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Not just outside the box, but denying the existence of boxes.
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Reviews

Kurt Rongey — That Was Propaganda
(Mellow MMP 372, 2000, CD)

by Mike Ezzo, Published 2000-10-01

That Was Propaganda Cover art

After receiving lots of material for review in Exposé, it is easy to overlook something unless it comes right out and stares you in the face, saying “This is something unique.” The cover art and concept of That Was Propaganda was one of these occasions, and I must admit it conspired to elicit in me an expectation of something out of the ordinary. My expectations were met! The first half of this project at least seems to chronicle the decline of St. Petersburg, as it changed through the Soviet years to Petrograd, then Leningrad, and finally back to its original name in the wake of the USSR's collapse. Vague memories of Ayn Rand's novel We the Living (which is set during this transitional period of the Bolshevik Revolution) kept returning to me as I studied the artwork and read the lyrics; perhaps references that Rongey simply intended to be anecdotal. But the obvious sense of terror and white-knuckled tension in the air in Russia during those times is what takes center stage here. Rongey has an enviable knack for crafting melodies that express an ethos straddling boundaries between symphonic progressive, the Canterbury axis, or Happy the Man, maybe UK, especially in his richly chromatic harmonies. His music and singing both have a British twist to them. Another (welcomed) dimension is contributed by Bill Pohl's guitar playing. The concept as a whole plays out in the form of an opera in a way, each song representing another scene in the drama. Much of the work is instrumental however. And I really enjoy how he spiced it with some evocative portraits in the vein of modern symphonic classical music. Rongey never talks down to his audience or spoon feeds you the tired and/or predictable, and that is what makes his music so appealing. It would be a disservice to try to capture in a brief review what the man has no doubt spent years in producing. This is a weighty, elaborate and very personal piece of work and I resist temptations to rattle off a few lines of comparison and be done with it. Continual revisiting will reveal more and more depth, as is the case with all worthwhile music. In the meantime it would be great if Kurt could put together a band and display his talents in one or more of the festivals in America.

Filed under: New releases, Issue 20, 2000 releases

Related artist(s): Kurt Rongey, Bill Pohl

More info
http://kurtrongey.bandcamp.com/album/that-was-propaganda

 

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