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░ ██ ██ Artist: John Wesley ██ ██
▓ █░░ ■█ Album: A Way You'll Never Be.. █■ ░░█
■ █▓▀ █ Year: 2016 █ ▀▓█ ░
█ ▓ Rel. Date: 2017-01-03 ▓ █
▒ ▒ Genre: Progressive Rock ▒ ▒
█▄ ░ Label: Inside Out Music ░ ▄█
░ █▄ ░ Source: CD ░ ▄█
░ █▓ Type: Album ▓█ ░
▓ █ Quality: VBR, 44.1kHz, Joint Stereo █ ░ ▓
▓ █ █ ░ ▓
▄ ■ ■ ▓ ■
░█ █░ ▀
█ John Wesleyæs music has long stood at the █
█ crossroads of intensely composition-based prog █
█ fusion. While most acts that bear the vague █
█ æfusionÆ label tend to come across as jazz bands █
█ that discovered the virtue of rock rhythms (but █
█ still always rooted in jazz custom), Wesley █
█ fancies himself a fairly impartial arbiter between █
█ jazz and rock, to the point where his eighth █
█ studio album, A Way YouÆll Never Be, could be █
█ labelled as one or the other without fault. His █
█ influences are much less ambiguous however; King █
█ Crimson is apparent in the musicÆs rhythmic █
█ discipline and cerebral atmosphere. The shifting █
█ guitar work is quickly redolent of Steve Howe and, █
█ depending on the style heÆs chosen at the time, █
█ his guitar work recalls either Pat Metheny or Joe █
█ Satriani. John Wesleyæs work is eclectic and █
█ varied (I even recall progressive metal traces as █
█ far back as the debut), but thereÆs a strong sense █
█ of style and identity here, something many an █
█ artist who dared to merge genres has sadly done █
█ without. █
█ First and foremost (and this may be what separates █
█ him most from the jazzmen) John Wesley is a █
█ composer. There are many in jazz and fusion that █
█ write material as a staging point for █
█ improvisation and spontaneity in the performance. █
█ Good improvising is a slice of heaven when itÆs █
█ done right, but Wesley doesnÆt leave anything up █
█ to chance. A Way YouÆll Never Be remains a haven █
█ for WesleyÆs expert guitar synth leads, but I █
█ donÆt think thereÆs a single measure of music that █
█ was devised accidentally. Fortunately, John Wesley █
█ has once again proven himself to be a master █
█ composer with this sort of style. A Way YouÆll █
█ Never Be will shift between heavy and smooth █
█ passages with a near-cinematic grace, sometimes █
█ giving the impression thereÆs less complexity at █
█ work than there really is. Unlike show-y or █
█ overtly technical music (an impression WesleyÆs █
█ music has since drifted from), A Way YouÆll Never █
█ Be lets the atmosphere and ease of listening █
█ through, although youÆd be wholly mistaken to █
█ assume there isnÆt calculus spewing forth from the █
█ musicÆs solid undercurrents. █
█ On A Way YouÆll Never Be, John Wesley demonstrates █
█ an improvement in songwriting over these past two █
█ years comparing to the excellent 2014 full-length █
█ album Disconnect; the execution on A Way YouÆll █
█ Never Be has been polished. As tends to be the █
█ case with prog rock, this album puts the virtues █
█ of the intellect before the heart; even so, there █
█ are some beautiful sections that switch the █
█ emphasis. For a song with a length that begs the █
█ æepicÆ label, the title track ôA Way YouÆll Never █
█ Beö is surprisingly smooth for the most part, █
█ though it soon builds to a climax worthy of any █
█ proggerÆs ears, complete with eerie guitar sound, █
█ with a melancholic beauty offset only by the █
█ twitchy prog freak-out that shortly follows it. █
█ ôPointless Endeavorsö is a fitting denouement to █
█ the album, a simple guitar composition with a █
█ tugging sense of longing and melancholy. If A Way █
█ YouÆll Never Be lacks any consistency in its █
█ emotional impact, all is well by the albumÆs end. █
█ A Way YouÆll Never Be is another great chapter in █
█ the career of an artist IÆve been virtually █
█ following for years. Whether youÆre coming from █
█ the jazz, prog or instrumental rock spheres, a █
█ truly gifted composer is hard to come by. With █
█ that in mind, John Wesley comes recommended to █
█ fans of each and any of the three. █
█ █
█ --- █
█ █
█ In the modern scheme of progressive music, █
█ alternative rock now plays as much of a popular █
█ influence on the scene as do the styles █
