{"id":41033,"date":"2014-05-27T16:41:54","date_gmt":"2014-05-27T21:41:54","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/hardrockhaven.net\/online\/?p=41033"},"modified":"2014-05-27T16:49:37","modified_gmt":"2014-05-27T21:49:37","slug":"perfect-beings-cd-review","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/hardrockhaven.net\/online\/2014\/perfect-beings-cd-review\/","title":{"rendered":"Perfect Beings | Perfect Beings<\/em>"},"content":{"rendered":"

by Alexandra Mrozowska<\/span>
\n– Columnist —<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

\"PerfectAlthough not easy to digest for everyone, progressive rock is a form of music that requires both technical skill and artistic sensitivity \u2013 and yet, because of complexity, elaborate form and distinctively cerebral nature of the genre, it\u2019s often thought of as \u201cpompous\u201d and accused of being \u201cstyle over substance.\u201d Can a band maintain their progressive sound, but at the same time offer something that is not overloaded with the excessive amount of musical embellishments? Can prog rock be kept relatively simple? Perfect Beings, L.A.-based prog rock act put together by the experienced and renowned musicians, prove it\u2019s possible to cross the borders between progressive-infused, rich instrumental passages and easy-listening melodies. They do so with their newly released self-titled album, which sees the light of day via My Sonic Temple label.<\/p>\n

The album starts with the Beatle-esque, slightly psychedelic melody of \u201cThe Canyon Hill.\u201d The next track, \u201cHelicopter,\u201d blends progressive influences and Pink Floyd overtones with a well-crafted melody \u2013 if prog rock was ever to go radio-friendly, that could be the possible result of such a fusion. \u201cBees And Wasps\u201d and ballad-ish \u201cWalkabout\u201d enchant a listener with instrumental wizardry and the complexity of the composition, making the band\u2019s progressive inclinations even more clear. <\/p>\n

\u201cRemoval Of The Identity Chip\u201d is a synthesizer-laden, slow-ish track with a breathtaking instrumental coda, followed by somber, bass-driven \u201cProgram Kid.\u201d The album ends with a couple of charming, slow pieces, among them \u201cFictions\u201d enriched with a wailing guitar sound and, as for a grand finale, a nostalgic ballad \u201cOne Of Your Kind.\u201d <\/p>\n

Perfect Beings\u2019 debut album unveils the progressive nature of their music and there\u2019s no doubt about the likes of Pink Floyd or Yes being their major influences, making this self-titled record a must-have in every prog rock aficionado\u2019s album collection. And yet, the unique feature of their works is that their soft spot for charming melodies makes their sound more accessible and enjoyable for these who are likely to accuse prog rock of being the \u2018style over substance\u2019 kind of thing mentioned above. Perfect Beings crosses the line drawn between the mercilessly complex progressive arrangements and melodic radio-friendly tunes, taking a place right there in the middle. This, plus the musicians\u2019 undeniable musical refinement and skill, make their first album a very interesting release altogether. Recommended. <\/p>\n

Genre: Prog Rock, Rock<\/p>\n

Band:
\nRyan Hurtgen, vocals, piano (Rene Breton)
\nJohannes Luley, guitars (Moth Vellum)
\nChris Tristam, bass (Marjorie Fair, Slash)
\nJesse Nason, keyboards (Deccatree, am)
\nDicki Flizar, drums (Bruce Dickinson, Skin)<\/p>\n

Track List:
\n1. The Canyon Hill
\n2. Helicopter
\n3. Bees and Wasps
\n4. Walkabout
\n5. Removal Of The Identity Chip
\n6. Program Kid
\n7. Remnants Of Shields
\n8. Fictions
\n9. Primary Colors
\n10. One Of Your Kind<\/p>\n

Label: My Sonic Temple<\/p>\n

Website:
\nhttp:\/\/www.perfectbeingsband.com\/<\/a>
\nhttps:\/\/www.facebook.com\/perfectbeingsband<\/a><\/p>\n

Hardrock Haven rating: 7\/10<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

by Alexandra Mrozowska – Columnist — Although not easy to digest for everyone, progressive rock is a form of music that requires both technical skill and artistic sensitivity \u2013 and yet, because of complexity, elaborate […]<\/a><\/div>\n","protected":false},"author":10,"featured_media":41034,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[10848],"tags":[9374,9375,9373,9372,3501,2387],"class_list":{"0":"post-41033","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-arcrvws2014","8":"tag-beings-cd-review","9":"tag-my-sonic-temple","10":"tag-perfect","11":"tag-perfect-beings","12":"tag-prog-rock","13":"tag-rock"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/hardrockhaven.net\/online\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/41033","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/hardrockhaven.net\/online\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/hardrockhaven.net\/online\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hardrockhaven.net\/online\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/10"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hardrockhaven.net\/online\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=41033"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/hardrockhaven.net\/online\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/41033\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hardrockhaven.net\/online\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/41034"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/hardrockhaven.net\/online\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=41033"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hardrockhaven.net\/online\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=41033"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hardrockhaven.net\/online\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=41033"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}