UNITOPIA
''COVERED MIRROR VOL. 1: SMOOTH AS SILK''
OCTOBER 31 2012
75:34
1. Signs of Life Prelude/2:00
2. Calling Occupants of Interplanetary Craft/6:32
3. Easter/6:42
4. Man of Colours/5:22
5. Genesis Medley/10:09
6. Rain Song/7:02
7. Even in the Quietest Moments/6:40
8. Can We Still Be Friends/4:19
9. Speaking the Truth (Interlude)/1:18
10. Everybody's Gotta Learn Sometimes/5:09
11. Yes Medley/12:10
12. To One in Paradise/5:03
13. The Way the Waters Are Moving/3:17
REVIEW
By Benjamin Ray
This disc is billed as “songs that inspire Unitopia,” which is a polite way of saying that this is a covers album. An odd move for a band’s fourth studio disc, as it seems to signal a lack of ideas, but judging by the liner notes, it appears the band is recording two or three new albums in the next couple of years.
So, Covered Mirror ends up being a way station between releases, a chance for this Australian seven-piece neo-progressive-rock outfit to stretch out a bit and pay homage to the founding fathers of art rock as we know it. Is it successful? Not quite, but neither is it a waste of time.
Unitopia is one of the few current bands that consider themselves progressive rock, which is a catch-all term for bands that play very long songs with spacey or sci-fi-inspired lyrics, or that favor instrumental virtuosity over passion. Where this band differs is their use of New Age music and instruments, which creates an atmosphere that is meant to transport the listener to another place.
The problem is that so much of this atmosphere sounds like simple keyboard whooshing over slow world beats; rarely does the music rise and fall, tense and release, grip you and hold you. That approach transforms a few of these songs into something truly remarkable and leaves the rest to elicit a shrug.
Unitopia has a gift for melody that, along with their tendency to play everything slow and serious, can be compelling. Notable examples are the Korgis cover “Everybody’s Gotta Learn Sometime” and the Alan Parsons Project’s “To One In Paradise,” both of which offer a beautiful melancholy. Supertramp’s “Even In The Quietest Moments” is made in a similar image with added strings; it is as good as the take on Led Zeppelin’s “The Rain Song,” which has a quiet beauty totally different in sound, but not spirit, from the superb original.
One would expect a progressive rock band to have something present by Genesis and Yes, and Unitopia does so in the form of two ten-minute medleys. The Genesis medley is fine – singer Mark Trueack is a dead ringer for Peter Gabriel anyway – starting with a vastly improved “The Silent Sun” and moving through three other snippets before ending with a slowed-down “The Carpet Crawlers.” Fans of old Genesis will enjoy it a bit, though it is hardly worth revisiting more than a couple times.
However, the Yes medley is a disaster. The band does nothing more than noodle with those New Age atmospherics while Trueack emotes dramatically from the slower portions of “Awaken,” “Soon,” the middle of “Close To The Edge” and “Onward.” The thing then closes with six minutes of “Owner Of A Lonely Heart,” stretching it out painfully and needlessly. Whether you like Yes or not, the whole thing is just awful.
A cover of Todd Rundgren’s “Can We Still Be Friends” is deadly serious and dull, while “Man Of Colours” and “Easter” don’t go anywhere and “Calling Occupants Of Interplanetary Craft” is silly and repetitive. Side note: Unitopia heard the Carpenters’ version of this song (!) first but covered the Klaatu version. “The Way The Waters Are Moving” closes things out on a sleepy note.
Covered Mirror should have been so much more, especially coming from a group this talented and with such great source material from which to draw. It works as a relaxing and moody trip but too infrequently rises to the level of which it aspires, although the best moments here are worth hearing by fans of the original bands or modern progressive rock.
BIOGRAPHY
Based in Adelaide, South Australia, Unitopia endeavours to draw from the heart and soul of the listener thought provoking topics such as environmental awareness, political and social upheaval and the hectic pace of life and human relationships in a positive and uplifting light. Using progressive themes as a framework, Unitopia’s music includes elements of world, classical, jazz, heavy rock, and groove.
Mark Trueack (composer / lead vocals / producer), Sean Timms (composer / keyboards / backing vocals / producer) and Matt Williams (guitars / backing vocals / producer) form the nucleus of the band. To complete them, they chose the combined drum/percussion batteries of David Hopgood and Tim Irrgang, Craig Kelly on bass and Daniel Burgess (Sax, clarinet, flute, piccolo, didgeridoo).
