Special Providence
Soul Alert
Hunnia (2012)
A lot of cool music can come from unexpected places. I’ve never been to Hungary myself, but they must be doing something right over there if they’re producing bands as good as the instrumental, prog-rock powerhouse Special Providence, especially considering their latest album, 2012’s Soul Alert.The most noticeable thing about the music is that nearly everything, especially the main melodies, is very heavily keyboard-driven. This is a mixed blessing, as the keyboardist Cséry Zoltán does have the tendency to get bogged down in his own flashy keyboard effects, sometimes to the point of annoyance. This, thankfully, is pretty rare, however. Most of the time, his frequent leads lend the music an almost indescribably cool nature. And though he drives it, it's not just him; the entire band plays with an eye towards making the music sound catchy and interesting without beating you over the head with simple melodies. Tracks like "Lazy Boy" and "K2" in particular definitely show what they can do when they want to rock your metaphorical socks off.Their music also has this jazz-like sense of musicality to it, probably bordering on fusion. The music feels very free-form and widely expressive, covering a vast array of genres and … Read more
Dirty Three
Toward The Low Sun
Drag City (2012)
The things I like about this album start with the art itself; guitarist Mick Turner's beautiful artwork perfectly captures his … Read more
Young And In The Way
Amen / I Am Not What I Am
A389 (2012)
Young And In The Way is a band from North Carolina with some influence from second wave black metal as … Read more
