Over the course of a couple of years, the fourth album from Anglo-Dutch band Nine Stones Close – 2012’s ‘One Eye On The Sunrise’ – built up a cult following. Its combination of extended musical workouts and thoughtful song writing really spoke to sections the prog rock audience. Aside from a rather flat drum sound it had a lot going for it, presenting music that culled lots of influence from the past, but still felt contemporary. Fans eagerly awaited a follow-up, but it was clear they’d have to wait some time. Band leader/guitarist Adrian Jones had embarked upon extra curricular work with Michel Simons (9SC’s engineer) creating more sonically spacious music, the results of which can be heard on the excellent Jet Black Sea debut. Keyboard player Brendan Eyre, too, had moved on, eventually releasing ‘Northlands’, a mellow collection of tunes with Tony Patterson. Perhaps the biggest instigator in delaying the follow-up, though, was the departure of vocalist Mark Atkinson.
Tag Archives: prog
HOT MOTH – Small Fires EP
Brighton’s Hot Moth create a sound that’s a bit like experiencing an aural collision between the crunchy but song-driven aspects of the much missed Oceansize and the cerebral, clankier elements of cult heroes The Fierce And The Dead. The three songs on their 2016 EP ‘Small Fires’ aim for the gut as much as the head and combined create a fine, if far too short, voyage into arty mathrock territory.
Check out the new video from Hot Moth
Brighton’s Hot Moth released their ‘Small Fires’ EP today. It’s available on a pay what you want basis over at Bandcamp. Here’s a taster via the official video clip for ‘Levelling The Tales’.
STUART MASTERS – Mystic Blue & The Black Balloon
A virtuoso of the acoustic guitar, Stuart Masters creates a sound that’s been likened to Nick Drake and Syd Barrett. It seems odd that so many artistes would be compared to Barrett, given that his rather scant post-Floyd output borders on the disturbing. Aside from just about managing to string a few chords together, Barrett could all too often be heard mumbling through nonsensical lyrics he seems to only barely remember. This fourth release from Masters, the wonderful ‘Mystic Blue & The Black Balloon’, is nothing like Syd. It’s sometimes possible to hear why comparisons have been made to Drake, however, for Stuart is very fond of a finger picked style and almost pastoral moods – but the combination of his dexterous playing, loops and layered approach to most things is sometimes closer in spirit to another guitarist…and one from more recent times. It might be fair to say that fans of Matt Stevens will find an instant kinship with Masters and his complex soundscapes.
HOGGS BISON – The Dog Party Call EP
Hoggs Bison are another of those bands that could fall into post rock or art rock categories, with the creation of instrumental canvases that are often too rooted in nineties climes to be labelled straight prog (if indeed there is such a thing). At the same time, they aren’t necessarily always busy enough to warrant a definite math rock tag, even though fans of that style could certainly enjoy this release. In other words, although their music has some obvious reference points, their chosen path isn’t always easy to categorise; but it might be fair enough to say that lovers of Slint, Sonic Youth and the quieter output of the mighty Fierce and The Dead could find a musical kinship with this Bristolian trio.