Customer Reviews

Radiation

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

 

 

This EP was conceived as something to gauge the market for further UKZ product; the music is pretty good, not retro-influenced by UK too much. I'm glad about that, as the career prospects for a band looking back to 1979 isn't too great today. Given the lack of activity in the UKZ camp recently, apparently the project is in abeyance. Too bad; I like the atmospheric, Crimsoid/Porcupine Tree/Holdsworthy sound here. Real potential.

I'm sure many people were excited to hear that Eddie Jobson would be back in a band environment and with a name like UKZ, expectations were high. I had heard the song Radiation via the video on YouTube and did like it a lot. But, it is hardly UK-ish. I don't have the best hearing and I am certainly no audiophile but is there even violin here (yes, I see it performed in the video)? There are not even that many keyboards in my opinion - at least in that familiar sound. While the song is great and the performances of the rest of the band are top-notch, this is more like modern King Crimson than anything else in so many ways. Is this more Trey Gunn than Eddie Jobson? I think so.

If you give this a listen for what it is, it is definintely 4 stars. If you are expecting UK, drop it down considerably. I never thought Eddie was the type of person to cash in on something ..... and that is the UK legacy. I can understand a band wanting to update its sound and in that regard, is succeeds.

I think what bothers me most is the video clips of UKZ performing in New York. They are performing classic UK songs and they are awesome! Violin and all. Obviously, this is what people want so if you are going to use the name UKZ, give the fans what they want - UK-ish material. If you are going to start a new band, perfect....it is a winner. Just don't call it UK.... I mean UKZ.

Bottom line, this is a great EP.

I love all the UK stuff and Bruford, Holdsworth (guitar god)

Considering this lineup, Marco Minneman is a monster. I expected alot more. This is basically mellow King Crimson. I was hoping for more of a UK sound. Well we can always hope for a reunion of the original UK, You never know. Stranger things have happened, Genesis got back together after Phil Collins said never and he found his prog balls and left the lightweight pop for a brief time. I dig Jobson, hopefully a better result next time. It kills me to write something negative about a group of awesome musicians that I have nothing but repect for!

Hello I feel necessary to write this review because I find the other ones a little bit reductive.

UKZ band is something new.

It might make you think of King Crimson, but it has it's own identity. If you want to name influences, there are surely many more.

These talented musicians have their own uniqueness, thus, when put together, it isn't strange that there is something unique to this group.

It's not the sounds, it's not the words, it lies in the music, the energy, the potential, the constructions, the directions, the freedom, the speed.

I'm not a fan of speed for it's own sake, but in some of these songs it makes you achieve a sentiment of concentrating in feeling intensely good. (I'm listening to the song "radiation" at this moment).

Alas it's only here and there, not all along the songs. There is something noisy and almost insane, from time to time, that bothers me. (perhaps because of the lyrics' subjects?) (perhaps because of the insane way we live together on this earth?) Then it grows and the different instruments build and evolve and come to something that is ONE.

The songs are different in kind one from another. I see this as the openess and adaptability of these musicians and the music they will bring us.

Having a 1:38 song with apparently just one quiet guitar (beautiful) makes me think that everybody has the ability to express himself in this group.

I really wish UKZ will have the success it deserves, allowing it to continue their exploration of new territories in everything.

I put only 4 stars because ... I don't know why... I should perhaps put five... so let's put five.

Great stuff here. No preconceptions as to what it should sound like though. But I hear NiN and King Crimson easily. Maybe not so similar to the 1st 2 UK releases, but still ... good stuff !!

UKZ have produced a fine debut here whetting our appetites for the forthcoming full album. Eddie Jobson has put together a top notch group of musicians fit to grace any supergroup line up, With four dates in Japan recently announced for june 2009 the band will get a chance to show of its broad repertoire of skills to a live audience and i for one cant wait. Welcome back Eddie, Music needs groups like UKZ.

In these days of 80 minute CD's,they didn't have enough material to give us 50 or 60 minutes?

C'mon guys,we've waited decades and all we get is a mini EP?

The 4 songs here sound like a mix of UK and the 80's / 90's version of King Crimson. This has to be some of the best progressive rock I have heard in a long time. I hope UKZ gets the full album out and hits the road for some touring.

While I didn't expect this, 21-minute four song EP, to be as killer as UK's first two releases, I was not expecting it to be such a downer. I've listened to this many times hoping that it would grow on me or that I'm missing something. Unfortunately, every time I play this I'm disappointed. If this is the best this group of musicians can come up with after one year of writing - then this is sad.