█ traditional draws of classical and jazz music. █
█ Among other greats, Porcupine Tree, The Mars Volta █
█ and Radiohead are some of the best known groups █
█ keeping progressive rock up to date and with the █
█ times. John Wesley, who is known as a live session █
█ guitarist and singer for Porcupine Tree over the █
█ years, aligns himself with this forward thinking █
█ trend in progressive rock. Wesley has been running █
█ a successful solo career for over 20 years, and in █
█ that period he released seven studio albums. His █
█ eighth studio full-length is titled æA Way YouÆll █
█ Never Be,Æ and is scheduled for the October 7 █
█ release via Inside Out Music. Although WesleyÆs █
█ arrangements occasionally tip the hat towards the █
█ genreÆs original legends, æA Way YouÆll Never BeÆ █
█ is a solid fusion of prog and alt rock. The two █
█ halves are given equal credence and proportion in █
█ the style, and though Wesley and the band, which █
█ features Ian Medhurst on guitars, Mark Prator on █
█ drums, and legendary Sean Malone on bass, left █
█ room for further improvement on this album, itÆs █
█ rare to hear such a smooth combination of the old █
█ and the new. █
█ Although progressive rock is the heart and soul of █
█ æA Way YouÆll Never Be,Æ I was surprised to hear █
█ such a heavy sound at play here. Yes, heavy like █
█ the celebration of everything opposite of the █
█ traditional prog spirit. Although the two schools █
█ are in direct conflict on paper, John Wesley makes █
█ the two work together. Although a modern rock █
█ sounds pervades the songwriting, much of the █
█ strictly heavy rock vibe on æA Way YouÆll Never █
█ BeÆ is confined to the guitar tones, which retain █
█ a crisp clarity in the production in spite of the █
█ fuzzy textures. Although progressive rock is █
█ certainly no stranger to loud guitars, the █
█ riff-oriented nature of John WesleyÆs music is █
█ incredibly overt. Although the song structures █
█ ultimately favour 1sort of complexity and long █
█ form structures that so often appear in █
█ progressive music, many of these riffs are the █
█ sort of thing you might hear on a modern radio █
█ rock single. This balance between accessible and █
█ proggy elements largely defines what the frontman █
█ and co. have done on æA Way YouÆll Never Be.Æ █
█ Adding upon the hard rock foundation, Wesley █
█ layers the sound with spacey guitar solos which █
█ occasionally bring up the term ôvintageö on the █
█ table. Particularly on the gorgeous title track, █
█ the way the guitar solos have been incorporated █
█ into the sound are incredibly effective. Although █
█ these songs have potential to reach out beyond the █
█ ten-minute mark and become, so called, prog epics, █
█ they are each based around melodies that youÆll █
█ likely find yourself humming along to by second █
█ spin. JohnÆs voice is unique by itself and he █
█ definitely uses it as one of the biggest selling █
█ points. He has a welcome warmth and sincerity to █
█ his voice, and a slightly nasal quality that works █
█ well with the bandÆs alternative rock roots. █
█ Although the tone of the guitar is rich, it █
█ doesnÆt feel over-mixed, whatÆs generally the case █
█ with guitar-driven records today. I get the █
█ impression that the band was trying to get the █
█ feeling of a raw, live performance across in the █
█ recording, and that worked out impressively well. █
█ æA Way YouÆll Never BeÆ is a great exclamation █
█ that progressive rock can be accessible and even █
█ catchy. John Wesley brings a strong set of █
█ compositions to this latest album. He successfully █
█ translates the progressive mentality onto the █
█ modern sound of rock, and that sort of thinking is █
█ something we need more of in the years to come. █
▓ ▓
▒ ▒
░ 1. By the Light of a Sun 5:30 ░
░ 2. A Way You'll Never Be 7:18 ░
░ 3. To Outrun the Light 7:07 ░
░ 4. The Revolutionist 5:57 ░
░ 5. Nada 5:40 ░
░ 6. The Silence in Coffee 5:09 ░
░ 7. Unsafe Space 4:17 ░
░ 8. Sun.A.Rose 6:44 ░
░ 9. Epic 4:51 ░
░ 10. Pointless Endeavors 3:38 ░
░ 56:11 ░
░ ▒ ▒
▓ █ ░ ▓ ░
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