Customer Reviews

Body of Mind

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Imagine Pearl Jam's Eddie Vedder fronting Enchant and you've got House of Usher: passionate vocals atop sweeping, melodic keyboard-based arrangements with occasional muscular guitar. Interestingly for an art rock band (and much like their previously mentioned contemporaries Enchant), the lyrics tend to stress personal relationships and the emotional turmoil therein more than the usual prog staples (historical events, sci-fi, enlightenment allegories, etc.). Not bad.

At the Motor City Prog Show, there to sample local talent in the prog arena, I was stunned by House of Usher. Skilled playing, insightful lyrics, and presence! As soon as the disc was available, I snapped up a copy, and was not disappointed. Their studio offering comes off a little studied in contrast to their live performance, but is cleanly engineered and allows fuller appreciation of the lyrics. Vocalist Aaron obviously feels his music deeply, especially on -C'est Pas Finit-; his vocalizations are rich and smooth. The guitar, bass and keyboards weave a beguiling net. These men know what they're doing, and aren't afraid to show it. They are supported firmly by outstanding drum work by former Tiles man Mark Evans. It's great to hear Evans working with musicians worthy of his talents. And on the topic of worthy, a special mention should be made of -Timneh-, Michael Allen Moore's Spanish guitar triumph. I can hardly wait for their next offering. As a lifelong Yes and ELP listener, I had thought all prog was English or Italian. I'm glad to see that great progressive rock comes from my native Michigan, as well. Strongly recommended.

Along with Discipline and Tiles, House Of Usher emerged from the Detroit progressive rock scene in the mid 90's. While the other two bands gained a solid cult following, House Of Usher, although having some fans, never seemed to catch on at the same level. I saw them live twice, first at ProgDay in North Carolina, and in Detroit. The band's music fits into the neo prog vein. Personally I don't think they were quite as good as the other two Detroit prog stalwarts, but "Body Of Mind" is a decent effort that should please fans of more neo oriented modern prog. The band's sound is very much influenced by classic 70's prog rock, and has a similar sound to more modern bands like Iluvatar or Alias Eye. In fact House Of Usher's vocalist sound very similar to the Alias Eye vocalist. Most of the songs are in the 4 to 7 minute range and are all respectable. The highlight of the album though, is the closing track "C'est Pas Finit" complete with a spoken word section from former Detroit Red Wing Matthew Dandenault. The song clocks in at almost 12 minutes with a nice instrumental interlude in the middle, and very nice vocals and lyrics. To my knowledge this is the only album that House Of Usher put out and I believe they are no longer together.

As huge prog rock fan I had heard of this band and searched extensively for this album after it was first released. I threw down top dollar for it. Dont make the same mistake. I was severely dissapointed in all aspects of the album. The muscianship, vocals and production are all inferior to much of whats being produced today. Someone elses review compared them to Enchant...thats being very kind. I doubt you can find this one in the cut-out bin (unless perhaps you live in Michigan) but thats the only way I would even consider buying their second release...if there is one.

House of Usher's debut CD has some very nice moments. However, I didn't care for much of it. The first and last tracks are excellent and offer a lot of promise for this band. Stylistically, this CD is neo-progressive.

Unfortunately, I have no positive comments. The musicianship was mediocre at best, a particular problem given the attempted style. The production of the album is weak. There was little to no energy to be found in any of the tracks. All in all, a complete waste of money. Save your money for Spock's Beard.

Wow! These guys have really created on powerful compact disc! The musicianship is superb, very complex, very classically influenced. If you are a progressive rock fan, this is a MUST HAVE!