Brief Nocturnes and Dreamless Sleep by the great Spock's Beard, from 2013, here in the tenth anniversary edition containing four bonus tracks.
The band was founded by Neal Morse, who left the band in 2002, but who guest-stars on one of the album's tracks.
Superb seventies progressive rock with complex compositions and great instrumentals, fantastically intricate arrangements, and top-notch playing.
The departure of Neal Morse brought about a shift in the band's sound, which also saw the departure of Nick D'Virgilio in 2011. This album was released after the lineup change and is simply fantastic, one of the finest of their discography.
So, after losing their leader and main songwriter and the loss of a monstrous drummer... there has been a real rebirth and even an improvement.
Jimmy Keegane and Ted Leonard are simply fantastic. But we've already talked about it in the posts dedicated to i Pattern-Seeking Animals.
Leonard's beautiful voice replaces D'Virgilio's (who was more old-school rock) and comes close (hear, hear) to equaling (in my opinion) Morse's in skill.
The style evolves, becoming increasingly complex, less melodic, and with clear digressions into a sound often bordering on progressive metal. Ryo Okumoto is great on keyboards, and Dave Meros is truly fearsome on bass.
My favorite tracks are "A Treasure Abandoned" and "Something Very Strange," but this album is beautiful from the first note to the last. In my opinion, it's a true masterpiece of prog from that decade, probably Spock's Beard's best, along with "V." It's a rare demonstration of the fact that even after losing an undisputed leader like Neal Morse and a top-notch drummer like D'Virgilio, you can continue, with new ideas and new energy, to create something truly great.
Highly recommended!
Tracks
1. Hiding Out (7:13)
2. I Know Your Secret (7:40)
3. A Treasure Abandoned (8:53)
4. Submerged (4:57)
5. Afterthoughts (6:08)
6. Something Very Strange (8:23)
7. Waiting for Me (12:36)
Duration 55:50
Bonus Tracks:
1. The Man You're Afraid You Are (7:11)
2. Down a Burning Road (6:51)
3. Wish I Were Here (6:33)
4. Something Very Strange / Sanctified (remix) (5:09)
Duration 25:44
Line-Up
- Ted Leonard - lead vocals and backing vocals, guitar
- Alan Morse - electric, acoustic and pedal steel guitars, mandolin, autoharp, backing vocals, co-producer
- Ryo Okumoto - piano, Organ, clavinet, mellotron, synthesizer, vocoder
- Dave Meros - bass, backing vocals
- Jimmy Keegan - drums and percussion, timpani, backing vocals
Featuring:
- Neal Morse - guitar (7)
- Stan Ausmus - guitar (8)
- Craig Eastman - violin, viola, and hurdy-gurdy (7, 9)
- John Boegehold - vocoder (6), co-producer
