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 THE SYN |
 BIC RUNGA |
 RAY DAVIES |
 KAKI KING |
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THE PINDER BROTHERS
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THE
SYN
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McGUINN The Folk Den Project 1995-2005 (RM)
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BIC
RUNGA Birds (Columbia)
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RAY DAVIES Other People's Lives (V2)
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KAKI
KING until we felt red... (Velour)
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That
a couple of these songs wouldn’t sound out of place on a mid ‘60s
or early ‘70s album from The Moody Blues should be reason enough
for rejoicing. The fact that all the music was written and performed
by two offspring of Moody Blues founder Mike Pinder makes the
whole thing a lot more clear. Apparently, Mike’s penchant for writing
orchestral pop masterworks aren’t lost on his sons, Matt Pinder
and Mike Lee Pinder, who are out to make their own name as The
Pinder Brothers. The title track of their 2006 CD, Jupiter Falls
is a future pop classic by any standard. Commenting on the cryptically
titled title song, Mike Lee adds, “I have various possibilities
of what Jupiter Falls could be about. I remember Paul said that
John would always tell him to keep the one line that made no sense..
and that it always turned out to be the best line. Jupiter Falls
might best be described as having some of the themes that appear in
other songs on the album. To me it is describing an undercurrent of
what the album is about; a special friendship, a connection in time
and space with a girl, a feeling of newness, and in the case of the
lyrics of the song Jupiter Falls: a description of the changing
of the seasons and the idea of first connection being a reconnection.
The beauty of the moment I think, if that makes any sense in these few
lines of prose... the seasons have changed many times before but in
our current existence it feels like the first time. And as is the way
with our relationships. I may be expanding a bit on the idea behind
the song or maybe not... songs I sometimes notice, can be inclusive
of many ideas. I hope this helps. Thou shalt not commit poetry!"
And helping the sons carry the torch forward, Mike Pinder mixes in some
of his patented swirling mellotrons on the track. The Pinder Brothers
are among the first great new musical stories of the millennium. 
Having
recorded one of the best prog rock albums of 2005, The Syn return with
a live testament to their legacy. Caught live in Boston in January 2006,
their 2 hour DVD catches the band in rare form performing tracks from
the Syndestructible album, new material, as well as reviving
‘60s Syn classics. A breath of fresh air for progressive rock fans
seeking out a roll right stone from rock’s heritage, songs such
as “City Of Dreams”, “The Promise” and “Golden
Age” were first meticulously recorded in the studio and group founders
Steve Nardelli and Chris Squire and company bring
it all back home on their first Umbrello DVD. Amazingly, while Syn members
Paul and Jeremy Stacy were so great on Syndestructible, they
are replaced on the tour and DVD by Yes drummer Alan White and
up and coming guitar rocker Shane Theriot. Despite being recruited
with just a few days for practice time, Shane and Alan White sound in
top form. Together with prog keyboards of Gerard Johnson, The
Syn are once again a major power on the progressive rock front. Whether
or not Squire returns to make another Yes album might not be pressing
right now. Perhaps another pair of studio albums with Syn would be the
right thing to seal their legacy. 
Roger
McGuinn’s fascination with classic American artists like Pete Seeger
and Bob Dylan dates all the way back to the first Byrds Lp in 1965.
Although the jingle-jangle pop sound of the early Byrds is toned down
a bit by Roger’s wayfaring’ solo folk purest approach, his
latest four CD retrospective is a real hoot. Celebrating the 10th anniversary
of his Folk Den project in 2006, Roger released The Folk Den Project
1995-2005. With 100 songs, the four CD set features a cross-section
of the best folk ballads Roger recorded over the past decade with some
great stuff recorded this past year. Many of these timeless folk favorites
have been featured on McGuinn’s web site over the past ten years
and his four CD Folk Den anthology includes a number of new recordings
topped off by a detailed 40 page booklet. Featuring McGuinn’s patented
6 and 12 string acoustic and electric guitar sound, each and every song
on The Folk Den Project 1995-2005 is given a fresh airing by
one of the key players of the ‘60s. 
Adventurous
pop fans looking for an overseas import treat should check out the 2005
album from New Zealand singer-songwriter Bic Runga. Her latest
on Columbia Records from downunder, Birds works on a number
of intriguing levels. First, as a gifted singer songwriter, she has
few peers. Second, it’s clear that her label, Columbia went the
extra distance in designing an excellent looking CD booklet with artwork
that really suits the music. Third and most important, Bic has chosen
a great bunch of players here including Split Enz guitarist Neil
Finn. Finn’s great pop sensibility, backing vocals and expert
musicianship is the perfect match for Bic Runga’s haunting and
quite varied pop palette, making Birds one of the coolest pop
imports of the year. 
Despite
his recent comment, “Sometimes when I am trying to introduce new
material, I feel like a stand-up comedian in a room full of lager louts,
this demon will not go away,” Ray Davies has nothing to feel sheepish
about. His finest studio effort since the 1991 Kinks Do Ya ep,
Other Peoples Lives has more than a tad to do with Ray getting
shot in New Orleans coupled with the recent illness of his brother Dave.
Compared to his Storyteller CD, just rereleased on Koch, his
2005 studio CD is a pretty heavyweight affair complete with the powerhouse
Dave Davies-inspired Kinks guitar sounds of Mark Johns. The sonic
properties of the best Kinks material, such as Village Green, Soap
Opera and Think Visual bears fresh fruit on Other Peoples
Lives. Reflecting back on amazing how Ray always came up with those
U.K. flavored Kinks albums, combined with his new millennium approach,
there’s something kwite deja vu on just about every song here.
Kinks fans have something else great to smile about. 
Although
she started out inspired by acoustic players like Hedges and DeGrassi,
on her 2006 CD …Until We Felt Red, guitarist Kaki King introduces
her vocals on several tracks and the effect matches her ethereal touch
on the acoustic. Having developed her aggressive instrumental guitar
approach busking in the NYC subway system, King’s music is reactionary
yet captivating. Looking to stretch a bit on her 2006 Velour Recordings
CD, King augments her acoustic guitar with sonic vocal textures and
the added flavors of flugelhorn, harp, lap steel, pedal steel and various
other weird guitar hybrids. Until We Felt Red is a major follow-up
to her earlier Velour and 2004 Epic Records CD Legs To Make Us Longer
(produced by David Torn).
