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░ ██ ██ Artist: Nice Beaver ██ ██
▓ █░░ ■█ Album: The Time it Takes █■ ░░█
■ █▓▀ █ Year: 2015 █ ▀▓█ ░
█ ▓ Rel. Date: 2015-06-28 ▓ █
▒ ▒ Genre: Progressive Rock ▒ ▒
█▄ ░ Label: Oskar ░ ▄█
░ █▄ ░ Source: CD ░ ▄█
░ █▓ Type: Album ▓█ ░
▓ █ Quality: VBR, 44.1kHz, Joint Stereo █ ░ ▓
▓ █ █ ░ ▓
▄ ■ ■ ▓ ■
░█ █░ ▀
█ Nice Beaver's latest album 'The Time It Takes' █
█ wound up rapidly arriving into my collection upon █
█ its release, due to the fact that I really enjoyed █
█ their 2 previous albums and that this long awaited █
█ opus had a superbly lush cover photo that █
█ immediately placed itself visibly on my CD █
█ bookcases. So when my new girlfriend visited my █
█ room, she glanced up at the CD and said 'What the █
█ hell is Nice Beaver? A porn video?', Well, they █
█ are from Holland , I answered trying to explain █
█ myself out of this uneasy situation. When I played █
█ the CD for her, she relaxed enough to seduce me █
█ with her amazing smile and, well you can guess the █
█ rest! This tight band from the Netherlands has a █
█ certain style that is rather unique, a harder, █
█ upfront edge on the bass, a steely guitar █
█ disposition that skirts the sublime, a lead █
█ vocalist that prefers a huskier voice that fits █
█ the music so well, as well as a new drummer who █
█ thumps like a strongman. Keyboardist Erik █
█ Groeneweg sings in that manly manner while █
█ coloring the arrangements with slick organ, piano █
█ and synths. The music reflects the current fad in █
█ modern society that could very well augur the █
█ doomsday scenario Adam and Eve talked about in the █
█ garden, a collective and individual sense of █
█ apathy and frivolity that bodes poorly for our █
█ future. Great subject material, in my opinion. █
█ On raucous , melody drenched 6 minute tunes like █
█ 'River so Wide' and the next one, 'In Close █
█ Proximity' the crew really bang out thrilling █
█ nuggets that have fire, passion and style. Quirky, █
█ yet propelled by a monster Peter Stel bass guitar █
█ motif, giving axe man Hans Gerritse that solid █
█ support to ramble, raunch and raze with justified █
█ zeal and tons of emotion. Drummer Corne van █
█ Disseldorp beefs it up big time with wide █
█ percussive thunder. The melodies are immediately █
█ agreeable to the ear and will appeal to a vast █
█ troop of prog aficionados. On the second piece, █
█ the mighty choir mellotron makes a powerful intro, █
█ masking a cool jazzy section that could have been █
█ George Benson turning into Jimmy Page, all rocked █
█ up by Corne's stunning wallop. █
█ Though expert thunderbirds, their sweeter ballads █
█ are equally devastating, such as the delightful █
█ 'The Path to My House' fueled by a sensational █
█ bass furrow and a smokey vocal that almost hints █
█ at David Sylvian, a stunning little ditty that █
█ will shock and disturb in a very good way. █
█ Needless to repeat, the slick guitar work is █
█ exemplary and satisfying, a groaning solo that █
█ really hits the spot. █
█ 'Timeline' is back to hurricane deliveries, █
█ Blackmorian guitar riffs and shrieking licks, the █
█ bass guitar pulsing like crazy, while the █
█ relentless beat goes on. A slew of famous news █
█ samples crowd the arrangement, giving historic █
█ perspective as the wah-wah guitar washes the █
█ palette, a bouncy chorus that chooses effortless █
█ honesty, the blooming fret board solo seeks and █
█ destroys like some missile battery. Fast and █
█ furious. █
█ The stellar 'Rainbow's End' is the jewel ballad █
█ here, perhaps the finest tune penned by the band, █
█ crowned as it is by a drop-dead melody and Peter █
█ Stel really giving listeners a lesson in slick █
█ bass playing. Erik's vocal is ardent and stirring, █
█ with unabashed rage and urgency at the forefront, █
█ allied to another guitar blow out. Another 6 █
█ minutes of absolute bliss, Dutch style. Girlfriend █
█ really liked this one a lot! The chorus 'look █
█ around' repeated ad infinitum shows both smarts █
█ and class. Wow! █
█ The title track aims to highlight the band's █
█ current preoccupation with human rot and █
█ disconnectivity from reality. The piece is way █
█ more moody and brooding, less immediate but still █
█ explosive with a shrill synth solo that would make █
█ Manfred Mann drool with envy. █
