CANTERBURY SCENE

Review originally posted here: //theeliteextremophile.com/2021/01/14/top-50-prog-albums-of-2020-part-2-25-1/

Homunculus Res, then, have somewhat subverted prog tropes. Andiamo in giro di notte e ci consumiamo nel fuoco (We Go around at Night and Consume Ourselves in the Fire) is Homunculus Res's fourth full-length release. This Sicilian quintet plays a variety of progressive rock strongly inspired by the Canterbury scene. The sound of the Canterbury scene was intensely English, and that's why it was so surprising to find an Italian act in that vein.

Andiamo opens in a jazzy manner, with "Lucciole per lanterne" ("Fireflies for Lanterns") featuring light guitar strumming and saxophone. Before long, though, a cascade of keyboard tones?organ, synthesizers, and clavinet?fill in the auditory space. The organ tones especially pay homage to Caravan and Soft Machine. "Il Carrozzone" ("The Caravan") continues with lush synth tones embellished with silky sax lines over unusual rhythms. Even the vocal delivery is reminiscent of Robert Wyatt's distinct style.

"Buco nero" ("Black Hole") is bouncy, light, and summery, in stark contrast to its rather grim lyrics. (Thanks, Google Translate!) "Supermercato" ("Supermarket") features some of Homunculus Res's most Italian moments, with a reeds-brass-and-strings arrangement in its second half, before "La Spia" ("The Spy") enters with a fittingly slinky, sneaky electric piano heartbeat.

Even this album's darkest moments?the opening moments of "La Salamandra" ("The Salamander")?are relatively light. Buzzy electric organ is the lead instrument here, and there are some great instrumental excursions. "In girum" ("The Roundabout") is mostly instrumental and highlights interplay between a biting, funky bass and rich, warbling synthesizers.

Andiamo closes on something of an odd note. "Non dire no" ("Don't Say No") works in its role as the record's finale, but stripped of that context, it's not quite strong enough to stand in isolation. It's slow-moving and based around a waltz rhythm. Layers of keyboards gradually build up with flute and bassoon adding more textural depth.

The particular brand of keyboard-forward, jazz-infused, Canterbury-style prog is not exactly common nowadays. And when I do run across acts that play it, they frequently run the risk of sounding derivative or simply paling in comparison to the original founders of the scene. Homunculus Res largely succeeded at paying homage to the big names of the Canterbury scene while also making something distinct. The frequent inclusion of classical instruments helps to keep the sound diverse and engaging, while the classic keyboard tones work to evoke an era of prog, not blindly ape it.

Review originally posted here: theeliteextremophile.com/2020/08/31/album-review-homunculus-res-andiamo-in-giro-di-notte-e-ci-consumiamo-nel-fuoco/

QUIET EUPHORIA comes seven years after "Second Split" and pretty much picks up where that album left off without missing a beat. What's changed after all this time is the lineup (sort of). While "Second Split" featured six official members with a large number of session musicians, on QUIET EUPHORIA the official count is up to eight members with no guests on board. The band's sound has always revolved around the jazzy keyboard tradeoffs of Alberto Villarroya López and Ricardo Castro Varela only now there is another top player on board and that is IagoMouriño who only sat in as a part-time guest last time around. The keyboard sounds are expansive and cover all the expected retro sounds ranging from the moog, Hammond organ, electric piano, vibraphone as well as good old-fashioned traditional piano. Add to that, band has retained the heavy brassy jazz sounds as well with stealthy action from saxophones (tenor and soprano), the trumpet and flugelhorn.

As with the previous album QUIET EUPHORIA follows the classic vinyl years' playing time, in this case just a smidge over 40 minutes. Fortified with six feisty tracks, this time around the band upped the tempos a bit making this album rock a lot more than the rather dreamy mid-tempo processions of "Second Split." What remains constant on all of AMOEBA SPLIT releases is a keen perfectionist detail to the compositional fortitude, an obvious love of retro classic prog which in this case is firmly rooted in the world of the idiosyncratic world of jazz-fusion that emerged in the English city of Canterbury and was propelled onto the world's stage by the likes of Soft Machine, Matching Mole, Caravan, Supersister, Moving Gelatine Plates, National Health and Hatfield & The North. AMOEBA SPLIT is very faithful to those that came before but offers enough innovative takes on the style to make this a refreshing musical experience that builds on the traditions of the last half century.

