though.  The first is of the music that I have played.  The amount of people throughout the year who have said things like “Hey, that was good … who were they?” has made me feel like I am achieving something worthwhile.  The second is of those who make the effort every week to listen to the show.  Progressive rock is a form of music that makes people go out of their way to listen to it.  Would those same people make the effort to tune in every week if I played the mass produced bubble-gum that passes for music in the charts?  Of course not!  And why should they?  The amount of stations pumping out pulp makes it hard to form an attachment of any sort with the station and presenter because of the sheer choice available.  But with progressive rock it’s different.  We are a minority genre, more so in my own country of the UK then, say, some of our European neighbours, so our choices for finding new music are somewhat limited.  I can understand, therefore, that when someone comes along and plays music that you like and, in some cases, haven’t heard before, you may be driven to return to that same place for more, even if it means giving up what would normally be considered a traditional going-out-with-your-mates time.  Luckily, due to the fact that my show is streamed across the Internet, it’s been possible to chat with other people who also listen to the show, making this staying in a good way of meeting new, like minded people from all over the world.  It certainly has been for me, at least.

As it was the end of the year show I thought I would dig out some of the releases I had acquired during the year and make a playlist worthy to see out 2007.  Stupid man!  As soon as I started going over my CDs for the year I realised that I had far too many to squeeze into a measly two hours.  It has been a bumper year of quality releases and all too soon I gave up on the idea.  Instead, I took a handful of CDs that I thought summed up the diverse range of music released and took them with me to the studio.  I had everything from prog folk to retro prog, to neo-prog to prog metal.  A rich and, as far as is possible within a given genre, eclectic mix of material was my aim and I think I managed to achieve just that.  So, what was this wonderful mix?  Okay, here’s the playlist:

Artist : Album : Track

Ritual : The Hemulic Voluntary Band : The Groke

Headspace : I Am : Sane Life

Headspace : I Am : Sober

Metaphor : The Sparrow : Challalla Khaeri (Hello)

It Bites : When The Lights Go Down : Calling All The Heroes

Galleon : Engines of Creation : Engines of Creation

The Reasoning : The Awakening : Aching Hunger

Big Big Train : The Difference Machine : Pick Up If You’re There

Magic Pie : Circus of Life : Pointless Masquerade

Devin Townsend : Ziltoid the Omniscient : Solar Winds

Devin Townsend : Ziltoid the Omniscient : Hyper Drive

Breathing Space : Breathing Space : Breathing Space

The surprise of the show was the EP released by Headspace.  It fell onto my mat a few days ago from the promo company so at the first opportunity I put it on and gave it a listen.  It only took about 30 seconds to realise that a gem had fallen into my hands.  This is a band that has just formed but they’ve hit the ground running with a wonderful mix of metal and prog reminiscent of Rush in places along with a bit of Led Zeppelin and a touch of the Floyds.  I enjoyed this so much that I put on two tracks, as the playlist shows above.

Now, Magic Pie are a truly wonderful band.  They embody the retro prog tag with ease and distinction, producing a sound that lean towards the vintage but with the sophistication of today’s production techniques.  I have so much time for this band you wouldn’t believe.  The album played on the show is their second and if you like what you heard don’t just go out and get it, get the first one as well.  They are both albums that any serious progressive rock fan should make an effort to own.  And I mean that!

Galleon seem to have reinvented themselves, shaking off the traditional 70’s sound they tried to capture back with their debut in the 90’s.  This album has a sound that seems to be more metal then before, with overtones of Rush, Purple and Arena, but also with Genesis and Marillion to soften the edges.  It took four years to see the light of day since their last release and even though it still was a long wait I can’t help but think it was worth it.  However, I don’t want to wait that long again.  Oh no!  Next time, lads, try and keep it down to, what, a couple of years?

Ritual and Metaphor are two strong acts that I would love to see play on the same bill.  Ritual take the strong aspects of folk music and entwine it within a progressive framework that evokes a complex tapestry of melodies to cloak you in.  The same can be said for Metaphor with their new album, The Sparrow.  I won’t give the game away concerning the concept the album is based around, but from what I know the music complements the story very well.  This is a band who also tread the lighter, more melodic path of progressive rock with less emphasis on the rock and more on the progressive.  Again, two great albums that are worthy of your ears.  Something similar can be said for Big Big Train.  Their latest album is almost poppy in places but soon slides into wonderful and well constructed progressive structures that leave you wondering where the change occurred in the track as you just didn’t notice it.

If you like your progressive rock to be more driven, to have a greater energy, then you can’t go wrong with either It Bites or The Reasoning.  These are two bands with very differing styles, yet they both manage to put a fast, racing pulse into their rock, keeping you alert and listening to the very end.  They are at very different ends of the prog spectrum compared with Ritual and Metaphor, but that’s what makes this genre so exciting.  It isn’t pigeon-holed with one type of sound forming a narrow path you must follow.  Our musical paths are wide and spacious, allowing the development of styles that are seemingly at odds with each other and yet can coexist in a musical olla podrida that I really don’t think you could every get anywhere else.  I mean, take Devin Townsend.  Now, here’s a man who plays thrash metal for his day job.  But even he takes time out to produce some of the most layered, textured, complex progressive metal albums I have ever heard.  His music is a sometimes wall of sound, with melody strands limned like aural graffiti across the surface.  You cannot get further across the genre from Ritual if you tried but still, they are both progressive, and they happily share a space in my ears without causing any sort of cerebral putsch in my musical tastes.

Anyway, I think I’ll end this write-up now.  It has been a great year for music and I have high hopes for next year.  After all, Ayreon’s new album will be out soon, and then there’s The Tangent’s next album along with a book shortly afterwards.  So, I have a lot to keep the blood pumping.

A big thanks to those of you who nominated and voted for me as the best prog rock radio show of 2007.  I am getting the speech written as I type this in the hope of winning the longest acceptance speech award!!  When you’re on a roll, eh?  J

See you all next year.

DaveO.

www.myspace.com/daveoprogshow

Making Saturday night’s worth staying in for.