Friday, July 17, 2015

Album Review: "Agusa 2" by Agusa

Agusa 2
Once in awhile, a genre of music will be labeled pretentious, self-absorbed, and worthless.

Progressive rock often finds itself being labeled as such. With long meandering passages, pieces of music that have nothing to do with each other, unbridled noodling, and seemingly no point other than the music itself.

Instrumental music is also given these unfair labels.

To this day it confounds me when people need vocals in music. Do they never go to the symphony? Do they find no beauty in the hands and lungs of the players?

Well, today we're taking both of these genres head on in a genre-bending mashup featuring music that's largely instrumental and wholly progressive....and Swedish.

Agusa
I will not be able to avoid mentioning this fact...so let's get it out of the way right now.

This album is not and EP, standard 40 plus minutes of music.

It has two songs.

OK, let's move on.

Flutes hail the coming of something. The laziest thing I could make is a Jethro Tull comparison...so I'm not. Frankly, it's not appropriate.

The landscapes of sound Agusa have created are breath taking. Yes, the music meanders. Yes, there are more musical styles than anyone needs. Yes, it's everything you think about prog, but if you listen to this album...it will take you somewhere you have never been that you've always longed to go.

These songs conjure up images of Middle Earth and Narnia in my head. The armies rallying to battle. The kings clapping the warriors on the shoulders.

Drawing as much from Pink Floyd as Rory Gallagher, Agusa has created an album that's so much more than labels, genres, or preconceived notions.

They have created true beauty and I will have to get a copy of this on vinyl.

Release: 7/24/15
Genre: Prog Rock
Label: The Laser's Edge
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1 comment:

  1. So often I find *music* that I like but songs I can't stand, primarily because of the lyrics or the singer. I truly enjoy a good instrumental album

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