Norwegian prog rock quartet MesaVerde may appear to be a rather slick outfit at first, but their second full-length All Is Well is actually quite adventurous. Sure, all the notes are in the right place, but thankfully they love to change things up, switching from radio-friendly melodies to pretty dark washes of percussion and keyboards. Guitarist Henrik Schmidt knows his way around a double-neck as well as an acoustic, making sure that the rest of the band doesn't go for a full-scale Eighties sound. Bass player Lars Fremmerlid has the knack to keep it funky, with chopped notes from the Hall & Oates playbook. Jonas Lundekvam works two jobs at the same time, playing keyboards and handling the vocals. Drummer Jørgen Apeness is obviously a King Crimson fan, with the feel of Bill Bruford as main source of inspiration.
All Is Well is not a concept album as such, but one song flows into the next almost seamlessly. It is a gentle reminder of what four musicians can create when they have the time and opportunity to get away from what might be hip and happening. AOR and budding prog fans take note: this might your gateway release to far more interesting music. It opens the door to a far reaching discography of touchstones and influences that can be traced back to MesaVerde's own repertoire. Just ask a friendly record shop owner where to go next.
MesaVerde:
Lars Fremmerlid: bass
Jonas Lundekvam: vocals, keyboards
Henrik Schmidt: guitars
Jørgen Apeness: drums
All Is Well is released via Apollon Records (vinyl, CD, digital).
Tracks:- Deep Time
- Pyramid Fucksnake
- Moments
- Eva
- Tracing
- Pickings for the Beast
- Eyes
- Endurance
- Story
