Algernon — Ghost Surveillance

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.