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░ ██ ██ Artist: Preacher ██ ██
▓ █░░ ■█ Album: Signals █■ ░░█
■ █▓▀ █ Year: 2015 █ ▀▓█ ░
█ ▓ Rel. Date: 2016-07-04 ▓ █
▒ ▒ Genre: Progressive Rock ▒ ▒
█▄ ░ Label: IME ░ ▄█
░ █▄ ░ Source: CD ░ ▄█
░ █▓ Type: Album ▓█ ░
▓ █ Quality: VBR, 44.1kHz, Joint Stereo █ ░ ▓
▓ █ █ ░ ▓
▄ ■ ■ ▓ ■
░█ █░ ▀
█ Progressive pop rock band Preacheræs Signals was █
█ released sometime in 2013. Unlike other █
█ progressive albums IÆve reviewed, Preacher █
█ concentrates on maintaining a catchy listenable █
█ melodic feel to their music. IÆd compare it most █
█ to Pink Floyd in that a lot of the time people █
█ forget how progressive and experimental Pink Floyd █
█ is due to how big their hits are. █
█ For instance, opening track Time doesnÆt have odd █
█ time signatures, at least not ones that stand out, █
█ but it still blends in many instruments that, even █
█ though they arenÆt uncommon, somehow Preacher █
█ manages to mix them all together in a way that I █
█ hear from bands like the previously mentioned Pink █
█ Floyd or Alan Parsons Project (who coincidentally █
█ also have a song called Time). It makes for a good █
█ opener to the album because its slow and only at █
█ times does the music truly pick up, much like the █
█ album that follows the song. █
█ But like Pink Floyd, there are songs present on █
█ Signals where Preacher use their melodic █
█ sensibility far more than they use their █
█ progressive capabilities. Jupiter To Mars for █
█ instance is a slow ballad, greatly written in to █
█ being what I believe most would find to be the █
█ most catchy song on the album, while still mixing █
█ in so many instruments û instruments so often used █
█ by even the least progressive of bands, however █
█ Preacher just find a way to use them differently. █
█ The title track to Signals also serves as a song █
█ thatÆs more melodic than progressive, despite its █
█ length, but my favourite would have to be Destiny. █
█ Much like the previous two mentioned tracks, it █
█ carries progressive elements that I donÆt find █
█ most bands are capable of, but it concentrates █
█ more on being a catchy song than a complex one, █
█ and in such fine fashion. █
█ While I single out those three songs, the rest of █
█ Signals still doesnÆt differ too much. The Sea, █
█ Fat Cats and Cry 4 Help, while all very catchy and █
█ melodic, still have experimentation to them. █
█ Despite all three songs being of a slow somewhat █
█ sullen sound feature elements that differentiate █
█ them. Fat Cats, for example, has a bit of jazz █
█ influence to it, particularly in its intro, while █
█ Cry 4 Help shaves away much of the bass and drums █
█ for the first half to make for a nice acoustic █
█ song that sounds unlike anything else by Preacher. █
█ Signals starts to notably change course after its █
█ title track with the following three songs. █
█ Arrival is an instrumental. Admittedly it is █
█ similar musically to the rest of the album but it █
█ gives the musical aspect of Preacher a much █
█ deserved spotlight and at no point does the music █
█ start to wane. First Contact and The Factor have a █
█ groove that the rest of Signals doesnÆt have, and █
█ when their instruments, particularly the electric █
█ guitars and organ sounds, are played at their █
█ loudest, they have a little more meat to them █
█ compared to others on the album. Friends Of My █
█ Dreams is the hardest and loudest song of any on █
█ the album, giving a much needed change of █
█ direction for the album. Unfortunately it comes so █
█ far toward the end. █
█ Preacher end Signals with one of the softest songs █
█ on the album. IÆll Be There isnÆt one of the best █
█ songs on the album over others present on Signals, █
█ but keeps the spacey sound that has been followed █
█ throughout the album and when the song picks up █
█ toward the end, it has some of the most passionate █
█ melodies IÆve heard from the band thus far. I like █
█ the song as a closer, especially for just how it █
█ picks up toward the end. █
█ This is the second album that IÆve been given to █
█ review this year that wasnÆt actually released in █
█ 2015, which is just unfortunate because both █
█ albums may have easily made my top albums of 2015 █
█ list. Had I made a best of 2013 list, IÆd like to █
█ think Preacheræs Signals would have been on it. █
█ There is a sense of intelligence and maturity to █
█ Preacher that I donÆt hear in any other █
█ progressive band IÆve reviewed before, and they █
█ certainly stand out above most crowds. Their songs █
█ could maybe sound a little different from one █
█ another, and by that I mean the tempo, but █
█ regardless Signals is one fine album. █
█ Album highlight - ôJupiter to Marsö û I feel this █
█ would be the most widely accepted song that people █
█ would choose to be their favourite from the album. █
█ I donÆt usually pick highlights based on that, but █
█ Jupiter to Mars has an innocence and intelligence █
█ to it like no other track on the album and it █
█ carries a spacey sound to it (I mean look at the █
█ title) similar to a way IÆd classify much of █
█ Signals.ItÆs sure to catch anyoneÆs attention. █
▓ ▓
▒ ▒
░ 1. Time 3:54 ░
░ 2. Jupiter To Mars 5:31 ░
░ 3. The Sea 5:20 ░
░ 4. Fat Cats 4:28 ░
░ 5. Cry 4 Help 3:38 ░
░ 6. Signals 5:54 ░
░ 7. Arrival 6:58 ░
░ 8. First Contact 4:13 ░
░ 9. The Factor 4:58 ░
░ 10. Friends of My Dreams 4:00 ░
░ 11. Destiny 4:02 ░
░ 12. I'll Be There 4:34 ░
░ 57:30 ░
░ ▒ ▒
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