Giant Constructions

Spock's Beard began in 1992 when brothers Neal (lead vocals) and Al Morse (guitar) teamed up with drummer Nick D'Virgilio. After self-financing their first album, bassist Dave Meros joined, and The Light was recorded in 1994. Consisting of four lengthy songs, this debut album was well received by progressive rock fans, but received little public acclaim…

This album, originally released on Verve Forecast in 2009, is a collection of new songs related to summer and it's influence on Kurt Maloo's songwriting. A fresh combination of jazzy melodies and light grooves, that carry his distinctive, soothing voice. Kurt Maloo is a former painter who made his first musical appearances in the mid 70s with “Troppo”; a nine-piece experimental art-punk band, of which he was a founding member. After his first solo single “Giant Lady” and the innovative EP “Luna, Luna & The Notorious Maloo Home Works“ he joined forces with Felix Haug (later 50% of Double), and formed with the addition of a bass player a trio called “PingPong”. During the 1981-1982 period they played at several European festivals and released their sole album “From Exile.”

Despite a standard line-up (keyboards, guitar-vocals, bass & drums-percussions), Tantra played elaborated and beautifully built and arranged Progressive songs in Portuguese, which figured at the same creative level as the best English composers (Yes, Gentle Giant, Camel…) but with a distinct character. This is a full symphonic sounding band with very good musicianship. The music combines intricate ensemble parts with energetic soloing. The vocals contain an astonishing lyricism, the musical constructions and combinations are complex and inventive, the sounds are originals and the melodies beautifully made.

The Light is the debut album from Spock's Beard, the Culver City, CA neo-prog rock band whose sprawling exercises in technical proficiency and suite-like compositions made them an underground legend almost immediately. One has to understand that The Light is nothing at all akin to anything being done in the mid-'90s. Yes hadn't yet made their full comeback, and the memories of Genesis with Peter Gabriel faded ever more pervasively form view with each subsequent Phil Collins solo release. Here are four sprawling, knotty, syncopated tunes, two of them, the title track and "The Water," are multiple-part suites that encompass no less than 48 minutes of the album's 67 minutes.