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░ ██ ██ Artist: Elephants of Scotland ██ ██
▓ █░░ ■█ Album: The Perfect Map █■ ░░█
■ █▓▀ █ Year: 2016 █ ▀▓█ ░
█ ▓ Rel. Date: 2017-01-03 ▓ █
▒ ▒ Genre: Progressive Rock ▒ ▒
█▄ ░ Label: self-released ░ ▄█
░ █▄ ░ Source: CD ░ ▄█
░ █▓ Type: Album ▓█ ░
▓ █ Quality: VBR, 44.1kHz, Joint Stereo █ ░ ▓
▓ █ █ ░ ▓
▄ ■ ■ ▓ ■
░█ █░ ▀
█ Elephants of Scotland's "The Perfect Map" was a █
█ bit of an item a few months ago. In a single week, █
█ I encountered reviews of this album on three █
█ different forums. I was a little disappointed that █
█ the band is not from Scotland but I ordered the █
█ album anyway. From the beginning, I liked it and █
█ after several plays spread out between several █
█ other incoming purchases, I like it a whole lot █
█ more. █
█ The general description of the music can be █
█ complex, frequently busy, and energetic █
█ progressive ROCK, with each song not only standing █
█ apart from the others in tempo and atmosphere but █
█ also receiving additional treatments to help make █
█ each song a stand-apart entity as well as a █
█ unifying part of the whole album. In short, I like █
█ that this album doesn't have a string of similar █
█ sounding songs. █
█ "Sun-Dipped Orphans and the Wizard's Teapot". What █
█ a title! Is this a Gong album? We start with a █
█ drum rhythm intro that sounds like it would fit █
█ right in to a big band number. It quickly turns █
█ into a prog piece with synthesizer effects, piano █
█ and a kind of dancing guitar riff. Indeed █
█ sun-dipped orphans are running about. "Sun-dipped █
█ orphans ran into the castle and in the great hall █
█ did make a pyramid of ten." I'll say it right now, █
█ though the music doesn't bring anything new to the █
█ table of modern prog and even sounds similar to █
█ what a lot of bands are doing, this is a rousing █
█ first track, lively and quick and the first track █
█ for me to call a favourite. █
█ But then "Counting on a Ghost" comes in with █
█ bursting synthesizer chords as an even faster █
█ paced number, frantic and speedy with a tinge of █
█ 80's Rush. Then just when you think you got this █
█ band sorted and labeled, they come in peacefully █
█ with "One By Sea", featuring Meagan Beaucage on █
█ vocals. It's like a sea chanty at first but then █
█ breaks into a proggy middle section before turning █
█ into a slightly more straightforward rock number. █
█ Alright. The going is good. █
█ Now comes "Swing the Gavel" with acoustic guitar █
█ and recorder, I think. This reminds me of the █
█ Celtic folk band who became alternative rock / █
█ folk fusion, Spirit of the West. This is like █
█ their early stuff from the mid-eighties. I should █
█ say here though a word about the vocals. I'm not █
█ sure who is the lead vocalist but there are █
█ moments when I feel he doesn't have the British █
█ touch that goes into a lot of the music and █
█ lyrics. At times the music has more power than he █
█ can muster and other times it sounds like someone █
█ who doesn't do British is trying to read █
█ Shakespeare. This does not mean that the vocals █
█ are bad. Not at all. But this music has a certain █
█ sound to it that requires a little more in some █
█ songs. █
█ "The Perfect Map" is musically simpler than other █
█ tracks so far but it has an eerie and haunting █
█ style that makes it yet another surprise. You █
█ really can't guess what this band is going to █
█ serve up track after track. Again, I like the █
█ variety! █
█ "Random Earth" really brings in some Rush sounds █
█ again, this time more like around "Counterparts" I █
█ feel. Dan McDonald's bass and John Whyte's guitar, █
█ not to mention Ornan McLean on drums and Adam █
█ Rabin's keyboards really bring that era of Rush to █
█ life here. At one point, I was thinking the vocals █
█ need a little something extra for this style of █
█ music though, and then suddenly a second voice █
█ came in with a higher register sounding almost █
█ like Geddy Lee! Of course the music goes beyond █
█ Rush; every song goes beyond what it seems to █
█ start out doing. And then the whole musical ride █
█ slows down with a short instrumental called "Fur █
█ Buddy" which is dedicated to a pet canine. █
█ To wrap it up, this album has been great to hear █
█ again and again and get to know each track for all █
█ their twists and turns. Excellently composed and █
█ performed music in my opinion. Anything less than █
█ impressive would be the sound of the vocals in a █
█ few places as I mentioned above and that basically █
█ what we have here is nothing that dozens of other █
█ bands aren't doing, meaning that there are a lot █
█ of talented musicians writing and playing █
█ excellent complex and exciting music. But I see it █
█ this way. You've got a chef who knows how to cook █
█ up exquisite dishes, and though you've had █
█ something like them before, these are still █
█ delectable. The chefs here are all of high calibre █
█ as their dishes prove. █
▓ ▓
▒ ▒
░ 1. Sun-Dipped Orphans and the Wizard's 6:07 ░
░ Teapot ░
░ 2. Counting on a Ghost 5:38 ░
░ 3. One by Sea 4:39 ░
░ 4. Swing the Gavel 5:36 ░
░ 5. The Perfect Map 7:41 ░
░ 6. Random Earth 9:29 ░
░ 7. Fⁿr Buddy 2:08 ░
░ 41:18 ░
░ ▒ ▒
▓ █ ░ ▓ ░
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