The 2010 debut effort from Mars Hollow was considered one of the year's best by many prog rock fans, and now (just a year later) they're back with their sophomore album. With its fantastic compositions, terrific musicianship, and sleek modern sound, World in Front of Me will undoubtedly send shockwaves through the prog rock community once again. Fans of seventies-influenced prog rock that aren't hesitant to the newer generation of symphonic prog should find plenty to love here. The album was produced and mixed by Billy Sherwood (Yes, Circa: World Trade), and mastered by renowned producer David Javu Morse (David Bowie, Alice in Chains, Frank Zappa).
Pianist Masabumi Kikuchi joins drummer Elvin Jones in a really great trio date – one that draws extra power from the mighty bass of Gene Perla, whose soulful tones help push the music along strongly! The Jones/Perla combination is always great, but it seems to take on a whole new level of sensitivity in the presence of Kikuchi – showing more sense of space to allow Masabumi's piano some great placement in the date, yet without any of the "hollowed out" modes you might guess from the title. Perla can be bold one minute, very subtle the next – and his presence is always appreciated on the record, making us wish he'd recorded more with Kikuchi over the years. Titles include "Apple", "Ginkai", "Little Abi", "Bell", and "Hollow Out".
Sleepy Hollow were a Philadelphia power-pop trio that on their only album followed the same trail that Badfinger or the Raspberries used to fill the void the Beatles had left. This album was reissued on 1977 as "Billay" by the scam label Tiger Lily…