To be honest I had never heard of Emerald City Council, but when a prog rock friend told me that Jake Livgren (nephew of Kerry Livgren former Kansas member) was involved in this new project together with Brent Bristow (composer, multi-instrumentalist) I was rather curious about this band and after the first spin of Motion Carries I was "hooked", as this is an amazing debut album indeed, packed with strong and complex prog rock music. Motion Carries features nine songs, and the absolute stand out track is the epic Platforms Of Illusion. The track clocks in at just over twenty minutes and this one is the magical centrepiece of this album. It kicks off with a melodic flute intro, followed by melodic guitar solos and riffs and thus evolving into a real classic prog rock "monster," with the guitar and saxophone duelling all over the song. Musical themes are recapitulated throughout the entire twenty minutes, and you can also enjoy a couple of keyboard solos, while Bristow and Livgren share the beautiful vocal passages. Besides Brent Bristow (saxophone, keyboards, guitar, vocals) and Jake Livgren (vocals). Emerald City Council consists of Noah Hungate (drums), Jeremy Nichols (bass guitar) and Seth Hankerson (guitar) with guest appearances from Paul Bielatowicz (guitar), Mike Thompson (guitar) and voice-over contributions from actors Jeffrey Combs and Steve Rankin. Motion Carries starts with the instrumental Realize 1: Escape From The Ancient, being a rocking, catchy and melodic Alan Parsons-like song narrated by Jeffrey Combs, while follow up Realize 2: Brutal Camouflage is definitely a more standard, traditional rock track with the guitar and vocals leading the way. Ice Thinning, the first single of this album, combines softer passages with some solid and heavy rock elements, while the AOR-like song No Thanks To You is almost a mix of Rush and Kansas. Overall, I have to say that Motion Carries is a more than excellent prog rock debut, although the saxophone is sometimes too dominant, at least for me.... If you like notorious bands such as Transatlantic, The Neal Morse Band, Flying Colours and Spock's Beard, then this Emerald City Council album is a must have album indeed. By the way, the cover of Thomas Ewerhard (Avantasia, Enchant, Sons Of Apollo) is also a real beauty, but it is of course the more than excellent music that makes this album very worthwhile to listen to. **** Martien Koolen (edited by Tracy van Os van den Abeelen) Where to buy? |
