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| DeeExpus Project - Half Way Home; DeeExpus Project - Half Way Home | |
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| Topic Started: Dec 22 2008, 09:42 AM (908 Views) | |
| zeitgeist | Dec 22 2008, 09:42 AM Post #1 |
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DeeExpus Project - Half Way Home Blimey! That was a bit good. And, amazingly enough, it's the debut album from DeeExpus Project, despite being accomplished enough to sit in the discography section of any number of name prog bands. Of course, like many others, the main man behind DeeExpus Project has been around the block a few times. Songwriter, producer and multi-instrumentalist Andy Ditchfield (for it is he) has done his stint at the coalface prior to this release. A Mackem by birth, he was in a band at fifteen before heading out on to the North East of Englands workingmen’s club circuit. Then he had a stint in an AOR band, something that I will come back to in a moment. This release sits firmly in the middle of the progressive rock world bookended by Porcupine Tree and Marillion, replete with harmonies and melodies that have come with Mr Ditchfield from his AOR past. Although the music is complex enough for the most hardened progster, it, like early Steve Hogarth era Marillion, has a catchy tune embedded firmly at the centre. The band never stray into the territory of extended arpeggios and showy paradiddles, just because they can. The technical aspects here form an intrinsic part of the music, rather than being verse-chorus-verse-show off here-verse-chorus. Of course, I say band, but 90% of the music here has been performed by Mr Ditchfield with Tony Wright taking care of the vocals. Although a band has bene put together for touring purposes, as well as scaring small children on the CD booklet. The highlights are many, although I was particulary taken with the extremely catchy 'Pointless Child'. And geeks of a certain persuasion will take no, um, persuading to spend many hours ensconced in the self explanatory 'PTtee'. Fans of the epic are also taken care of with the mighty title track, seventeen minutes long and a not a second wasted. It's certainly one of the best prog releases of the year, and they really should be snapped up by one of the scenes major players. Miss this at your peril. http://www.deeexpus.com/ |
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