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Expose` Issue #22, July 2001 USA |
(Sprawling Productions (no catalog #), 1995,K7)
Brain Forest
is a quartet (g/k/b/d) out of that hotbed of progressive rock, Burlington,
Iowa. Actually, this 4-track EP cassette is so strong that it could put Iowa on
the prog rock map. Some Exposé readers may already be familiar with Paul
Kollar who handles multiple instruments here as well as producing it all. The
rest of the group is unfamiliar to me but each handles themselves superbly. The
first track is "Dark Horse," an extremely tasty slice of dark modern prog in
the Anekdoten vein, with vocals that actually complement and don t annoy. My
only complaint is that at 5:34 it's actually too short! The second cut, "Lake
Effect," is a Genesis-sounding instrumental, a la Selling England by the Pound
or Trick of the Tail, though it totally succeeds at avoiding the sound-alike
trap. The third track, "Urban Sprawl," switches to a more Porcupine Tree feel;
imagine "Sever" with Geddy Lee on bass. The Mellotron is given ample space in
the sonic landscape as well. Overall it s a rich textural and aural blend, sure
to put a smile on the face of any mainstream prog nut. The collection closes
with the excellent "VLQ," another Mellotron-driven powerprog instrumental.
Brain Forest is sure to gain wide appeal across the broadest spectrum of the
prog-listening public. An appearance at any of the top festivals would surely
ice their reputation as a topflight group. I heartily urge all Exposé
readers to seek them out.
— Paul Hightower |
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Gibraltar Encyclopedia of Progressive
Rock www.gepr.net |
Brain Forest was a band in Raleigh (North Carolina?) from about
1994-95. Though not a strictly prog band, they certainly had their progressive
moments, as this demo cassette shows. Their sound drips with Mellotron
throughout, so much so that the cassette cover contains the label: "Warning:
Contains Mellotron! Care should be used when applying to eardrums". Their sound
is sometimes reminiscent of Court of the Crimson King-era KC or maybe the early
psychedelic Moody Blues. "Urban Sprawl" has a lot of Industrial feel to it,
maybe a toned-down Pere Ubu meets the Mellotron. This tune, along with "VLQ",
also havesome kick-butt bass work from bassist Paul Kollar. This cassette was
recorded in a rehearsal studio that "was a warehouse/airplane hanger type of
place", with just a few overdubs added to the mostly live-to-stereo recording.
This gives this cassette a very "live" feel. (There are also some questionable
choices made on when to do a note bend during the guitar solos ...) According
to Sprawling Productions head Kollar, "Brain Forest recorded lots of material
both live to two track and in multi-track ... as for all of the other tapes, I
d love to finish them up and release them but the guitarist has them and he has
been missing for some time now. Too bad. I d like to hear a cleaner version of
these guys sometime. Maybe one day, the tapes will resurface.
-- Fred
Trafton |
Eclectic Earwig
Review E.E.R. www.geocities.co,/sunsetstrip/birdland/5655/index |
Brain Forest is a progressive band lead by Paul Kollar (bass,
guitar, mellotron), best known for his work with the sublime (though
under-rated) late 70 s prog band St. Elmo s Fire. Although this tape-release
comes 15 years after St. Elmo s one and only album, it strangely sounds much
more dated. However, it is still quite worthwhile, especially for fans of Elmo.
Kollar seems to split the leadership role with Phillip Le Frois (guitars,
mellotron, keyboards); both have one instrumental song and one vocal song to
their credit. The vocal songs seem to be the weaker, and the instrumentals the
place for the band to showcase their intense and lush Crimsoid attack. While
all the songs are very stylistically similar, the vocal songs have an odd,
dated quality. The vocal delivery is quite good, but I kept thinking to myself
that the songs themselves would have probably sounded better in the 70 s
(despite the 1995 recording!). With some people this is, if anything, a bonus,
but it wasn t one for me (despite the enormous amount of 70 s music I like).
The instrumentals are superb, showcasing soaring guitar lines, mellotron
washes, and most of the classic 70 s prog-rock moves. While they don t really
expand any on the style, they pull it off quite well. Bottom line: Recommended
for prog fans who like a retro-seventies sound, and of course for fans of St
Elmo s Fire.
—Jon Murphree— |
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