• New Music Reviews
• |
• Archives
• |
• News
• |
• Submissions
• |
• About
• |
• 
• |
• 

March 2025

• W.E.T.: Apex
• Alliance: Before Our Eyes
• Ginevra: Beyond Tomorrow
• Phil X & The Drills:
  Pow! Right In The Kisser
• IQ: Dominion
• Heart Line: Falling Heaven
• Gotthard: Stereo Crush
• Defender: Dying To Live
• Streetlight: Night Vision

February 2025

• Robin McAuley: Soulbound
• Perfect Plan: Heart Of A Lion
• Craig Brooks: Desolation Freeway
• Mantric Momentum: Alienized
• Pattern-Seeking Animals: Friend Of All Creatures
• Crazy Lixx: Thrill Of The Bite
• Ginger Evil: The Way It Burns
• Dream Theater: Parasomnia
• Tyran: Tyran's Oath
• Saber: Lost In Flames

January 2025

• Wildness: Avenger
• The Ferrymen: Iron Will
• Labyrinth: In The Vanishing Echoes Of Goodbye
• Bonfire: Higher Ground
• The Big Deal: Electrified
• Landfall: Wide Open Sky

December 2024

• After Lapse: Pathways
• Illusion Force: Halfana
• Powell-Payne: Voilá

November 2024

• Sunstorm: Restless Fight
• Storace: Crossfire
• Voodoo Circle: Hail To The King
• Lionville: Supernatural
• Starchaser: Into The Great Unkown
• Empires Of Eden: Guardians Of Time
• Lonerider: Down In The Dust
• Seventh Crystal: Entity
• Neal Morse & The Resonance: No Hill For A Climber
• Beardfish: Songs For Beating Hearts
• Impellitteri: War Machine
• Brothers Of Metal: Fimbulvinter

[ More Music Reviews ]

A Liquid Landscape: Nightingale Express

Melodic/Progressive Rock

3.0/5.0

Website Facebook Twitter
The Laser's Edge
by Craig Hartranft,  02.27.2012

Here's a band, A Liquid Landscape, and their debut album, Nightingale Express, where it will be difficult to hide my ambivalence. Coming from the Netherlands, aLL has shared the stage with some grand progressive rock acts including Karnivool, Anathema, Thrice, and Riverside. Prominent producer Forrester Savell (Karnivool, Dead Letter Circus, The Butterfly Effect, et al) helped to mix this album. Dutch filmmaker Lex Vesseur has created a short film from the music, and visual effects for the bands live shows. Rather impressive accomplishments.

Above, A Liquid Landscape: why are the two dudes in the back made blurry?

The album, Nightingale Express, I guess so, too. This is rather 'quiet' progressive rock, melodic and melancholy in general. Mostly the canvas is ethereal and atmospheric, with dream-like vocals, light effortless guitars, and cushioned to quirky synths. Sure, there's some heavier movements, but scattered and mostly crescendos of riffage. Nightingale Express is supposed to be a concept album. But with little information about the theme or lyrics, I'm not sure what that is.

Ultimately, Nightingale Express requires little effort from listener, whether for simple enjoyment or musical interpretation. Actually, more energy may be expended trying to pay attention. If, for some reason, you choose to be doing something else while this is playing, it's likely the music will simply slip by, and the album will be over. It's not that music, the arrangements, or the musicianship is suspect or bad; it's not. It's just there.

More Ways to Share This Review

A Liquid Landscape's Nightingale Express requires little effort from listener, whether for simple enjoyment or musical interpretation. Actually, more energy may be expended trying to pay attention. It's not that music or the musicianship is suspect or bad; it's not. It's just there.

Alphabetical Index

After a brief three year absence from the studio, Swedish rockers Perfect Plan return with their fourth long player, Heart Of A Plan. This arrives after their vocalist, Kent Hilli, has been involved in a few other projects ... [ Read More ]