Record Reviews

SENOGUL ~ AURAL IMPRESSIONS CONCERT FOR INSTRUMENTAL ENSEMBLE MARGEN 0109 (Barcode: 8437003757006) ~ SPAIN ~ Progressive Rock Recorded: 2008 Released: 2009 2nd album by the excellent Spanish Prog band SenogulFind albums by this artist and a great follow up to their eponymous debut, although an almost about face stylistically. As the title suggests, the band produced this time a complete musical suite, rather than a collection of unrelated pieces. The music is only marginally Prog and is spiritually closer to Contemporary Classical and Ambient music. It is a serious and ambitious effort to expand the musical boundaries of Prog by using a wide variety of aural effects, ethnic influences, interesting instrumentation and atmospheric compositions. All the above, combined and used wisely, generate a beautiful musical landscape, upon which the listener can travel, using his imagination at will. Although more difficult to digest, this music presents a highly rewarding listening experience, which the more sophisticated listeners should enjoy in full. I raise my hat to the members of the group in recognition of their courage to take the less travelled path, discovering the unknown, rather that follow the beaten tracks, which usually end up in boredom. Wholeheartedly recommended and worth exploring!

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SENOGUL ~ SENOGUL MYLODON 049 (Barcode: 3426300047038) ~ SPAIN ~ Progressive Rock Recorded: 2005 - 2006 Released: 2007 1st album by young Spanish Prog band SenogulFind albums by this artist, an instrumental quintet fronted by two lead guitarists Pedro MenchacaFind albums by this artist and Israel SánchezFind albums by this artist, with Eduardo SalueñaFind albums by this artist on keyboards, Pablo CanalisFind albums by this artist on bass and Alex ValeroFind albums by this artist on drums. The band plays a stunning set of self-composed material, full of long improvised passages with quirky rhythm changes and interchanging themes. A long list of guest musicians enhances the band’s sound with a variety of additional instrumentation, such as saxophones, flutes and even a whole choir on one of the tracks. The music is completely original but if parallels have to be drawn, Gentle GiantFind albums by this artist, Frank ZappaFind albums by this artist and some of the RIO bands come to mind. The music however manages to keep strong melodic character at all times, in spite of the extensive improvisations. It is truly heartwarming to hear such excellent music being made these days, contrary to the sea of boredom dominating the dwindling music market. Highly recommended!

CD 1 Recommend To A Friend