█ 'Sound Behind Sound' develops slowly but █
█ assuredly, weaving invisible strings of support, █
█ injecting some eerie moods into the mix, a mature █
█ methodology that works just fine. There is a lot █
█ going on here, groovy bass amid the organ swirls █
█ allied to a wicked guitar solo once again, it all █
█ just fits nicely and explains the rave reviews by █
█ some of us writer/reviewers. █
█ Things get very epic and progressive on the final █
█ track, the gleaming 'Waiting for the Bell to █
█ Toll', a monumental parade of sound and █
█ expression, rollicking tempo and organ swells, █
█ scattering guitar licks and pummelling beats. Here █
█ the quartet really get to unleash their brand of █
█ hard prog that has no exact clone anywhere. A █
█ serene mid-section with phased guitars introduces █
█ the menacing bass once again, as Peter Stel puts █
█ down a nasty roll, on which Hans Gerritse uses his █
█ wah-wah pedal (underused in prog , sadly) with █
█ deft skill, the sun shining through the cluttering █
█ clouds. Groeneweg does a neat slippery synth job █
█ and the mood really gets molten lava intense. █
█ This is eclectic prog for sure, a Nice Beaver that █
█ has balls (actually that sounds pretty perverted █
█ but they are Dutch after all!), a ton of sweat and █
█ muscle as well as an overall appeal that is █
█ totally endearing. The artwork, packaging, pics █
█ and production are primo top notch. Find yourself █
█ a Nice Beaver and sink your teeth into their █
█ delicious pungency, there will be no regrets. █
█ █
█ --- █
█ █
█ ... because here we have something special to █
█ consider. I was really impressed with their two █
█ albums 'On Dry Land' and 'Oregon' years ago. Thus █
█ the announcement of a new outcome forced a █
█ somewhat gleeful anticipation. What is to expect █
█ from a band which offers a new sign of life after █
█ more than ten years in hibernation and such a █
█ reference? Something between 'okay' and 'setting █
█ the world on fire' most likely, as we know it to █
█ happen. In this case they really surprise me due █
█ to a rather delicious new production, equipped █
█ with a well selected title, as those dutch beavers █
█ obviously took their time. Going back for some █
█ years again .. first and foremost I still would █
█ count the debut starter Culley On Bleecker Street █
█ among my top favourite songs. Erik Groeneweg's █
█ singing voice always deeply touched me, and this █
█ does not change here. █
█ Well worth the wait ... if ever ... what convinces █
█ me in the first instance is the fact, that 'The █
█ Time It Takes' is able to entertain from the start █
█ right on to the last minute. Something you have to █
█ search for in these days with prog oriented albums █
█ produced in really vast numbers. Drummer Corne van █
█ Disseldorp acts flawlessly, like a founding █
█ member, although he represents the one and only █
█ change when it comes to the line up. Stylistically █
█ the band offer art rock with symphonic and neo █
█ prog touches, as well as some excursions into █
█ popular fields, like Rainbow's End for example, █
█ while showing them more in the vein of Love And █
█ Money or Cutting Crew. Nonetheless I would say █
█ this is a benefit, even though some die hard prog █
█ fans may disagree. █
█ This simply is applicable for the global flow, for █
█ the approach to establish a highly accessible █
█ experience. Besides the technical skills taken for █
█ granted, everything stands or falls with the song █
█ writing abilities - you know - as for that The █
█ Path To My House belongs to my favourite album █
█ excerpts - absolutely perfect! Whatever, this █
█ credit applies to every song more or less which █
█ makes it to a rounded affair. Who won't have a █
█ clue what's goin' on with this band music-wise ... █
█ their output is akin to bands like Syzygy, Lobate █
█ Scarp and similiar. By all means you can't do █
█ wrong if your preference is on real melodic █
█ progressive rock songs. Anyway, happy to know that █
█ ... the band is back in town! █
▓ ▓
▒ ▒
░ 1. River so Wide 6:22 ░
░ 2. In Close Proximity 6:27 ░
░ 3. The Path to My House 4:32 ░
░ 4. Timeline 6:35 ░
░ 5. Rainbow's End 6:13 ░
░ 6. The Time it Takes 6:33 ░
░ 7. Sound Behind Sound 7:37 ░
░ 8. Waiting for the Bell to Toll 11:19 ░
░ 55:38 ░
░ ▒ ▒
▓ █ ░ ▓ ░
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