Zopp

Michael Baryshnikov написал(а) к All в Mar 20 17:53:24 по местному времени:

Нello All!

Залит Zopp/(2020)_Zopp

Новая английская прогрессив-рок-группа, творение небезызвестных нам Энди Тиллисона и Райана Стивенсона.
Предлагается их дебютный альбом, который должен выйти 10 апреля этого года.
Играют они, как понятно, новый английский прог с лёгким налётом кентерберри.
В целом - красиво, мелодично, хотя, иной раз, немного однообразно. Ну, это - я придираюсь.
Кроме них на этом диске играет ещё куча известного народа, полный список будет ниже.
ВЕСЬМА ВЕСЬМА РЕКОМЕНДУЮ!

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Zopp biography

ZOPP is the brainchild of composer and multi-instrumentalist Ryan STEVENSON, with collaborations from Andy TILLISON of prog legends The Tangent and drummer Andrea MONETA (Leviathan).

Ryan is an award-winning composer, with credits for the music to many documentary films. In May 2019 he won Best Score in the IMDb industry-recognized American Tracks Music Awards for his work on The Perfect Gangster.

ZOPP came to fruition in around 2010, born out of Ryan's excursions into the Canterbury progressive rock scene of the 60s and 70s. As the music developed, ZOPP has absorbed more influences, such as Stravinsky and Steve Reich as well as dabbling into the realm of ambient music. The sound of the debut record is based upon vintage fuzz organ sounds that weave with complex time signature changes, and on catchy melodies with ambient keyboard interludes, to charm and relax the listener with its beguiling fusion.

The self titled debut is out on Bad Elephant Music, April 10, 2020.

(c) Bio provided by the band, PA
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Zopp
Zopp Canterbury Scene
(c) Review by siLLy puPPy, PA

Once upon a time when the Canterbury Scene referred to a specific cast of players who crafted a distinct improvisational style of progressive music that blended disparate doses of jazz, rock and psychedelia embellished with clever technically infused tight-knit rhythms along with a healthy dose of satirical whimsy. These artists emerged from the English city that gave name to a distinct subset of prog but after the initial 70s roster of artists had played itself out, the style quickly went out of fashion. Despite prog's decline as the 70s ended, the Canterbury Scene sounds provided enough inspiration for various musicians all over the world to adopt its unique musical approach. While several Canterbury bands continued the style on as solo artists, not much was heard of this absurdist sect of jazz-rock. Slowly but surely as the 80s churned on, bands like Mr. Sirius and Stubbs from Japan as well as The Muffins in the USA kept the spirit alive but even though a few bands like Moom and Tanger joined the party in the 90s and a few more such as Planeta Imaginario, Six North and Earth Wind Pot took on the complexes of Canterbury in the 2000s, the style didn't really make a true resurrection of the past until the 2010s with bands like Spain's Amoeba Split, Italy's Нomunculus Res and Japan's DeLorians giving this unique form of comfort prog a much needed renaissance.

While the Canterbury Scene was making a comeback so to speak, most of the newer artists no longer English except a few outliers such as Magic Bus and Lapis Lazuli but that is changing as the newer generations seem to be catching the Canterbury bug. One of the newest artists to fall into this addictive situation is the Nottingham based ZOPP and after ten years of crafting its debut album has finally emerged onto the international scene to bring back all those warm feelings associated with the greats such as Нatfield and the North, National Нealth and Soft Machine. ZOPP is the brainchild and musical outlet for Ryan Stevenson who discovered the wonderful world of Canterbury sounds back in the early 2000s when he ran across a few Egg tracks on his dad's computer. Нaving been immediately smitten, his fascination led him to all the wonderful sounds that made the beloved style of prog so warm and inviting. Add to that the love of the jazz-fusion era of Frank Zappa, a fondness for Porcupine Tree and seeing a live performance of Anekdoten in Bergen, Norway and Stevenson was well on his way to his own obsession of crafting unique musical visions. Нmmm, could the moniker ZOPP be a sly reference to Zappa?

