This review presents four concerts released in February 2025, in different musical styles:
First of all, there are the Americans from 'District 97', whom I discovered quite late in 2024 with their latest album, 'Stay For The Ending', dating from 2023 (Qobuz link and Spotify link). They released in February 2025 a live album in which they offer us a long hour of concert with the complete cover of the last opus, the different tracks having been recorded in different places of their last tour. In a progressive register not necessarily accessible quickly, this album presents all the richness and density of their compositions on which 'Leslie Hunt' shows all her vocal talent, very original compared to the more classic singers of this style, with a unique and offbeat vocal signature which can disturb some but which allows her to integrate into complex structures by bringing very personal interpretations. Several videos are available on YouTube with 'On Paper', 'Mirror' and 'Deck is Stacked'. In summary, 'Live For The Ending' is a beautiful album that allows you to enter the world of the American band 'District 97' with a concert that showcases all the talent of this band, featuring a singer who literally lives every moment, but who, on the other hand, requires several listens to fully grasp the different compositions with their rather complex constructions.
Qobuz Link
Spotify Link
The Dutch band 'Kayak' no longer needs to be introduced. After an initial period of activity in the 70s/80s, returned for the first time at the end of the 90s with around ten albums, the last two reviewed in myprogmusic being 'Seventeen' from 2018 and 'Out Of This World' from 2021, the year in which the Dutch went on a farewell tour and the recording of this almost two-hour concert was made in Dutch venues, De Boerderij (Zoetermeer) and De Vorstin (Hilversum). We immerse ourselves, not without nostalgia, in these timeless melodies which are the band's trademark, and the last two albums are represented at the beginning and second part of the concert, the other titles being essentially compositions from the first period. The last two tracks are studio recordings, with 'Looking Down from My Window', released as a single in January 2025, and 'Regardless,' which is also a new track. These two compositions, with their unstoppable melodies, take us back to the best of 'Kayak' in the 70s. In short, this concert is a wonderful farewell gift from 'Kayak' to all their fans and beyond, as over time this band has become an essential progressive rock band for those who knew their early days.
Qobuz Link
Spotify link
The third concert is dedicated to Polish artist Marcin Pajak, who, after the excellent 'In the Space' from 2024, released a live set of this album, playing the entire album out of sequence. Note the addition of the title 'The Bird' which is taken from the album 'The Maze' (Qobuz link and Spotify link). The line-up includes 'Marcin Pajak' on vocals and guitar, 'Piotr Sitkowski' on keyboards and 'Tomek Zawadzki' at the base but the rest of the line-up sees some changes compared to the album, saxophonist 'Szymon Tarka' replaces 'Wiktor Swierczek', drummer 'Bartek Adamczyk' replaces 'Nick Schlesinger' and guitarist 'Pawel Okla "Oko"' joins the quintet, also bringing his accompaniments to the backing vocals. If you want to have a preview of this live, several compositions of this concert are available on youtube, with, among others, 'Space Travel, 'Towards The Unknown', and 'This Bird'. For those who want more, 'Marcin Pajak' has also put this concert in its entirety on his YouTube page, which benefits from an HD image and an impeccable recording allowing you to fully immerse yourself in the refined progressive music of the Pole (see the video here). In short, this 'Space Travel' allows us to escape into space with talented artists who offer us a wonderful concert. The icing on the cake is the video of the concert available online to enjoy in peace in front of your sound/video system.
Qobuz Link
Spotify Link
With this last concert, we head to the other side of the Alps to our Italian neighbors with the latest tour of 'Premiata Forneria Marconi' (PFM), which has covered the compositions of 'Fabrizio De André' with whom they had collaborated in the late 70s by merging the progressive rock of 'PFM' with the poetry of the songs of the Genoese, these public performances marking the 45th anniversary of this rapprochement between these two Italian artists. We sail for more than 90 minutes in an ocean of sweetness that mixes the melodies of the Italian singer-songwriter with the always very faithful interpretations of 'PFM', 'Franz Di Cioccio' conveying this palpable emotion on titles like 'La guerra di Piero', 'Rimini', 'L’infanzia di Maria' or the magnificent 'Amico fragile' with its wonderful guitar solos. We will not miss either the catchier songs that perpetuate an Italian song with unstoppable melodies like 'Bocca di Rosa', 'Un giudice', 'Volta la carta' or 'Il pescatore'. All in all, we had a great time listening to this concert, which brought to life the songs of 'Fabrizio De André', merging them with the progressive rock of the Italian band 'Premiata Forneria Marconi'.
Qobuz Link
Spotify Link | |