This is an all instrumental affair like "Second Split" and given the lack of vocals to offer the whimsical side of the Canterbury Scene, AMOEBA SPLIT instead offers classically infused jazz-fusion workouts that tackle a wide swath of the progressive jazz-rock world while keeping that Canterbury warmth alive and kicking. The album's title track starts things out slow and brooding with a sombre piano roll belying the jazz-rock to come but once the horn section kicks in the larger than life interplay of brass and multiple keyboards display a fascinating interplay of musical motifs playing together to form a larger than the sum of parts brilliance. The album remains in an upbeat mood for the majority fo the playing time and it's not until the closing "No Time For Lullabies" that the mood dials down a little and offers a more sombre piano-based approach that follows suit from the opening aspects of the album.

Seven years is a long time to wait for a band to unleash its next chapter of musical masterworks but QUIET EUPHORIA was definitely worth the wait with excellent classic Canterbury sounds brought to life in the modern world with an impeccable production and mixing effort and a wide range of tones and timbres that perfectly decorate the Canterbury jazz-rock underpinnings. It's clear that this style of classic prog is in no danger of dying out any time soon and AMOEBA SPLIT has been instrumental in breathing new life into this most beloved style of progressive jazz-rock. QUIET EUPHORIA is a brilliant instrumental album that will get your retro prog juices flowing. Excellent! Will we really have to wait another seven years for the next album? Lord i hope not!

4.5 stars but i'll enthusiastically round UP!

One of the reasons for these long delays between albums seems to be that the members of this band are studio perfectionists with large swaths of tones and timbres all polished smoothly like a diamond into a sparkling production-rich extravaganza. Whereas the debut featured a lineup of five with a brief cameo guitarist, SECOND SPLIT goes above and beyond the call of duty with a new roster of six band members and another eight guest musicians adding all kinds of supplemental sounds that give SECOND SPLIT a much more robust plentitude of musical fortitude. Of the five members of the debut, only four have returned for round two with the most notable difference between the two albums being that vocalist / flautist María Toro has left the band and SECOND SPLIT features no vocal parts at all. This album is exclusively instrumental which allows for more complex instrumental interplay to unfold.

While the band's primary underpinning centers around the dueling keyboard parts of Ricardo Castro Varela and Alberto Villarroya López, the addition of the new member Rubén Salvador on trumpet and flugelhorn brings AMOEBA SPLIT's sound even further into the world of jazz-fusion and add yet several guest musicians who contribute violin, viola and cello, likewise the already rich musical entourage is fortified by elements of classically infused chamber rock. The other new member Eduardo "Dubi" Baamonde took over Toro's flute duties but also serves as a tenor sax player so in essence with the exception of the vocal parts, SECOND SPLIT pretty much takes the template laid down on the debut release and takes everything to the next level.

Keeping more in line with a classic album's playing time of over 41 minutes rather than the bloated hour plus playtime of the debut, SECOND SPLIT offers a more sophisticated approach that sounds like the perfect mix of classic 70s moog and vibraphone infused jazz-rock fusion and fortified with all the warmth and familiarity of classic Canterbury sounds that range from those unique chord progressions, psychedelic overtones and light, breezy musical passages that offer just enough hooks to keep your senses enthralled but laced with enough hi-brow complexities to give your more intellectual sensibilities a stellar workout. Given the lack of lyrics, SECOND SPLIT doesn't provide the comic whimsical relief that many a classic Canterbury act would excel in and instead delves into the meaty compositional staples that make this subgenre of the world of jazz-fusion so endearing and enduring.

With only six tracks, four of which are more than eight minutes long, the music is on the mellow side with plenty of musical motifs allowed to develop slower and slowly unfold. Tracks like "Those Fading Hours" are light and fluffy like musical representations of clouds slowly shapeshifting in the sky as they hover at glacial speeds above. Other tracks like "Clockwise" and "Backwards All The TIme" are a bit more upbeat with stealthy bass grooves, jazz-fusion grit and robust horn sections that are brass rock in essence only steered into the retro vaults of classic Soft Machine's instrumental jazz classics of the early 1970s. Although i loved the band's debut i think i love this one a tad bit more simply because i find their idiosyncratic take on the Canterbury jazz scene is best suited for instrumental interplay. No sophomore slump here. This is excellent musical mojo strutting itself in full Canterbury regalia!