They signed their first album deal in 2007 with Canadian Label Unicorn Digital and released “More than a dream”.
In 2008, Unitopia signed a three album deal with InsideOut Music, Germany. The Garden” an ambitious 15 track double CD released in November 2008, firmly established the band as one of the premiere progressive rock acts in the world.
In 2010, Unitopia released their third album, “Artificial” Based on the themes of artificial intelligence, this new CD consolidates Unitopia's position as one of the most exciting progressive rock acts to emerge since the 1970’s.
Progrock.com has chosen “Artificial” as Best Album and “The Great Reward” as Best Track for their 2010 awards. ?"Artificial" was proclaimed Album of the Year 2010 by AiiRadio.net, paperlate.nl and nominated by the international Jury of Progawards in Italy for Best Foreign Record and Best Production. Mark Trueack also won the honor of 2nd best voice of 2010 on Classic Rock magazine.
Their 2010 European tour brought them to the UK, The Netherlands, Germany and Belgium. The critics were unanimous; Unitopia has been one of the best live acts on the Progressive Rock scene in the last few years.” They have been invited by TV Limburg to do a television performance and also filmed one of their performances which have been released on October 2011 as an Indie DVD and a live Cd production.
In October 31st 2012, Unitopia just released their fifth album, Covered Mirror with Musea Records France. Thirteen songs from different bands are revisited with Unitopia's unique touch and already nominated by Paperlate.nl as best album of 2012!
Unitopia is known for supporting worthy causes. “321”, from “The Garden” was created as a touching tribute to the courage, ordeal and eventual rescue of the Beaconsfield miners. The track gained nationwide exposure including a segment on 60 minutes. In May of 2007, with support and funding from the West Tamar Council, the band launched the single “321” at the one year anniversary memorial in Beaconsfield, Tasmania to an audience of nearly 3,000 people.
Unitopia has also allowed the use of other songs for Charity causes such as "Stomp out Cancer" in 2008 "Songs for Haiti" in 2010, and “Strengh” for Japan in 2011. They also donated part proceeds from ticket sales of one of their concert in Adelaide to the Childhood Cancer Foundation.
As lead singer Mark Trueack says, “Music is the doctor!”
''COVERED MIRROR VOL. 1: SMOOTH AS SILK''
OCTOBER 31 2012
75:34
1. Signs of Life Prelude/2:00
2. Calling Occupants of Interplanetary Craft/6:32
3. Easter/6:42
4. Man of Colours/5:22
5. Genesis Medley/10:09
6. Rain Song/7:02
7. Even in the Quietest Moments/6:40
8. Can We Still Be Friends/4:19
9. Speaking the Truth (Interlude)/1:18
10. Everybody's Gotta Learn Sometimes/5:09
11. Yes Medley/12:10
12. To One in Paradise/5:03
13. The Way the Waters Are Moving/3:17
REVIEW
By Benjamin Ray
This disc is billed as “songs that inspire Unitopia,” which is a polite way of saying that this is a covers album. An odd move for a band’s fourth studio disc, as it seems to signal a lack of ideas, but judging by the liner notes, it appears the band is recording two or three new albums in the next couple of years.
So, Covered Mirror ends up being a way station between releases, a chance for this Australian seven-piece neo-progressive-rock outfit to stretch out a bit and pay homage to the founding fathers of art rock as we know it. Is it successful? Not quite, but neither is it a waste of time.
Unitopia is one of the few current bands that consider themselves progressive rock, which is a catch-all term for bands that play very long songs with spacey or sci-fi-inspired lyrics, or that favor instrumental virtuosity over passion. Where this band differs is their use of New Age music and instruments, which creates an atmosphere that is meant to transport the listener to another place.
The problem is that so much of this atmosphere sounds like simple keyboard whooshing over slow world beats; rarely does the music rise and fall, tense and release, grip you and hold you. That approach transforms a few of these songs into something truly remarkable and leaves the rest to elicit a shrug.
Unitopia has a gift for melody that, along with their tendency to play everything slow and serious, can be compelling. Notable examples are the Korgis cover “Everybody’s Gotta Learn Sometime” and the Alan Parsons Project’s “To One In Paradise,” both of which offer a beautiful melancholy. Supertramp’s “Even In The Quietest Moments” is made in a similar image with added strings; it is as good as the take on Led Zeppelin’s “The Rain Song,” which has a quiet beauty totally different in sound, but not spirit, from the superb original.
