Published on Oct 14, 2003
Spock’s Beard was, in many ways, Neal Morse. The
spiritually-seeking center of the Beard, the producer, songwriter,
and lead vocalist — what do you do when that’s gone?
For those living under a progressive-rock-deprived rock, Morse
quit Spock’s Beard soon after the recording of 2002’s brilliant
double CD,
Snow — thereby earning me the Miss Cleo Award from our
Fearless Founder, Chris Thelen. (For why, read the review for
Snow,
here.) The remaining members —
Nick D’Virgilio, Alan Morse, Dave Meros, and Ryo Okumoto — decided
to carry on, but there were questions as to what the band would be
like. Heck, I had questions, and I’m a huge fan…so when
Feel Euphoria came out, the first post-Neal CD, I felt some
trepidation. I finally grabbed it and gave it a listen.
First impression: different.
Second impression: Good, but different.
Third impression: Good, who cares about different?
For you hardline Neal Morse fans — get over it, y’all. This
isn’t SB as it used to be — there are breaks on “Feel Euphoria”
that sound like King’s X on a Kansas bender — but it’s still tight
and tasty. Yes, there are a few miscues. No, this isn’t as good as
Snow or
Day From Night — but it’s a damn sight better than, say,
V.
What works? Easy. This band sounds more like they’re having fun,
like it’s a team, like a single unit. On songs like “Onomatopoeia”
and “The Bottom Line,” they lay down a progressive-meets-hard-rock
groove that you can’t help but like. There’s even a love song
(isn’t that illegal on progressive rock CDs?), and it’s one of the
best things on the disc; “Shining Star” is a sudden tone change
with Eaglesesque verses and soaring Eric Woolfson-like harmonies on
the refrain. The haunting piano intro on “Ghosts Of Autumn” leaves
one chilled at the cool brilliance of the songwriting. And yes,
there is a multi-song progressive rock opus on
Feel Euphoria, “A Guy Named Sid” — which is much more
thought-provoking and complex than the title would bear out and
includes the incredible “You Don’t Know.” And I loved the trumpet
fanfares on the closing “Carry On.”
There are, however, a couple of things that don’t work as well.
I don’t much care for “Feel Euphoria,” the title track; for my
tastes, it’s too atonal and too much a departure from anything the
Beard has ever done. “East Of Eden, West Of Memphis” has its
moments, especially the complex harmonies and plucked-string
synthesizer parts, but the long instrumental break is just a bit
too typically self-indulgent, almost a progressive rock
cliché.
Nevertheless,
Feel Euphoria establishes one thing without a doubt; the
Beard can survive losing one of its guiding forces, and still
remain one of the best bands out there.