Twombley Burwash - 2022 - Grak II Blak

(66:00, Twombley Burwash)






















Back in 2014 father and son team Kevin and Bruce McDade brought together some musicians and released their debut album, ‘Grak’. This in turn was brought to the attention of the Crossover team at ProgArchives and in 2015 we duly passed them for inclusion on PA and I contacted them to get a biography etc. Fast forward to 2023 and I heard from Kevin to tell me they had just released their second album, with the title a nod to their debut. I must confess I do not know who plays on this release, but the last time around Kevin provided the vocals and he and Bruce most of the instrumentation while they did have a few guests, most notably Gareth Roberts on drums. Given a drummer who really knows what they were doing, but I can’t say if Gareth returned or if it is someone else.

This is a very English album in so many ways, with music which is wonderfully complex yet also somehow somewhat simplistic, which fits in well with the vocals which are not at the same level. I can imagine some reviewers feeling the singing is detrimental to the overall sound but to my ears it works very well indeed and is the perfect fit. There are times when the guys are pushing a lot of orchestral sounds, but also bringing in styles which are more dance in its concept, all with the feeling of an underground British act who would be happier releasing this on cassette tape as opposed to digitally. Although accepted by crossover, which is the right place for them, there are also times when they would fit more happily into neo and the switching of styles within the lengthy “Out of the Shadows” (love the folk mandolin) is just insane but somehow it works. Their outro is a majestic fanfare which oen can imagine Wakeman having fun with.

This is a release which should not belong in the 21st century, yet I am pleased it does as this is a fun ride while never taking itself at all seriously. Available to download from Bandcamp at the princely sum of just £7 GBP, this captures all that is fun about the underground indie progressive scene.

Kev Rowland, July 2023

Links:
https://www.facebook.com/twombleyburwash

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Thirteen of Everything - 2023 - Time and Other Delusions

Image
(68:22; Basement Avatar Records) Track list: 1. Timeline 8:57 2. Alternate Life 12:02 3. Where the Time Goes 5:32 4. The Penultimate Flight of Armando the Pigeon 7:11 5. The King of Istanbul 10:35 6. Warmth and Darkness 7:32 7. Count All the Days 16.33 Line-up: Brett Cosby - guitars Mick Peters - Chapman stick, bass, pedals, vocals Ted Thomas - drums, percussion, vocals Bob Villwock - keyboards with: Thad Miller - keyboards Prolusion. US band Thirteen of Everything has been a going concern for a bit over 20 years, releasing their initial demo back in 2002 with official albums following in 2005 and 2019 respectively. Following what has been a brief pause between albums for this band they are now preparing to launch their third studio album "Time and Other Delusions", which will be released on US label Basement Avatar Records. Analysis. In terms of the different variations one can find in the progressive rock universe, Thirteen of Everything resides safely inside the symphonic ...
Read more

Deaton Lemay Project - 2022 - The Fifth Element

Image
(63:04; Deaton Lemay Project) Track list: 1. The Great Awakening 5:32 2. A Different Place in Time 7:24 3. Dragonfly 3:35 4. The Nightmare 4:28 5. Exordium 6:24 - Elements of Life Suite 6. Overture 4:43 7. Fire 6:10 8. Water 6:11 9. Air 4:19 10. Earth 6:53 11. Music 7:25 Line-up: Roby Deaton - keyboards, guitars, vocals Craig LeMay - drums, percussion with: Hadi Kiani - vocals Ehsan Imani - guitars Josh Mark Raj - guitars John Haddad - bass Charles Berthoud - bass Liza Evans - violin Prolusion. US band DEATON LEMAY PROJECT started out officially back in 2018, following a 25 year long period of gestation. They released their debut album "Day After Yesterday" in 2019, and following what I suspect has been a rather busy planning and recording period during the years of the pandemic the creative twosome of Deaton and Lemay are back with their second album "The Fifth Element" at the start of 2022. Analysis. While the fifth element apparently used to be defined as aether ...
Read more

Jay Graboski - 2023 - Authentic Fake

Image
(77:11; Oho Music) Track list: 1. In Dotage 3:55 2. Season of Extremes 3:54 3. 28721 3:38 4. Dot on Your Door 4:55 5. Die Before You Die 4:00 6. Hidden Agenda 4:43 7. Out on a Limb 3:58 8. Mired in Malaise? 3:00 9. Cosmos of the Soul 3:51 10. The Hours 5:32 11. Frog Legs 2:41 12. Metaphors 3:28 13. The Witness Watchers 3:41 14. Authentic Fake 3:05 15. Your Luck is Awake 4:43 16. The Crown 3:51 17. The Doomed Princess 4:01 18. St. Judas 4:12 19. Where Words Do Not Reach 3:28 20. Well, I'll Be 2:35 Line-up: Jay Graboski - vocals, guitars, bass, percussion, glockenspiel with: Dale German - guitars Ray Jozwiak - accordion, keyboards, bass, Moog Dave Kelly - guitars, programming, keyboards, percussion Julie Keough - backing vocals Harry Maben - drums Patrick McAvinue - fiddle Gene Meros - saxophones Bill Phelan - backing vocals, guitars, mandolin, recorder Bill Pratt - keyboards, backing vocals, horn arrangements David Reeve - drums, percussion, keyboards Gyro J. Scope - sequencing Prol...
Read more