New Sun: Press

New Sun Expectations New Sun - Expectations If their previous output seemed mostly Rush influenced, New Sun have added a little bit of King Crimson to their palette, specifically angularity to their arrangements. Not in every track, but you can hear it in "Mammoth" which opens the album, and in "No Mas Uvas, " later in the album. About the first track, it actually begins with a chiming guitar that made me think both of Dream Theater and of Metallica (specifically of the track "One"*). Martial drums come for several measures, and then the full instrumentation which is a little raw (admittedly a bit Rush-like), before this gives way to vocals. As it draws to a conclusion, we get howling sound effects that are haunting. A driving rock arrangement closes the track, leaving us only with a keening guitar. In a news item I wrote recently, in reference to the next Explorer's Club album, I mentioned a Discovery Channel special about raising a mammoth found frozen. Well, this track here references the same discovery that the special detailed. The reason there is such excitement is because mammoths have been extinct for thousands of years, and because this corpse has been frozen, we can learn much more about the mammoths and how they died. If we are not careful, we, too, could be like the mammoths. It is an ecological message that we really should heed. It's funny, too, because in glancing at the photo of the band on the back of the sleeve (see above) I was thinking to myself that Cooper (in the middle) looks to be more outdoors man (nature guide, environmentalist, or the like) than a musician (whatever a musician is supposed to look like). Track Listing: Mammoth (7:26) / Cause & Effect II (5:01) / Land Of Not So (6:35) / Expectations: Part 1-Reflections - Part 2-Determination - Part 3 & 4-Downside Up - Part 5-Soliloquy - Part 6-Single Malt Solution - Part 7-Redemption? (10:00) / Time, And No Words With You (5:01) / No Mas Uvas (4:08) / Do You Wish To Know (5:09) / Expectations Reprise (0:56) Musicians: Alex Kley - bass Christopher Scott Cooper - guitars, vocals, keyboards Chris Trujillo - drums, vocals Guests: Gustaf Fjelstrom - bass (6) Benito Cortez - violin (2) Neil Panton - piano (2) Tom Carr - backing vocals (7) Lance Nottle, and Mark Bruhn - broadcast voices (1) Commy Tarr - The Rant (6)

New Sun Affects New Sun - Affects New Sun wear their influences on their sleeve: Rush, Pink Floyd, Marillion and others. There are the deep, dark guitar tones of 80's-90's Rush, such that there are phrases here and there that will remind of specific Rush tunes. And yet, at other times, the music hews closely to late 80's Pink Floyd. And at still other times, Marillion. There is enough freshness in some of the arrangements, though, to make this not just well worth a listen but also lifts it above mere mimicry. Track Listing: Dark the Azure Sky (1:18) / Prometheus (6:25) / Acquired Muscle Memory (3:55) / Cyrus Gore (9:47) / Cause & Effect (4:35) / ...But For The Gleam In Her Eye (1:41) / FYB (the Deceptionist) (8:41) / Question (7:34) Musicians: D. L. Erickson - guitars and keyboards Alex Kley - bass Christopher Scott - guitars, vocals, keyboards, acillatem processor, samples Chris Trujillo - drums, percussion, and vocals


New Sun Fractured New Sun -Fractured Fractured was New Sun 's debut album, released in 1995. They followed this with Affects in 1997 and are working on new material for a third disk. What is true of both disks is the Rush influence, but, for the most part it only colors their sound rather than being the main thrust. Certainly, the opening track, the appropriately entitled "Intro" has the strongest Rush influence, especially in the guitar tones and style used. But from there it launches itself elsewhere. But then, once you get beyond that, making any concrete comparison becomes elusive, especially if you're trying to compare them to some of the more recognizable bands. Christopher Scott has a unique voice, and I mean that in positive way, because I can't give you a "think of" kind of guide. The second track, "The Sprawl" does take on some Marillion like characteristics - tentative keyboard washes, probing guitarÉnotes that poke and prod as they make their way forward, only to settle back into swirling circles. There is a strong sense of restraint, giving this track a nervous, edgy feel. "Glass" is full of light, sparse guitar, brisk bass, lively percussion, and casual vocals until you reach the chorus where something has been let loose, and which brings this track into a much darker, denser arrangement, as it spirals inwards to implosion, coming just short of that. And then it starts again, churning its way to an almost sudden conclusion, leaving no resolution. "Then and Now" moves into yet another bit of territory - mostly filled with gently swooping and undulating keyboard washes, threatening something more sweeping, more expansive. But it remains restrained and mellow and quite good. The drums, bass, and acoustic guitar maintain a steady mid-tempo rhythm. This is that kind of reflective track that evokes images of the ocean at dusk, waves crashing and swirling around a rocky shore, a lone figure gazing off into the distance as the sun sinks, heralding the passing of another season. I can't quite put this into words, but it is by far my favorite track on the album, exuding the warmth of remembrance tinged with melancholy. This looking back is continued "Remembering You," which opens with the warm, lilting vocals of guest Monica Pasqual, who trades off vocals with Christopher Scott. Pasqual's tone is close to that of Renaissance's Annie Haslem, perhaps even closer to The Gathering's Anneke van Giersbergen - at least to my ears. Scott's vocals are rawer in comparison, earthier, providing a nice contrast. "Switched By Remote" has moments where it sounds a bit like Rush's "Subdivisions" musically. The vocals are less than straightforward, as Scott seems to be singing from deep within, forcing the lyrics out through a constricted throat. Not something I was immediately attracted to, but taken in the context of the song, it works. "Deathbird" comes across as crunchless progressive metal, full of heavy guitar, deep vocals (sans being growly). But, here again New Sun give over to their melodic tendencies as there is a delicate, repeated guitar phrase over light percussion, understated bass, and subtle keyboard washes. Just when you think it might get overlong, the percussion moves up a bit, changing the character. From this, it builds back up to the dark, heavy atmospherics. Overall this is a strong debut, and another strong voice for modern progressive rock, bringing it into the next century. There's quite a bit to like about this album, quite a bit, and I find more and more as it gets repeated plays. Recommended. [Christopher Scott wrote, subsequent to this review's posting: "[The keyboard washes are] actually guitar. No keys used for wash tones. In fact there is only three keyboard parts on the whole CD!"] Track Listing: Intro (2:12) / The Sprawl (5:49) / Glass (7:35) / Then & Now (8:20) / Remembering You (6:30) / Switched By Remote (4:24) / Deathbird (5:38) / Earthlost (8:47) / Lifeforce (5:33) / Indecisions (6:57) Musicians: D. L. Erickson - guitars and keyboards Alex Kley - bass Christopher Scott - guitars, vocals, keyboards, acillatem processor, samples Chris Trujillo - drums, percussion, and vocals