Giona

I want a drunk plan too! :p

Exactly Bob, I completely agree with you. The "Canterbury" component of his music is quite peripheral and not central as I have heard industry experts claim several times. Not to stir up controversy, but you hear all sorts of things out there. I even read in a review outside this site that Forgas, painted as a Canterbury icon, was supposedly a founding member of Moving Gelatine Plates. This makes no sense at all, considering Patrick's collaboration with Didier Thibault (the actual founding member of the MGP alongside Gérard Bertram) was limited to the recording of a demo in '75, which, thanks to the attention of the newly established label Gratte-Ciel, led to the release of "Cocktail" two years later (where, in fact, the MGP have nothing to do with it).

Thank you for stopping by Bob, Hell, Ardalo & Blech! @Bob: Well, you know, mine is still a subjective judgment, derived from listening to his solo works, which have never managed to convey anything to me. There’s no debate about Patrick’s skill as a musician, but I find that his enviable compositional talent is more evident in the various incarnations of his band than in the albums he has released before. What I wanted to clarify (perhaps with a bit of excessive zeal, I admit :p) was not so much the improbable nature of the comparison to Wyatt, but rather the exaggerated ease with which he is consistently included among the prominent members of the Canterbury genre, which, in my opinion, has distinctly different and more complex traits than those presented by the (albeit remarkable and certainly not lacking in influences) music of this French artist.

I love these ancient sounds! Great album "Cherdak," for me it's superior to the previous one, even though I can't fully appreciate the vocal style of the new singer Maris Jekabsons (not that Ilze was much more digestible :p), and not surprisingly, my favorite track is the instrumental and quite bizarre (in a good way) "Ovum Mechanicus."

And all of this could easily have been expressed in a line, as Jargon wisely demonstrated. Too bad I hadn't noticed his reply :D The only difference is that, in my case, I only considered the productions of the '70s, because I believe it is (as I wrote in the review) the key period to which these seven young lads from Brighton refer.

@Bob: Answering your question is quite complex, as the style of Diagonal, while eclectic like that of Crimson, relies on a mix of different genres (or at least connected in a different way). Therefore, while some fractions may seem more in tune with the symphonic rock of the early King (the first part of "Child of the Thundercloth" and "Deathwatch" and some sounds from "Pact" where the solemn tones of the keyboards evoke the reverent majesty of compositions like "In the Wake of Poseidon"), other episodes, mostly marked by the unrefined sound of the guitars, can be placed in the more aggressive period of the court's men, despite the warm and jazzy imprint of the brass present in this album, which allows only vague and partial associations with albums of the caliber of "Larks'" or "Starless." I'll skip over the period of jazz experimental contamination by Fripp and company ("Lizard," "Island") because the Diagonal style is, as complex and refined as it may be, much more direct and (relatively) quickly digestible compared to such works, especially thanks to a greater and clearer rock attitude, which makes the compositions less convoluted and more fluid. One could almost dare to say that each instrument of Diagonal sounds like a different incarnation of the Crimson... In a way... :p

Thank you again to those present! @Macaco: Thank you so much for your consideration, but, from my perspective right now, realizing how the world works only serves to leave us even more stunned and horrified in front of all the atrocities that happen before our eyes (or at least before the little that the media decides to let us see). I wish the words truly had the power to convince someone and to move something, but it seems that this specter of society is bomb-proof; a horror show that's impossible to dismantle. As I read in Green's editorial, I too would like to withdraw and live peacefully in the mountains, and if I had even half a chance, I would do it. Absolutely. Even though I am convinced it would be like trying to escape from one's own shadow.

Thank you all! Jargon, I'm glad you enjoyed it. @Ugly Panda: Yes, it's exactly as you remember, in fact if you look at the summary of the review, you'll see that I've listed only the main genres (Jazz Rock/Fusion - Progressive Rock). The others I mentioned in the actual review are present, but in a more peripheral manner (they still deserved a mention, as this album is not just simple progressive jazz-rock. It has a much broader and eclectic style).

No problem ;)

More than a review of the album, it’s a review of the discography ;) Musically, I get off at the same stop as Jargon, but figuratively, I bow down to Roger Dean's unmistakable style. The other version of the cover, compared to the first one, is a real insult.