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PROGRESS?
Tracklist
New City (5.08); Glass and Steel (4.10); Liquid (5.41);
Smoking Tree (2.19);
Future Wisdon (3.36); Anthem (4.09); Solid Ground (5.19); Tomorrow's World (4.41); The Great Escape (4.11); Cloud Cover (5.08)
LINEUP
Paul Birchall - Keyboards
Dominic Finley - Bass, Vocals (6, 7, 8)
Gareth Moulton - Guitars, Vocals (1, 8, 10)
Phil Knight - Drums, percussion
Keith Ashcroft - Guitars, percussion
Paul Burgess - Drums
Guests:
Neil Fairclough - lead vocals (6)
Bryan Hargreaves - vocals (6)
Nick Van Eede - lead vocals (7)
Lyn Christine - narration (7)
Sheila Gott - lead vocals (9)
REVIEW
Combination Head are a relatively new UK based progressive band fronted by Paul Birchall (keyboards) and Keith Ashcroft (basses, guitars and effects), with drum and percussion duties being shared by Paul Burgess,
Carl Hutchison and Phil Knight. Having released their eponymous debut album in 2006, they are now following through with 'Progress?'.
Unlike the band's earlier release, Progress is not a purely instrumental work.
There are some very strong instrumental tracks here for sure, but they are interspersed with some more song oriented pieces which help to provide some additional texture and to provide a wider mix.
When I first heard this album I really enjoyed it, and while this is still the case I have to be honest here and say that with subsequent playing (and to review an album you end up listening to it an awful lot of
times), some of that initial shine has lost it's edge.
The music itself is firmly rooted in the 70's, particularly in terms of the keyboard work, which is a cornerstone of the album, which runs the whole range from the unmistakable Hammond through to the Moog. It is this
very blend of keyboard sound that tends to make the album reminiscent of ELP at some times and Camel at others.
The ELP connection is apparent as soon as one listens to the opening track, the instrumental 'New City', with it's powerful keyboard sound
played alongside some fine guitar work. The track taken in isolation is very hard to fault, and moves along with a driving pace, but after a while I started to find that that many of the instrumental pieces on this album started to sound very much the same. 'Future Wisdom' for example follows continues in much the same vein, the driving beat and strong keyboard sound are excellent, but at the same time, too similar.
There are of course some exceptions - 'Smoking Tree' reveals some beautifully delicate piano work that sets it apart. There are also occasions when there is a distinctly light jazz element in the music, witness
the guitar work in the very aptly named 'Liquid', an easy going rolling number that I love to listen to. By and large then the instrumental tracks are good, but for the most part blend into a uniform mass.
The vocal tracks I feel are much more individual, and while perhaps they are less obviously 'progressive' in nature, they represent some of the best material on the album.
To my mind Tomorrow's World is perhaps the best song. It's nicely put together and mixes pop with a light progressive edge. The track also features some excellent guitar work, and once again there is a very
smooth vocal line. The break into the chorus gives an almost Eagles like quality which works really well and overall the mood of the song is quite uplifting.
A close second to this is the albums final track 'Cloud Cover', a hazy drifting number which vocally is at times reminiscent of Crowded House, but musically seems to borrow from early IQ.
A strange combination perhaps, but one that really works rather well.
So what we have here is undoubtedly a good, but perhaps not a great, album. Musically it is competent, the production is slick, and the presentation is really very good indeed, but at the end of the day, and I
know many of our readers may disagree with me here (which is fair enough), I just could not find enough originality in the overall scope of the work. Other reviewers have commented on how much this album
sounds like ELP, and to my mind this is the heart of the problem. As a tribute to what's gone before it is superb, but as a way forward I just don't feel it does quite enough.
Worth checking out, but if I was awarding a score I'd have to say 7/10 this time around.
Simon - 18th May 2008
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