Red Masque - Fossileyes
SKU
ADHOC 25
Fourth album for this band. They manage to sound rough-hewn in an attractive way, while executing some pretty interesting/complex musical maneuvers in a way similar to The Work, although they don't sound like them. I found parts of this reminiscent of Art Bears, Sleepytime Gorilla Museum and Maudlin of the Well among others, but they never actually sound like any of these bands either.
"Unfortunately: it's all too seldom that an American rock band will come on to the scene, seemingly out of nowhere, to shake things up on some sort of musical level. Singer Lynnette Shelley's vocal prowess is so extremely formidable, that it stands unrivaled in today's world of advancement-based music. Her vocal delivery, both strong and passionate, is insistently astounding, and whilst never overbearing to the intent of her lyrical matter, often lends a helping hand of credence to it. This is a sign of musical maturity, and far too few are willing to examine this presentation, or to strip away their own influences in the hope of creating something new; Thankfully, Ms. Shelley helps her style of music to break its own mold. The band alongside her is comprised of top-notch musicians [Brandon Ross, Vonorn and Andrew Kowal], who compose and play a fresh new slant in a school of music whose major proponents lost their sense of immediacy long ago. They work long and hard together on the compositions, and it shows. Within the framework of "normal" instrumentation (meaning guitars, keys, bass and drums), and a few not-so-ordinary (like the erhu), The Red Masque exceed the parameters of PROG which time and again have reproduced formulaic results, and therefore go well beyond the norm of their contemporaries."