Exposé Online banner

Exposé Online

Not just outside the box, but denying the existence of boxes.
Covering music from the fringes since 1993.

Reviews

Argos — The Other Life
(Bandcamp no#, 2021, CD / LP / DL)

by Jon Davis, Published 2022-03-08

The Other Life Cover art

Argos presents a quite appealing mixture of progressive rock sounds on The Other Side, from Caravan-like Canterbury pop to Gentle Giant polyphony to dramatic Genesis storytelling to even a bit of Kultivator vibe and Pretty Things baroque pop. The band started as a solo project of bassist Thomas Klarmann, who also provides keyboards, flute, and vocals. Robert Gozon plays keyboards and shares vocal duties, both lead and backing. Ulf Jacobs (drums) and Bogáti-Bokor Ákos (guitar) also contribute backing vocals, and the vocal arrangements are one of the album’s strongest points. Bogáti-Bokor’s guitar tones are sometimes pretty distorted, though he avoids metal clichés. There are also lots of acoustic guitar parts to provide a gentler touch. There’s a psychedelic sheen over the proceedings, and some of the compositions would have seemed at home in 1969, though the modern production brings it into the 21st Century. I’m reminded of some of the recent psych bands like Syd Arthur and Temples, only infused with more prog; contemporary comparisons from the prog side would include Klava and Needlepoint. “Tasty” is an adjective I keep coming back to, and not in the sense of being smooth or innocuous — everything is done with supremely good taste in choosing what to put where, be it a fuzzy lead guitar or an aggressive Hammond organ tone or a clever vocal countermelody. The vocal arrangements are taken to another level on “Weak End,” where they venture into full-on Gentle Giant territory, at least for a short section. Argos is definitely worth checking out for Canterbury fans and those looking for another take on what “progressive” can mean in today’s world.

Filed under: New releases, 2021 releases

Related artist(s): Argos

More info
http://argos.bandcamp.com/album/the-other-life

 

What's new

These are the most recent changes made to artists, releases, and articles.