"Radiation" begins with a haunting keyboard intro that turns into a King Crimson sounding tune (obviously Trey's influence) but not as good. The guitarist tries to imitate Fripp's style and tone, and the distorted vocal processing that has been a common practice in rock music for much too long is annoying. However, the break in the middle of the song is good. "Houston" is a ballad that could be written by almost anyone with limited musical abilities and the lyrics are juvenile. "Tu-95" is an instrumental song that once again mimics King Crimson but has some brief moments of originality. If the band focused on more moments like this they would have some great material. The final track, "Legend", is a forgettable unaccompanied electric guitar track (1:38) that any decent jazz guitarist could pull off.

I suggest that if UKZ is going to put out a full-length release, they ditch all these songs, start from scratch, and come up with something different and more exciting.

Again ,I am editing this review about 5 months after I originally wrote this...BOTTON LINE....This not UK..the first album was BORN and the tour incredible. The second album had flavor but lacked he meat...anything after that..NOPE. ,,now the review as I wrote previously.....good luck..First off I have re edited this review bout 6 times as I continue to listen to this EP...so it come off choppy , so Im just rambling on with thoughts and impressions,...so first I read the reviews, which I generally dont want to do first ..then listened... I do need to agree with WillieB...immediate comment, I didnt go for the vocal thing here... its even dated sounding...or invent something new..structure of music can speak for itself...lyrics are important if you plan to use vocals...cant be something that you hear once and dont care anymore , not saying thats the case here, I need to study them more, just if you are going to use words , hope they are picturesque and create vision or thought process...for this maybe it will grow on me and I will come to realize it... at first I immediately thought of Crimson and wanted something different... Overall I do like the two longer tracks ,full of interesting time signitures and whatnot, some promise here, ground breaking? well I dont know, who says its suppose to be ...hats off to you guys for presenting this... I just may have been fooled into thinking this was Crimson on first listen ..Here I guess I was hoping for something more abstract, it could be agressive and also have smooth deep warm and cold beauty...Jobson is capable of this beauty, would love to hear more keyboard wash and swirls, expanding them and incorperate the other guys into that development..that could be earth shattering....or slowly unwind out of that....should this band be useing the name UK or UKZ.. well sure...Jobson goes well with UK/Zink...yes yes... I like him attached to the UK name.... a general note..I think thus progressive rock needs to get back on track.. I have had enough of that prog/metal thing....maybe this is that step....one of the last things that satisfied me was Construction of Light that song in particular was right on....Phillip Glassian Fripp..this EP has resembalance to that era of Crimson...and I do dare to say, but dont want to: mimmicks that era...but we do also have Trey Gunn here,who I like, maybe thats a reason. but really I think its that Adrian Belew vocal simularity that bugs me, rarely liked it with them..(another whole story )vocal sound DOES fit the Radiation theme and not to loud in the mix...Houston vocals a little loud and could use a more inventive approch such as a vocoder or phase shifter for example....moving on I have always had high reguard for Jobson and hope/expect great things from him.. I began listening to UK first because of Bruford and thought that album was great in part because he can ROCK and is able to apply a rock groove to time signitures such as 5/4 or 7/4 which he did on the first UK album (this was UK for me). The tour...the boots are astounding, the band Bruford scorching!!!( Earthworks on the other hand: Dry Dirt , have a hard time with it, time to revisit). I truly believe Jobson /Bruford could make awesome soundscapes, wishfull thinkin. I have accepted Jobson with the claim to the UK name. Jobsons aura is felt then and now.. I have always loved the edgey iceburg sound of Jobson and here combined with a Fripp sound also ecstasy, but I think Fripp can torture you and leave you hanging on the edge...and the sound of Trey Gunn works here ,angular, can lift and move... nice... I somewhat like what we have here...however.... this vocal approch ..I dont know..I rolled my eyes,....the music might be a little mechanical, perhaps stiff...a little more breathing room and space between some transitions ... Now what I would rather hear in Progressive Music, and this is self induldgent, is a symphonic masterpiece, that makes me feel like I am on a trip into outer space OR a ship traveling along Norway viewing the Northern Lights and perhaps hit some ruff waters viewing iceburgs crashing into each other. for example ,there could be voices...like a Jon Anderson Mellotron Chior echoing around...can someone concieve this ..... it can rock because rock is a natural groove, develope and anticipate (edgy icy earthy bruford rudiment minimalism punch)...and it can have beautiful streched ambience sustained that reaches outerspace (fripp style soundscape jobson violin........( check out Thom Brennan for ambient: outstanding Silver )...and bass for movement to seep into muddy warm earth...and somewhere it will be firey sweaty hot...and keep it dark ,but love rays of light...something like that...... or do I have to produce this myself ..easier said than done(oddly I am a drummer )note also...always thought Jobson should have been in Yes..could have been the ultimate...back to reality... I think Jobson is capable of a Symphonic Soundscape Masterpiece...Paint a lasting sonic picture...jade ,fuschia, yellow, dark/light...pull it out of your mind... we need a series of these things...PLEASE guys we are beyond labels and limitations...go go go...the world is waiting