I've enjoyed some Caravan and Soft Machine from time to time, but overall, the genre didn't feature prominently in my album rotations. So when I noticed Zopp's 2023 release Dominion getting a huge amount of buzz among prog fan circles, I gave the album a fair listen.

My preconceived trepidations led me to expect a challenging, impenetrable, or deeply inscrutable work, predicated around the apprehension that the album showcased self-indulgent meanderings in lieu of connective musical artistry. Boy, am I pleased to report that this couldn't be any further from my experience with Zopp's sophomore album.

While it does not suffer from any lack of intricate musicianship, compositional innovation, or Canterbury-laden idiosyncrasies, the album skillfully suffuses them along and among enthralling melodic content. Dominion is a thrilling and impactful fusion of numerous progressive rock elements into a cohesively engaging work.

The slow organ drone, keyboard-driven riffs, soft drumming, and abstract vocalizations by Sally Minnear and Caroline Joy Clarke on the opening track 'Amor Fati' might lead one to believe the record is immediately diving deep into avant-garde territory. Make no mistake though, these and other disparate elements culminate into a driving musical purpose that leads directly into the second track 'You,' a riveting 11-minute showcase, almost a mission statement.

Stevenson's keyboards and Moneta's drumming ramp up 'You' with swirling musical tension as a prologue, and then powerfully resolve into the song's intro, developing its central melodic themes. Drenched in fuzzy keyboards and Stevenson's affected, slightly nasal vocals, alongside tasty sax work from Mike Benson, 'You' engages so directly that, when the sojourn ends after 11 minutes, it still feels sudden. Not jarring or incomplete by any means, but sudden. You don't want the ride to end.

'Bushnell Keeler' moves into different but no less intriguing territory. Almost out of the gate, the song hits us with some predominant tenor sax work from Jørgen Munkeby, which, complemented by Stevenson's organ lines, lends an air of Steely Dan-esque Yacht Rock jazziness. Munkeby also provides some flute accompaniment, and the fuzz and distortion used to beef up the overall tone evokes early King Crimson. With all these disparate elements, it could be easy to lose the thread, but Stevenson brings the entire mix into resolution as a satisfying, complete piece. 'Bushnell Keeler' disarms with its breezy, uptempo melodic charms.

"Uppmärksamhet" drops the tempo with a somber, melancholic keyboard rumination in quiet conversation with a reassuring bass line. A shimmering piano line falls like raindrops over an acoustic guitar backbone, with outbursts of electric organ and guitar like desperate voices working through the atmosphere to grab our attention. Of all the album tracks, this is the only one that I felt needed more time and development, as the hypnotic scene painted by all the instrumentation is quickly shattered by "Reality Tunnels."

"Reality Tunnels" hits hard, fast, and with the immediacy of a grade school recess bell. The aura is frenzied and dynamic, with a heavy focus on its driving rock elements. Here is where we have some really strong bass work that is prominent through the track, locked in place with Moneta's drumming but still with room to really walk and groove. Moments of distorted havoc are balanced with piano interludes that attempt to bring the song's frenzied eccentricities in for a soft landing, but instead opts for resolution via mellotronish dissolution (alongside a final drum fill from Moneta). "Reality Tunnels" is a satisfying romp, a total brat of a tune: childish, petulant, and utterly unyielding.

We take a breather with "Weitko Approaching," in which Stevenson returns to the microphone to deliver a measure of a piano-driven ballad. With its subdued, somewhat shambling atmosphere, this is the shortest and perhaps least- developed song on the album. Viewed as a prologue into the next track, "Weitko Approaching" works much more effectively.

And speaking of the next track, "Toxicity" triumphantly closes the record in grand fashion. This piece indulges the listener with a thick melodic fusion of symphonic and eclectic prog, flowing with both purposeful uptempo drive and a loose, innovative spirit. The centering riff roots itself in bluesy, minor pentatonic territory, practically Zeppelinesque, providing the foundation around which Stevenson and company layer a barrage of dynamic musical content. Stevenson's howling vocals remind me of Sting and Ross Jennings (in style if not quite in timbre), bringing assertive inquisitiveness into the mix.

The song maintains momentum with multiple instrumental stretches featuring organ, sax, and guitar solos scattered throughout its runtime. There are even two vocal shout outs to King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard, who Stevenson cited as one of the album's inspirations. Rob Milne's sax and flute work deserves recognition for adding splashes of tone and character that contribute to the song's overall cohesive flow. "Toxicity" might be the most musically concordant ode to entropy I've heard in a good while. And much like the epic opener, when the closing track ends, even at 14 minutes, it still feels too soon.