One would expect a progressive rock band to have something present by Genesis and Yes, and Unitopia does so in the form of two ten-minute medleys. The Genesis medley is fine – singer Mark Trueack is a dead ringer for Peter Gabriel anyway – starting with a vastly improved “The Silent Sun” and moving through three other snippets before ending with a slowed-down “The Carpet Crawlers.” Fans of old Genesis will enjoy it a bit, though it is hardly worth revisiting more than a couple times.
However, the Yes medley is a disaster. The band does nothing more than noodle with those New Age atmospherics while Trueack emotes dramatically from the slower portions of “Awaken,” “Soon,” the middle of “Close To The Edge” and “Onward.” The thing then closes with six minutes of “Owner Of A Lonely Heart,” stretching it out painfully and needlessly. Whether you like Yes or not, the whole thing is just awful.
A cover of Todd Rundgren’s “Can We Still Be Friends” is deadly serious and dull, while “Man Of Colours” and “Easter” don’t go anywhere and “Calling Occupants Of Interplanetary Craft” is silly and repetitive. Side note: Unitopia heard the Carpenters’ version of this song (!) first but covered the Klaatu version. “The Way The Waters Are Moving” closes things out on a sleepy note.
Covered Mirror should have been so much more, especially coming from a group this talented and with such great source material from which to draw. It works as a relaxing and moody trip but too infrequently rises to the level of which it aspires, although the best moments here are worth hearing by fans of the original bands or modern progressive rock.
BIOGRAPHY
Based in Adelaide, South Australia, Unitopia endeavours to draw from the heart and soul of the listener thought provoking topics such as environmental awareness, political and social upheaval and the hectic pace of life and human relationships in a positive and uplifting light. Using progressive themes as a framework, Unitopia’s music includes elements of world, classical, jazz, heavy rock, and groove.
Mark Trueack (composer / lead vocals / producer), Sean Timms (composer / keyboards / backing vocals / producer) and Matt Williams (guitars / backing vocals / producer) form the nucleus of the band. To complete them, they chose the combined drum/percussion batteries of David Hopgood and Tim Irrgang, Craig Kelly on bass and Daniel Burgess (Sax, clarinet, flute, piccolo, didgeridoo).
They signed their first album deal in 2007 with Canadian Label Unicorn Digital and released “More than a dream”.
In 2008, Unitopia signed a three album deal with InsideOut Music, Germany. The Garden” an ambitious 15 track double CD released in November 2008, firmly established the band as one of the premiere progressive rock acts in the world.
In 2010, Unitopia released their third album, “Artificial” Based on the themes of artificial intelligence, this new CD consolidates Unitopia's position as one of the most exciting progressive rock acts to emerge since the 1970’s.
Progrock.com has chosen “Artificial” as Best Album and “The Great Reward” as Best Track for their 2010 awards. ?"Artificial" was proclaimed Album of the Year 2010 by AiiRadio.net, paperlate.nl and nominated by the international Jury of Progawards in Italy for Best Foreign Record and Best Production. Mark Trueack also won the honor of 2nd best voice of 2010 on Classic Rock magazine.
Their 2010 European tour brought them to the UK, The Netherlands, Germany and Belgium. The critics were unanimous; Unitopia has been one of the best live acts on the Progressive Rock scene in the last few years.” They have been invited by TV Limburg to do a television performance and also filmed one of their performances which have been released on October 2011 as an Indie DVD and a live Cd production.
In October 31st 2012, Unitopia just released their fifth album, Covered Mirror with Musea Records France. Thirteen songs from different bands are revisited with Unitopia's unique touch and already nominated by Paperlate.nl as best album of 2012!
Unitopia is known for supporting worthy causes. “321”, from “The Garden” was created as a touching tribute to the courage, ordeal and eventual rescue of the Beaconsfield miners. The track gained nationwide exposure including a segment on 60 minutes. In May of 2007, with support and funding from the West Tamar Council, the band launched the single “321” at the one year anniversary memorial in Beaconsfield, Tasmania to an audience of nearly 3,000 people.
Unitopia has also allowed the use of other songs for Charity causes such as "Stomp out Cancer" in 2008 "Songs for Haiti" in 2010, and “Strengh” for Japan in 2011. They also donated part proceeds from ticket sales of one of their concert in Adelaide to the Childhood Cancer Foundation.
As lead singer Mark Trueack says, “Music is the doctor!”
