ARS NOVA |
| Ars Nova
are : Keith Watlington on Vocals Todd Mizenko on Guitars and Vocals Eddie Konczal on Keyboards Jamie Boruch on Drums The tracks are : 1. Amaze Me (7:03) 2. Turn The Tide (5:55) 3. Silence (5:33) 4. Desperate hours (6:54) 5. Another Face (3:54) 6. Arms Of A Stranger (3:41) Matt Mizenko on Basses and Vocals New Jersey based Ars Nova was formed in 1990 by bassist Matt Mizenko, guitarist Todd Mizenko and drummer Jamie Boruch. In mid 1993, accompanied by new keyboardist Eddie Konczal, the band released it's first CD, 'Turning The Tide', which met with marked success both in the United States and abroad. Theres nothing that gives me greater pleasure in life than putting a tape or CD into my walkman, perring the play button and because of the quality of music that unfolds, you get carried away on a wave of sound to another time or place and that's exactly what happened when I put 'Turning The Tide' into my walkman the other day. I was instantly transferred to a sun soaked beach with waves rolling over my feet and with not a care in the world. You could say I was at peace with myself. You see Ars Nova's style of progressive music relies on harmony and melodies, rather than the normal guitar/keyboard duelling we've all come to expect. Now if you add to this some fine examples of acoustic guitar playing and drop dead vocals, which all adds to create a lovely dreamy effect that's full of life and atmosphere, it kind of reminded me of a cross between US rockers Styx and dear old Genesis. All the songs on 'Turning The Tide' are technically and creatively rich and Ars Nova are fine musicians. there are no weak spots throughout this six track affair. Now at this point I would probably ramble on and on about my favourute track and why, well I'm not going to because the whole album is as solid as a rock and to highlight just one would be unfair, so I will tell you about the best bits from each song. The opening track 'Amaze Me' features a standard rock rhythm with some fine keyboard work, but it's the vocals that gives the song real meaning, a feature that appears many times throughout the album. The title track 'Turning The Tide' has a very echo feel to it, in fact it's a song about Dolphins. There are two main reasons why this song is so good, firstly the acoustic guitar intro and secondly the drumming towards the end, don't just take my word for it, check it out!! 'Silence' is a top draw rock ballad with some fine vocal harmonies and a powerful finale with drum and keyboards to the fore. Theres some fine guitar work on 'Desperate Hours' which add to the first rate keyboards and programming and this is without doubt the most atmospheric song of the entire set. 'Another Face' is a real uptempo number and probably the heaviest of the lot, but because of it's simplicity is still dead easy to get into. Now earlier on, I might have given you the impression that I didn't have a favourite song on 'Turning The Tide', well thats strictly not true as the final song 'Arms Of A Stranger' is a killer, a beautiful acoustic ballad sung with real emotion that sends a shiver down your spine and a perfect way to end a fine album. Mail corresponence : Nepenthe. P.O.Box 9808. Trenton, NJ 08650 Website : http://www.highlycriticalmedia.com/nepenthe Email : nepenthe@highlycritical.com |
NEPENTHE |
| Nepenthe
are : Jason Rosenfeld on vocals Todd Mizenko on guitars Jamie Boruch on drums Matt Mizenko on basses Eddie Konczal on keyboards The tracks are : 1. skyrocketstereo (7:44) 2. moses does not breathe (8:46) 3. the ugly and the brave (7:05) 4. sorrow 5:04) 5. beauty is a warm mind (3:43) 6. brethren (one buring question) (7:18) 7. moses does not breathe (single version) (4:20) New Jersey based Nepenthe was formed in 1990 under it's original name Ars Nova by bassist Matt Mizenko, guitarist Todd Mizenko and drummer Jamie Boruch. In mid 1993, accompanied by new keyboardist Eddie Konczal, the band released it's first CD, 'Turning The Tide', which met with marked success both in the United States and abroad. In 1994, the band began to refine it's style and used this as an oppurtunity to take on the name Nepenthe, a word that describes something capable of making one forget grief or suffering. With this new focus, the band played shows everywhere from small clubs in New hampshire to new york's famed CBGB, simultaneously writing new songs for it's next album. 'everything was beautiful and nothing hurt' The opening track is 'skyrockstereo', this is a beautiful track starts off fairly quietly with some nice atmospheric keyboards and acoustic guitar. Nice vocals from Jason, whose voice is melodic and emotional. There's some nice piano work and then the track gradually builds up, Jason vocals becoming a lot more powerful and a slightly heavier guitar sound and great keyboardsand ends with a nice guitar solo. Just wish the solo had been a little more prominant. The track then fades out with the keyboards. The next track is 'moses does not breathe' starting with some nice flowing mellow keyboards, then shortly after there's some nice percussion and then in comes a heavy guitar comes in and some superb keyboards, wonderful drums and percussion and superb bass lines. Excellent intricate guitar work and a catchy chorus. Jason's vocals are a lot more powerful on this track and there are some nice changes in direction, mood and tempo throughout the track. The third track 'the ugly and the brave' starts with some nice guitar, again the vocals from Jason are superb. Just after a minute and a half into the track the drums and keyboards come in. This is another track that gradually builds up. There are some nice backing vocals at the start and at the end of the track. The next track 'sorrow', starts with some great keyboards and guitar, this track has more of a rock feel to it. Great vocals from Jason. This track has a good strong beat to it and some great bass. 'beauty is a warm mind' starts with some atmospheric keyboards followed some nice piano, nice vocals and the track ends with some more atmospheric keyboards. The sixth track 'brethren (one burning sensation)', this is another track that starts with some nice atmospheric keyboards and the followed by some superb intricate guitar and bass. The track changes tempo quite often around the vocals. Nice changes in direction, mood and tempo. Excellent keyboards. The final track is 'moses does not breathe (single version)', shorter version of track two, i suppose made for radio play. This is a nice track though and has a catchy chorus. This is a very nice and relaxing album. it's mainly a progressive rock album with a few pop elements thrown in, which makes it very easy to listen to. Lovers of early Genesis, Marillion and Yes will find this interesting!! Well worth a listen!!! Mail corresponence : Nepenthe. P.O.Box 9808. Trenton, NJ 08650 Website : http://www.highlycriticalmedia.com/nepenthe Email : nepenthe@highlycritical.com |