Dominion is a great album. I mean it though, this record provides uptempo rock, proggy innovation, jazzy swing, tight musicianship, and impressive compositional development throughout. Sure, you can appreciate any and all of the lofty, innovative elements, but these songs go for both the head and the heart. While I could (and did) nitpick some very minor criticisms, none of them detract from the album's overall quality. Zopp crafted a deeply engaging and satisfying experience with Dominion.

This album explodes into an exciting ride supported by a rhythm section with a bass loaded with a melodic, imposing, sometimes enhanced with a distorted effect and constantly evolving groove. Also, notice how the rhythmic inserts of the guitar are placed to mark the accents with few but effective chords, but above all pay attention to the refined melodic embroidery of the keyboard which expands and enrich the already excellent bass lines. Music also shows colorful horn arrangements with rhythm changes and beautifully played keyboard sounds in a Canterbury dress. The musicians are given the freedom to perform solos, and so are allowed to shine individually.

There is a constructive and compositional constant, a very coherent line, but also an enlargement and a deepening towards each theme, so that the jazz parts sound even more jazz, the Canterbury contacts are decidedly clearer, all the purposes and proposals have become coherent, and more robust. The great and skillful use of wind instruments leads to orchestral jazz sounds, sometimes in the classic jazz-rock style, sometimes with a greater reference to the big bands of the twentieth century. However, a certain catchiness of the themes remains firm, although the arrangements are always elaborate and rich. Also occasional dissonances give additional volume and RIO touches, proto-prog feeling also sneaks into the melodies and all this together forms a masterpiece of progressive music.

The entire work is developed around fantastic melodies, here in great shape both on a strictly technical level and in terms of compositional taste. The album flows rapidly alternating valuable instrumental sections, halfway between jazz fusion technique, prog, and some caressing folk melodies. The album is strong in every respect, the songs have a melodic feel on the one hand, and yet not less demanding. On the contrary, the band acts in a complex way, be it in relation to the song structures themselves or the instrumentation. Long and complex instrumental pieces, which blend psychedelia, jazz, rock, classical references, and that difficult-to-explain note typical of the Canterbury movement, are never boring, on the contrary, they sound agile and fluid. The instrumental presentation is of excellent workmanship and allows us to better appreciate the multitude of themes, and counterpoints contained within it. Describing this album means peeking into the lavishly decorated pieces, where the musicians translate all their knowledge and skill into a musical context, loading each piece with strangeness, layering the arrangements, and zigzagging the melodic paths.

A lot of time has passed since their last album, seven to be exact, but I have to say that the wait was worth it, with this album the band reaffirms its place as one of the best bands in the world and delivers another masterpiece that will definitely, and with every right, resonate into the world of prog and jazz rock and become an inevitable classic of this music.

The second song is a great rhythm workout. "Boilk" is a letdown, fully loose organ experimentation and the worse thing is that it lasts 9 minutes. The final epic suite is more cohesive and better composed than the one on the debut album. It's very solid listening to a bit majestic, classically oriented motives and thankfully, no vocals this time. Despite one weak track, it is still a worthy addition to a Canterbury music vocabulary.

Without moving a millimeter from their style (a jazz-rock with classical influences, elegant and vigorous, a 21st century update of the Canterbury scene), the Galician band is able to offer a set of very inspired songs, with a very coherent structure, great timbric richness and, above all, very well performed.

Although the inheritance (or homage) of bands like Soft Machine, Caravan or Hatfield And The North can be perceived, the language and musical lines are so unquestionably of their own that you get that feeling of listening to something you know, but that at the same time is new and refreshing.

In short, this latest album by Amoeba Split is a solid addition to their discography, and I think it confirms them as one of the contemporary references of the Canterbury scene. A personal and original reinvention of progressive jazz-rock, musically creative, emotionally balanced and skillfully and sensitively executed.

