modmove » Instrumental

Mark Wingfield – Proof Of Light Album Review

admin — Fri, 27 Feb 2015 21:19:04 +0000

In this day and age, how do you make a guitar instrumental album stand out? In Mark Wingfield’s hands the guitar becomes a lot more than just steel strings and electrical current.

His superb phrasing is just the start. It’s his choices in tone and the way his notes spill into unusual areas that make the biggest impression. They just coat your ear holes with gooey goodness.

Mark’s liquid tone is matched by his introduction of notes in a fashion that is most luxurious; they seep out of your speakers in a surprisingly organic way, especially considering how processed they actually are. This is technology used to paint a most vivid picture of something naturalistic.

His backing by Yaron Stavi on bass and Asaf Sirkis on drums is also stellar and even with the chops of god that all concerned surely possess; they submerge individual hot spots for the common cool. This approach leads to a feeling that juxtaposes heat and ice and fire and finesse. Even the outright shredding songs like Voltaic never loose their cool.

Add this to the collection of guitar albums that feature a unique voice, singular approach and defined sense of journey. This work takes you to places serene and stimulating.

Rob Hudson
www.markwingfield.com

Yagull – Kai Album Review

admin — Sun, 04 Jan 2015 02:51:24 +0000

A lot of progressive music relies on the interface between human capabilities and the unlimited scope of the electronic world. New York based act Yagull minimalise the voltage based tweeze and instead rely on an expanded compositional approach and a unique (to the genre) instrumental line up: acoustic guitar and piano.

Taking away the often times bombastic soundscape that heavy use of outboard gear allows gives band mainstays Sasha Markovic and Kana Kamitsubo the opportunity to create a world of both introspection and intimate appeal. These are songs that invite you to get inside them, like the feeling of wrapping yourself up in a warm blanket on a cold winter’s night.

The band’s duo core is supplemented by a plethora of guests that further expand the scope of the proceedings. Dewa Budjana and Anthony Mullin’s guitar work and Wen Chang’s violin are just a few of the stellar additions and add further textural revelations.

The version of Free’s Wishing Well is particularly enlightening and their reinvention of such a familiar melody with strong piano chords and subtle plucked and bowed notes is startling. So weather it’s the wide open west expansion on Sound Of M, the classical gas take of Deep Purple’s Burn or the swing sway of North, this is a work of constant surprise and engagement.

Being truly progressive relies on an open-minded approach where there are no expectations that can’t be ignored and no compositional leaps that can’t be cleared. Reinvention or revelation, Kai is inviting in both extremes.

Rob Hudson
www.yagull.com

Moraine – Groundswell Album Review

admin — Tue, 30 Dec 2014 14:24:38 +0000

For Instrumental music to become popular it has always had that one restriction to overcome, most people relate to music via the human voice and its lyrical intent. For wordless music to find an audience it has always had to have at its heart, very inventive musicians with a wide palate of musical colours at their disposal.

Dennis Rea and the mob that make up the group Moraine have such an overabundance of music skills, it is more of a matter of taking ideas out of the mix than showcasing all the prodigious amounts of musical proficiency present. This approach gives the music at hand a razor sharp focus. The instrumental pallet this time includes bass, drums, guitars, sax, flute, violin and that old standby the Mellotron.

The moods on Groundswell are forever changing and the band dips into some very convincing grooves. Opening track Mustardseed builds to an almost overwhelming feel with its almost sinister syncopation and battle between guitar noise and sax riffage. Skein has a great pause and play approach and Fountain Of Euthanasia feeds the fans of Royal Prog a full meal. Gnashville builds on a base of sax and violin and stiches in some great slide guitar.

There is never a route approach but then the band never throws in the unusual just for the sake of being different. All of the uniqueness has a place and you get halfway through the album and never once think where are the vocals? The second half of the album features longer songs and this gives the musician more time to stretch out.

In That Distant Place has a languid pace and fills the personal moments with melodic bliss while The Earth Is An Atom continues this feel but with undercurrents of a sly nature. At once light and airy then dipping into an almost malevolent feel with heavily processed guitar. Waylaid features interlocking parts that just build and build. The album ends with its longest track The Okanogan Lobe and what a set closer it is. It’s like a military march of Lego dream proportions where all the pieces fit perfectly and then you wake and wonder what the hell just happened.

As long as the music present is this inventive and illuminating, words will never be missed and Mister Rea and company are welcome in my house anytime.

Rob Hudson
www.moraineband.com