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17 of 17 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
New Dark Age? I Don't Think So..., August 18, 2001
This review is from: New Dark Age (Audio CD)
If your idea of modern progressive rock are bands like the Flower Kings, Spock's Beard and Transatlantic, then you are certainly in for a shock. For unlike those three bands who simply recycle the exhausted classic Yes/Genesis sound, Djam Karet remain one of the very few modern prog rock groups who, as one Amazon reviewer commented, are looking forwards rather than backwards. Although Djam Karet has its roots in mid 70's Pink Floyd and King Crimson, the band have fearlessly pursued their own musical identity for the last 15 years, and have developed a sound which encompasses (amongst other things) digital keyboards and sound sampling, ethnic influences and exotic percussion. Sadly, while Djam Karet quietly innovate, the bulk of the progressive rock audience are still making do with the likes of the three bands mentioned above.Djam Karet's catalogue can be roughly divided into two parts. On the one hand, the band has released moody atmospheric "ambient" music (Suspension and Displacement) on the other, the band has also produced blistering, jagged guitar based rock (Burning the Hard City; The Devouring). With "New Dark Age" Djam Karet finally succeed in moulding their two musical worlds together. The short tracks on this release, such as "Eclipse of Faith" and "Demon Train" take the soundscapes of "Suspension" and "Collaborator" one step further. The band deftly combine filtered voices, field recordings and synths into a compelling and disturbing whole. But it is on the longer tracks that the band truly comes into its own. "All Clear" is a classic rock jam with some brilliant bass (bassist Henry Osborne is in particularly fine form on this album); "Raising Orpheus" combines acoustic and electric guitars, cellos and quiet synths resulting in a track that sounds almost light years ahead of most other bands within the genre. The same applies for "Alone With the River Man" in which Djam Karet once again demonstrates its ability to sculpt innovative musical textures while a new maturity is evident in tracks such as "Going Home" and the excellent opener "No Man's Land." The album is so seamlessly put together and so well produced that you don't even notice the lack of vocals. As one reviewer noted below, this is almost an instrumental concept album. Perhaps the only thing that works against this album is the writing on some of the longer tracks. On "River Man" and "Going Home" for instance, the band move from one idea to the next without really developing an earlier theme, but as Djam Karet's musical ideas are so fascinating, that hardly detracts from the music. Taken as a whole, this album shows that Djam Karet remain at the forefront of a small group of modern prog bands who aren't afraid to innovate and utilise modern musical trends. If you are getting tired of the Flower Kings and their ilk recycling the same old ideas on successive albums, then it's time to tune to Djam Karet, for they are definitely lighting new paths for prog rock. A New Dark Age? No, I don't think so.
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5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Djam it all to Hell!, June 17, 2001
This review is from: New Dark Age (Audio CD)
"New Dark Age" is a perfect title for this compelling work. the CD combines the roiling drama of their "dark" stuff with bits of the more ethereal material threaded through. A really thrilling album. "No Man's Land" just plain rocks, "Raising Orpheus" is one of their best compositions ever, and "Alone with the River Man" is a truly sprawling work of complexity and beauty. This CD seems to have more of a theme than previous releases, all the material flows well. Almost an instrumental concept album (if such a thing is possible). This is the soundtrack to a thinking man's apocalypse.
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3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Djam Karet's best album, November 12, 2003
This review is from: New Dark Age (Audio CD)
Djam Karet, that idiosyncratic Californian progressive rock group, has been together for some 19 years now, releasing about 13 different albums. Their style, exceptionally unique, has alternated between textural electronic music (i.e. Suspensions and Displacements) and manic, guitar-based jams (i.e. Burning the Hard City). While the band has been intermingling these two halves of their 'personality' since the beginning, this album is the first to truly fuse them into a whole. And what a whole it is! Continuing the grand progressive tradition of using the album as the fundamental unit of production, rather than the individual song, this album's pieces flow together to create a sonic tapestry that is startlingly reminiscent of the gorgeous cover artwork. It also helps that this is experimental even for the band, for both the electronics and the guitar solos are slightly different in style then anything they've done before or since. Just to give a more specific example of what I'm talking about, I'll go into a bit of depth about "Raising Orpheus", the real highlight of the album. Electronics, acoustic & electric guitars, and a highly processed cello part (not to mention the excellent percussion!) come together to create a 7-minute piece that really captures the spirit of the album. It's simultaneously mellow and frenzied, with a worried, nervous tinge that makes it very poignant.
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is Djam Karet's 4th studio release. Browse Djam Karet's Discography 
