Far Corner
Endangered

It might be that I have had a sort of indigestion with Neo-Prog bands and the like over the past few years, to the point where I can't even stand them anymore when I re-listen, and to the point of questioning what is Progressive about bands that just resound Genesis or Yes. It would be more appropriate to call them Regressive or Revival-Prog, not to consider these as derogatory terms—indeed, some revival is surely better than certain artists futilely striving for innovation, it's clear. It's not necessary to be innovative in music, otherwise, we'd only listen to a few artists; phrases that have been repeated often. In fact, I still find the early periods of bands on the "Inside-Out" label to be excellent, and I certainly do not regret buying several of their albums. It might be that, as one grows, tastes change, but the Progressive I prefer now (in addition to the immortal '70s bands obviously) is primarily from an ever-green record label, both in originality and innovation, such as Cuneiform, and also bands related to these genres, called Avant-Prog or Avant-Rock. Surely stuff that needs to be delved into gradually over years of listening but surely grants immense satisfaction, at least for myself.

A common flaw, even among music enthusiasts, is to associate the term "Progressive" solely with bands akin to Romantic Rock or to include certain artists engaged in practices that are not very good for the eyesight. True Progressive Rock has its own evolution that continues or at least is reworked even today, and in Italy, we have a black widow that is quite prolific.

I wish to clarify, just to express my opinion, that I am among the first to say that the artists who passed through the legendary CBGB were a real godsend for music.

After having perhaps bored a bit with this discourse the Debaser crowd, at least those who had the courage to read a review where among genres you notice Avant-Rock and Progressive Rock, now I have to talk about these losers from Milwaukee formed at the beginning of the past decade, Americans who do not use guitars and draw inspiration from drumming and keyboarding of ELP, but in a much more original version. Bass and Strings make the sound more avant-garde and associate them with a Belgian school of the genre, namely some buddies from their splendid record label.

A work that sounds of a stylistic freshness that is nothing short of surprising, splendid the suite that takes the name from the album, where among the works that can suggest their style are the first of ELP and "Heresie" by Univers Zero. Notable throughout its duration, they alternate moments of suspense "Claws" with certain avant-garde symphonies of the '80s "Not From Around Here". Recommended for those who love the genre and a possible invitation for those who have not yet appreciated it.