Needlepoint - Walking Up That Valley CD
SKU
15-BJKCD 108
Bjørn Klakegg : lead vocals, guitars, violin, flute, cello
David Wallumrød : Hammond organ, clavinet, Fender Rhodes, harpsichord, upright piano, Prophet-5, ATP Odyssey, ARP Solus, MiniMoog
Nikolai Hængsle : electric bass, backing vocals, guitars on «Rules of a Mad Man» and «So Far Away»
Olaf Olsen : drums
special guests:
Erik Nylander : percussion
The Carry Me Away choir : Indra Lorentzen, Camilla Brun, Maria Vatne, David, Nikolai, and Bjørn
This is the fifth album by Norway’s Needlepoint, who operate very much in the song arena of progressive rock. You can compare them to Caravan as another band who played progressive rock strongly centered on SONGS, but they don’t really sound like Caravan, just like Junipher Greene "Friendship" and Wigwam "Fairyport", two albums that (perhaps rightly) get compared to Caravan, don’t really sound like Caravan...
Like Sanguine Hum, another contemporary, SONG-centered progressive rock band, they are quietly great.
“Don’t think you’re dealing with just another epigone of Caravan or Soft Machine. On the contrary, there is a clear development towards a style of its own, somewhere in between the previously mentioned Canterbury scene, early Yes, The Nice and the jazzy tones of Steely Dan.
If you also have good writing (Klakegg) and above average musical skills (all band members), you’re in good shape. Compatriots Wobbler have already made a name for themselves: the Norwegians are taking over the prog world.
The playing time is on the short side at just under 45 minutes (two sides of a record). On the other hand, compliments are in order for brother Rune Klakegg’s cover design: another drawing, this time in colour, with some kind of Gulliver (Robert Reverie?) lying on a hill, surrounded by hundreds of insects.
This latest album is definitely tied to the previous one, but new sounds can be heard as well. This is partly because Bjørn Klakegg has picked up his flute and violin again, which favours the diversity of the album. The drums have always been well represented, but the combination of drummer Olaf Olsen and percussionist Erik Nylander provides even more deviant rhythms and strange time signatures. David Wallumrød’s beautiful collection of vintage keyboard instruments and the powerful and inventive bass playing of producer/bassist Nikolai Hængsle complete the picture.
Bjørn Klakegg is starting to feel increasingly comfortable in his role as a singer, his voice is audibly more prominent than ever in this production. In some songs the band explores new areas (folk, West-coast rock) without losing its identity. Walking Up That Valley is sure to appeal to fans of prog, ’70s rock, jazz and even folk rock.”-TheProgressiveAspect