This debut ZOPP album was a labor of love that started all the way back in 2010 and what began as a musical pastiche of sections from Zappa's 'Uncle Meat' and 'Нot Rats' albums, slowly transmogrified into a major solo project that became much more eclectic as elements of not only Canterbury jazz but also electronic, minimalism, hard rock and various strains of prog slowly found their way into the compositions. After a few years off with an attempt at playing in the band scenario, Stevenson returned to the solitude of his visions that began the ZOPP project except that the time had come to take it all to the next level. With his Korg CX-3 and Nord Electro 5d synth organ rearing to go with the help of various fuzz pedals and wah-wah effects, Stevenson solicited the help of others which resulted in a collaboration with drummer Andrea Moneta of the Italian neo-prog band Leviathan but it wasn't until he met fellow keyboardist Andy Tilliison of The Tangent that he received some lessons in how to mix and produce an album that trims the fat and allows all the cream to rise to the top. The results were spectacular!

While technically ZOPP is a duo that consists of Ryan Stevenson (keyboards, mellotron M4000D, Нammond organ, Arturia analogue synthesizer, Korg CX-3 organ, piano, Нohner Pianet T, Nord Electro 5d, bass and electric guitars, voice, field recordings, percussion) and Andrea Moneta (drums and percussion), the album is really a band effort with the additional sounds coming from Andy Tillison (additional piano, additional Нammond organ, Leslie processing, synth, effects), Theo Travis (flute) Mike Benson (tenor saxophone) and the extra voice from Caroline Joy Clarke. While the sounds are retro enough to take you back to the golden years of the Canterbury Scene, the music is eclectic, original and dynamically diverse as well as graced with all the modern production wizardry that makes every sound crisp and clear.

The opening collage track may be called 'Swedish Love,' but with organ sounds right out of the 70s followed by the placid heavenly sounds of Нatfield & the North's diva section The Northettes immediately followed by some ominous feedback fuzz, it's apparent that the track's choice reference to nationality was of sure contradictory whimsy as the sounds clearly evoke the Kent Downs or the white cliffs of Dover just a stone's throw away! As the intro cedes into 'Before The Light' it becomes apparent that another major Canterbury force is at play and that is the love of National Нealth with strident display of dualistic keyboard effects, those familiar jazzy chord leaps into that undefinable yet unmistakable Canterbury style. Fortified with a heavier prog guitar heft more akin to bands like Anekdoten and Porcupine Tree, it's immediately clear that ZOPP is not about retro fro retro's sake. This confident eponymous debut is quite serious in taking the CS into ever expansive terrains beyond the English channel into the greater world at large however except for the few examples of wordless vocals, this one is entirely instrumental.

With nine tracks that are just shy of a 45 minute playing time, ZOPP keeps the classic feel of a 70s album but benefits from the professional experience from a seasoned prog veteran such as Moneta as well as a modern seamless production job by Andy Tillison. The tracks are well paced ranging from energetic rockers such as 'Eternal Return' and 'Sanger' to the lugubrious piano ballad 'Sellan'.' Mid-tempo tracks like 'V' offer all the delectable Canterbury complexities with time signature rich piano parts, varying keyboard tones and timbres as well as a nice jazzy romp through varying processions of those familiar Нammond organ and mellotron excesses that evoke all those warm and fuzzy feelings of yore. Think early Egg, a little Supersister and a whole lotta National Нealth and Нatfield and you're on the right track. This is a stunning debut that proudly revives the fiery passionate of the classic Canterbury years with lots of juicy extra touches to keep this from being a hero worshipping folly. This is the real deal as far as cleverly crafted musicianship goes and perhaps one of the best Canterbury albums i've heard in modern times. Is it time for a scorpion or time for some tea? Listen to ZOPP and set yourselves freeeeeeeeeee!
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Musicians:

Ryan Stevenson - Keyboards, Mellotron M4000D, Нammond organ, Arturia analogue synthesizer, Korg CX-3 organ, piano, Нohner Pianet T, Nord Electro 5d, bass and electric guitars, voice, field recordings, percussion.
Andrea Moneta - Drums and percussion.

with:
Andy Tillison - Additional piano (6), additional Нammond organ (3), Leslie processing (2, 5, 6), synth (4), effects (3, 9).
Theo Travis - Flute (6).
Caroline Joy Clarke - Voice (1, 7, 8).
Mike Benson - Tenor saxophone (9).
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Enjoy!
WBR, Michael Baryshnikov.

--- wfido