I'm not going to bang on about how much I love Prog, I think a lot of you get the message. But it seems a little harder to understand these days. All sorts of variations are lumped into the genre, artists that are more Symphonic Rock, Pop Rock, Shoegaze, Electro and even Pastoral Folk.
I'm a little late to the party with this, but this is Prog as I want to hear it. It does sound a lot like Collins era Genesis, well before he discovered Motown. At times, it even gets a little Big Big Train with more keyboards, a band that I adored before key players went through the revolving door and the sad loss of David Longdon.
Colin McKay and David Knowles were members of a Liverpool band called Achilles. I saw them in St. Helens as a teenager and we weren't used to seeing or hearing bands of such quality in the town, usually having to travel into the city.
The great news is that McKay and Knowles reformed a few years ago, joined by John Wilkinson (lead singer of Genesis cover band Mama, they became Swan Chorus. Here they are helped out by Peter Dover on additional drums and David Jones on additional Bass.
The twist for me is that the duo revisit the songs, that they composed in Achilles. The songs are beautifully performed and arranged, lyrically adept and a reminder of what a great band Achilles were. The times just didn't suit Prog as much and the Synth Pop and New Romantic waves were obviously miles away from this.
They can drift into Pop Rock on occasion on the likes of the pacey English Electric, Welcome Home mixes New Wave and 80s keyboard Rock and After Dark is a great Pop song, recently appearing on Listening To This Week.
But it is the Prog that hits you most, McKay is a wonderful Guitarist, ditto Knowles on Keyboards. Their technical excellence is never too showy, very melodic. Prog wise, The Great Adventure and The Waffle House Index ooze class. Being There is the most straight ahead and may just snatch the best song award. Prog for the masses and the unconverted! Wonderful!
You can listen to and buy the album here. It is available on CD and as a download.
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