There are two new releases that have created a buzz here at Spirit of Cecilia: Cyan’s Pictures From the Other Side, and Galahad’s The Long Goodbye. The usual Proglings take some time to share their impressions.

Tad: Gentlemen, I suggested we pair these two albums together, because in some unexplainable way they seem to complement each other. To my ears, both are extremely enjoyable listening experiences, and I’m eager to see what you think of them.

I’ll start things off with Cyan’s Pictures From the Other Side. This is a resurrection of an old Rob Reed (Magenta) project, but it is a totally new sound. What immediately leapt out to me was Peter Jones’ (Camel) terrific vocals. He has a bit of that Peter Gabriel/David Longdon vibe, and he is incredibly powerful. Angharad Brinn joins him on several songs, and her soprano melds beautifully with Jones’ baritone. 

The first song, “Broken Man” is an awesome starter to the set – it begins so softly I can barely hear it, then what sounds like Celtic bagpipes show up, and then the entire band explodes! The melody is first-rate, as well as the lyrics:

A broken man always knows what he’s lost

A broken man always counting the cost

A broken man on his knees always prays out loud,

“Give me one more, give me one more chance.”

Brad: What a great suggestion, Tad.  When it comes to Cyan, it’s hard to do better than either Rob Reed or Peter Jones.  Both are men with incredible vision and incredible integrity, exuding class.  I, too, am really taken with “Broken Man” as the opening track.  I’m so glad that the band didn’t turn it into a three-minute pop song, but instead gave it some real life.  I say this as a compliment–the song lingers when it should linger.  It comes to a head when it should come to a head.

As to influences, I hear a lot of Big Country, a lot of U2, and a lot of The Call.  Not sure if Reed or Jones would see it that way, but all three bands sound like forerunners to me.

It’s probably unfair of me–of all people to say this–but the second track, the title track, “Pictures from the Other Side,” sounds very much like a Bardic Depths song.

“Solitary Angel,” track three, just feels like solid rock, a Journey-esque ballad, but with a bit of Marillion (vocals, especially) thrown in.

Track four, “Follow the Flow,” continues in a ballad-esque way, soft but captivating.  Again, I’m hearing a lot of Marillion in this track.  Delicate without being prissy.

Again, track five, “Tomorrow’s Here Today,” continues the intense but soft sound.  And, again, I can only state this is precious in the best sense.  I feel like I’m holding the most fragile flower imaginable while listening to it.  Then, about ½ through the song, it really, really picks up, becoming a rather blistering prog and rock song.  Excellent guitar work here, but also keyboards, bass, and drums.  The last third of the song feels a bit like a Yes/Jon Anderson track.

Not surprisingly, given its name, the sixth and final track, “Nosferatu,” rocks, possessing a Glass Hammer or post-Neal Morse Spock’s Beard sound.  At nearly 18 minutes long, this track gives everything a prog fan would want.  An amazing journey through music.  The keyboards and guitar are especially well-finessed!  Towards the end of the song, there’s even a glorious Star Wars moment!  Or, maybe it’s inspired by Queen.  Regardless, it’s epic.

Tad: Brad, that is very perceptive of you to make the connection to 80s groups like U2, The Call, and Big Country. I did a little research, and these songs were actually first done on Cyan’s second album in the early 90s, and then rerecorded for this album. 

I agree with you that the overall sound of Pictures From The Other Side is good, solid rock. It is definitely prog, but prog grounded in the tuneful hard rock of the 70s and 80s. I think we both give it a strong recommendation for our readers.

Okay – on to Galahad’s latest! Brad, I am so impressed with the music Galahad is producing these days. I thought their previous album, The Last Great Adventurer, was terrific, and the song, “Blood, Skin, and Bone”  off of it was just fantastic.

Their latest offering, The Long Goodbye, is just as strong. The title track, in particular, really moved me. I think it is about saying goodbye to a loved one who is dealing with senile dementia, and it is an outstanding track.

I also think the first three songs are a 1-2-3 tour de force. The opening track, “Behind the Veil of a Smile” is a synth-laden beauty that sets the energy level at high. It has an addictive hook for a melody, and I hit “Repeat” a couple of times before I even listened to the rest of the album! The second song, “Everything’s Changed” is just as good – a perfect mix of retro synths and crunchy guitars. The third track, “Shadow In The Corner” is my favorite. Once again, it starts with some retro-sounding synths and sequencers before a killer guitar riff jumps in. This is the kind of music U2 should be making now! As a matter of fact, I think that’s what links the Cyan album to this one – they both take what’s best from 80’s rock and combine it with 21st century production sensibilities. In both cases, there is no question of sounding nostalgic or cheesy – both groups have an appreciation for the music that was made nearly 40 years ago (Oh my gosh, can you believe that?!) and have brought it into the contemporary prog scene.

Brad: Dear Tad, I very much appreciate your enthusiasm regarding the new Galahad.  I must admit, it’s taken me a bit longer than usual to appreciate.  I’m on several listens now, and I like it very much, but I’m still–even after numerous listens–surprised by just how electronic the album is.  Galahad has had this side to them as far back as I can remember, but it was always on the sides and in parts of the albums rather than at the core.

“Behind the Veil of a Smile” reminds me very much of Steven Wilson and Porcupine Tree but without Wilson’s trademark scratchingly-hard guitars.  And, I very much appreciate the lyrics, which Galahad always excels at writing.

Track two is really pop excellence, reminding me a bit of New Order, especially from the mid-1980s.  The refrain, “everything is changed and nothing will ever be the same again. . . the same again” is pop perfection.

I like very much how track three, “Shadow in the Corner,” steps back from the hyperactivity of the first two songs and gives us something intense and low.  Again, I’m very much reminded of New Order and, even possibly, all the way back to Joy Division, especially at the beginning of the track.  After about a minute, it resumes hyperactivity, becoming a more “mainstream” Galahad song.

Track Four, an acapella-esque folk song, “The Righteous and the Damned,” lovingly takes us back to Galahad’s masterpiece, “Empires Never Last.”  The middle of the track sounds very central European, right before becoming a brilliant flaring guitar track that sounds very much like Fish-era Marillion.

The longest song on the album, track five, the title track, “The Long Goodbye” incorporates a number of different musical styles.  As you note, Tad, the song deals with the very difficult topic of dementia and Alzheimers.  It is a beautiful wrought exploration of the subject, and Galahad should be praised for handling it with such class and delicacy.

Track six, “Darker Days“ takes us back to pretty straight-forward Galahad electronica, sounding here like a harder version of 1980’s Asia.

The album ends with “Open Water,” a gorgeous and gentle tune and ballad–absent all electronica and ending the album on a positive note.

Tad, I’m in full agreement with you, Galahad has very successfully bridged the past and the present with The Long Goodbye.  What seemed jarring to me on the first listen now seems incredibly complex and clever on the 10th listen.  This album took a bit to grow on me, but now that it has, I’m deeply thankful for it.

Tad: Brad, I don’t have as much experience hearing Galahad’s music as you do, so your perspective is very interesting. The Last Great Adventurer was my first exposure to them, so, as far as I’m concerned, the electronics are all good! I hear the New Order vibe you mention, and I think that is a feature. Hopefully, we’ve put enough distance between us and the 80s to appreciate the innovation and variety in music that blossomed during that decade. Yes, some music from then can sound “dated”, but that doesn’t mean it wasn’t great music.

Okay! So it looks like we have two thumbs up for both Cyan’s and Galahad’s new offerings. Dear Spirit of Cecilia readers, take some time to check these two albums out. And, like Brad, give yourself time to really absorb them. They will repay the effort – we promise!