Brighteye Brison - Stories


Year of Release: 2006
Label: Progress Records
Catalog Number: PRCD019
Format: CD
Total Time: 52:05:00

It sounds boring but we have yet again unearthed a Swedish treasure! Strangely enough Stories is not the band's debut effort although it's the band's first album on Progress Records, which undoubtedly results in better and wider distribution and promotion. On the 1st June 2001, the band self produced an EP in a micro quantity of around fifty copies. In the end, it resulted in the band signing to the Rivel Records label who released their debut album Brighteye Brison in January 2003. This album is now completely out of print and it looks like there won't be a reprint. After hearing Stories you'll agree with me that they have to work out a deal with Progress Records so that the band's debut will be re-issued, maybe including "Mother Earth," which they recorded for a Sweet tribute album.

The first thing that strikes me is the wonderful use of various layers of vocals combined with the lush use of vintage keyboards. "Patterns" does get close to the seventies feel of bands like Focus or Finch. The a-capella intro for "Isolation" contains the playful wit and enthusiasm I also find with newcomers Liquid Scarlet. Meanwhile Linus uses his keyboards to the fullest, not overproducing or over-arranging the music but adding nice little touches either on mellotron or synth. Here the mellotron nicely backs the vocal harmonies resulting in a much fuller sound. No doubt Per Hallman is the perfect collaborator for the band as he perfectly knows how the music should sound on disc the way our friends hear it in their collective heads. It's vintage seventies prog but with a definite contemporary approach. "The Battle Of Brighteye Brison" contains all the right ingredients and even some dramatic narration. Great use of organ as well here as is the ending which sounds a bit like Ekseption what with the use of classical brass arrangements.

The classical piano intro for "Late," "Elenah," nicely illustrates the band's melodic and romantic nature together with their ability to turn towards a more classical style when they feel the need to. The same goes for other styles of music as well as slight touches of jazz and great rock elements are scattered all over this disc. A great advantage of Brighteye Brison most certainly has to be found in the vocal department! It's a pleasure to listen to the many harmonies which is a rare find in present-day prog. "Life Inside" closes with stunning mellotron, piano and synth. The very classical introduction (drummer Daniel Kåse plays with the Royal Stockholm Philharmonic Orchestra!), for "All Love" simply is breathtaking, as is the intervention of the saxophone, which delivers a haze of Solution. As the song evolves short brass sections refer to the sound of a big band. There's also some pleasant marimba which switches the rhythm towards kind of an alternative country & western pattern. Again "We Wanna Return" gets close to Focus, Finch material with lively up-tempo passages. The album closes with a reprise of the opening track "Stories" which makes the beginning and end of this album act like bookends.

Brighteye Brison is the umpteenth new prog product from Sweden nicely fitting in next to quality names such as Liquid Scarlet, ACT, Paatos, Beardfish, Carptree and Moon Safari. All you have to do is make place in your record collection under the letter B.


Tracklisting:
The Stories (2:54) / Patterns (8:37) / Isolation (5:) / The Battle Of Brighteye Brison (6:57) / Elenah (1:14) / Late (5:22) / Life Inside (5:31) / All Love (9:02) / We Wanna Return (5:33) / Stories (Reprise) (1:50)

Musicians:
Linus K?se - keyboards, saxophone, vocals
Daniel K?se - drums, percussion, vocals
Kristofer Eng - bass, vocals
Johan Oijen - guitar
Per Hallman - live sound, engineering, vocals

Guest:

Mattias Olsson

Discography:
Brighteye Brison (2003)
Stories (2006)

Genre: Progressive Rock

Origin SE

Added: May 21st 2006
Reviewer: John "Bobo" Bollenberg

Artist website: www.brighteyebrison.com
Hits: 4233
Language: english

  

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