Algernon - Ghost Surveillance [Cuneiform Records - 2010]Algernon is an up and coming group from Chicago, and this is their third record, their debut on Cuneiform Records. It does sound very much like the usual left-field prog rock you'd expect from a label that has issued much rare material from Soft Machine and related projects of such... Much of this isn't bad, but it rather gives me a sense of deja vu. The guitar does have an edge in the Steve Albini-style -- perhaps it has something to do with being recorded at Electrical Audio Studios. The vibraphone tends to remind me a bit too much of mid-to-late period Frank Zappa though... "Honey Trap" has some excellent bass-synth on it. But as much as most of this album is rather toned down, it starts getting more aggressive in a King Crimson manner by the last four tracks. So this CD is a solid piece of progressive rock, although I wish there were more of the hard-edged blow-outs on the conclusion, otherwise it's a bit, well, dull. Not meaning to be harsh, but many musicians found out long ago that virtuosity alone does not make music memorable or essential. Lawrence J. Patti
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