Tuesday, April 14, 2015

Autumn Moonlight

Cerebral greetings from the Concert Closet fellow progheads!  I believe you will agree last week's post was a bit off the radar but well worth the sound check...Abstract Aprils took the mind on quite a field trip. However; two weeks spent in the continental USA gets me yearning to log some frequent flyer miles again...so setting the GPS for "somewhere far from home," I take my search for all things prog back to a country I have visited in the past--but not nearly enough.  Join me friends, and listen as the South American winds carry the Argentinian progressive sounds of Autumn Moonlight through the atmosphere...

Autumn Moonlight cuts right to the chase--they refer to themselves as a "...progressive post rock band...mainly a fusion between post rock and progressive rock..."  OK; I'm liking the word "fusion" here and really don't mind doing a little extra homework, so let's dig deeper into this "fusion thing" shall we?

My first waltz to the buffet yields an interesting first course, "Alter Reality."  The song opens simple enough; a guitar bridge to a drum leading you down a path where something dark seems to lurk behind every corner...and then it strikes as you realize the song title was not random.  Autumn Moonlight leaps off the disc at you hard and fast, but not to hurt or cause you pain; they prefer to push you headlong into their world.  There are hints of the Alan Parsons Project and a touch of the Crimson ProjeKct meandering through my headphones.  Autumn Moonlight paints with a dark brush but there are flashes of light--bright light--and they are striking.  The drums  hit you from the side while guitars slam you in the gut...and the week is just getting revved up...

Making my way back to the buffet for a second helping, I come away with a full plate of "Letters to God."  Autumn Moonlight once again strikes at the heart; chipping away with guitars and drums that expose a vulnerability you want to embrace.  The mood swings dark yet there is an emotional surge right behind the curtain...you can almost feel it.  The bass holds the song together as the drums wrap themselves around a guitar that refuses to be silenced...everything fits so well together.  The shadow voices as the song winds down remind you of innocence lost.  This piece bleeds out all your emotions and inhibitions...the abrupt end is oh so fitting...

Liner Notes...calling Berazategui, Buenos Aires, Argentina home, Autumn Moonlight was formed in 2009 by Mariano Spadafora on bass and Tomas Barrionuevo on guitars.  Two drummers later Mike Buenaventura Lima rounds out this dynamic trio.  Autumn Moonlight has three full length LP's and one EP in their repertoire with a third full-length album soon to be pressed.  Don't confuse quantity with quality--Autumn Moonlight does more with three band members than some bands do with five...
Music can do so much more than simply  tell a story or paint a picture--it can entwine itself within your emotions, crawl down your spine, and ooze into your bloodstream.  Autumn Moonlight grabs you like an old roommate; seemingly playful at first, but carefully creating a bond as real and tangible as family.

The final selection from this week's prof feast is an ethereal piece called "Dawn of Atlantis."  As the ocean laps at the shore, you get a sense of  serenity that seems to fit like your favorite fuzzy slippers...aaahhhh, the comforts of home!  Autumn Moonlight captures the essence of prog with this piece...the picture comes to life slowly; a piano moves across your line of vision while guitars and drums move in to fill the void.  Not an upbeat song per se--but nothing dark or gloomy here either; simply a very deep crevice into which you long to crawl...the better to allow  raw emotions to wash over you like the incoming tide.  Learn  more about Autumn Moonlight at http://www.autumnmoonlight.com.ar.  They are also on Twitter @AuMoonlight and Facebook
https://www.facebook.com/autumnmoonlightband?fref=ts

The selection I made for your personal listening pleasure is called "The Sky Over Your Shoulders."  A thought-provoking emotional piece, the song starts out by drawing you in...the allure of nature in all her splendor flows through the headphones, building to what feels like a crescendo ready to explode any time.  Autumn Moonlight tills some dark, rich soil in the prog garden and the resulting fruit is exceptionally robust.  



That was a week well spent...I hope you enjoyed the rich new bounty from South America fellow progheads.  Although Buenos Aires is no stranger to great prog...Autumn Moonlight is but one more impressive Argentinian band to stake out their own acreage in the prog garden.  The deep rich sound echoing across so many time zones soothes and provokes, like sand in the Vaseline.  One of the many pluses of progressive rock is its ability to educate and entertain simultaneously.  My prog journey has unearthed so many different variations of the genre--I am awestruck and captivated, all the while being entertained.  And once again it is time to continue the search for all things prog...until next week...













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