1. "Quiet Euphoria" (7:18) what starts out a little bland (with slow lower register piano note play for the first minute) suddenly breaks into quite the jazz classic--with almost a big band feel, thanks to the horns. The bass, drums, and vibraphome really get a groove on over the second two-thirds of the song. I LOVE it! (And I love that vibraphonist Israel Arranz has not been promoted to a full band member.) The sound clarity given each and every one of the instruments is nothing short of astonishing. And I marvel as I listen to the unusual, "old" effected synths, bass, and keys. And thank you, THANK YOU, for recording the drums without that horrible gated effect! This is the way drums are supposed to sound! Even the kooky, laughter filled ending is both fitting and engaging. (14/15)

2. "Shaping Shadows" (5:20) Opening with a Japanese shamisen-sounding instrument, the song graduallly morphs into a very cool, gently relaxing vibe. Then, at 1:30, when the horn section joins in, the music takes on an almost like an old BURT BACHARACH lounge jam feel (if Burt, in fact, ever jammed, that is). I love the heavily-effected "old style" sound of the keys and guitars as the trumpet solos. And, me, such a sucker for the trumpet: I am in heaven! Great Latin drum stylin', too! Like our favorite comfort foods, this one just has a great feel to it. In the fourth minute I hear a little relaxed DAVE STEWART-like sound coming from the keys while the synth and drums go native. Then the PAUL DESMOND "Take Five" horns bring us back to center for the finish. Magical! (9.333/10)

3. "The Inner Driving Force" (5:59) Despite the horns above (which open the song soloing as if in a processional for some mediæval king), and the initial MILES DAVIS Sketches from Spain feel, I hear a kind of combined CHICK COREA-VINCE GUARALDI piano foundation to this song. Great interplay between the soloists in the fourth minute. (8.875/10)

4. "Divide and Conquer" (3:02) opening with an odd high-pitched electric-horn-like synth squeaking, the drums and band enter with a very SOFT MACHINE-like sound palette. As the musical groove gets established I'm hearing things that remind me of early British band NUCLEUS, THOMAS DOLBY, and even HOMUNCULUS RES (the Casiotone soloing). Nice weave. Very cinematic. (9/10)

5. "Thrown to the Lions" (7:23) Very pleasant modern Canterbury sound and feel to this one--not unlike some of DAVE NEWHOUSE's recent songs, or even a little bit of old MILES DAVIS. That rolling bass play coupled with the Fender Rhodes keyboard is killer! Reminds me of 1970s DEODATO. When things settle into a more laid-back combo format in the fourth minute, they sound more like Devonshire band MAGIC BUS's releases of the 2010s. I love the flute play and then the band's dynamic interplay with the horns. Man! The bass and drums are so synched in! Cool flute and wah-ed Fender Rhodes interplay in the sixth minute! (Weird ending: as if the drummer got caught in the springs beneath his snare!) (14.25/15)

6. "No Time for Lullabies" (11:05) The opening two minutes of this one sound almost like a piece of classical music.. Such poise and deliberation! Then, beneath the alto clarinet, the piano begins to roam and flourish a bit--signalling a move into the realms of jazz. Electric guitar and synthesizer noises are companioned by the drummer's play on his kit's tom-toms before tenor saxophone joins in as the lead instrument. Do I hear some Coltrane riffs at the end of the fifth minute? Vibes join in with more prominent bass play as drums add cymbal play and synths continue to add their subtle magic. Synthesized trumpet and flugelhorn play off one another over ominous pipe organ cords in the seventh and eighth minutes. This is nowhere near the kind of music I was expecting--though there is something here that seems to tap into not only both John Coltrane's and Miles Davis' end-of-life albums but also the spirit of those early SOFT MACHINE/ROBERT WYATT albums. Just when I thought the song was winding down--with some lullaby-like percussion instrument playing alone, a gentle piano and flute duet starts back up and then takes us out with an eerie sonic "sound-check overload" type of synth sound. Weird! Though this was not what I was expecting, I definitely love it; I find myself totally in awe of the unusual avenue of expression explored here. (19.5/20)

Total Time 40:07

I love the fact that the band has been able to keep the exact same lineup of members since their 2016 release, Second Split. It is, in fact, nothing short of amazing. Though the music here feels more rooted in old, classic styles of the lounge and early jazz-rock fusion jazz movements, I am impressed with the courageous use of odd synths and stylistic shifts within each of the songs. In fact, I am blown away by the subtle integration of old styles and sounds into these very original yet-familiar (and comforting) feeling compositions.

A/five stars; a full-blown masterpiece of original Jazz-Rock Fusion--one that feels as if it is paying homage to many of the key shakers and movers of the 1960s and 1970s jazz-rock fusion movement.