Hi all!
Been busy with other projects and being a lurker of
late, but something interesting has come to my attention that I wanted to
share.
It seems that the rebirth of prog-flavored mainstream
pop is finally starting. If you haven't encountered a band called
Evanescence ( www.evanescence.com )
yet, check them out. Their debut album, "Fallen" has already hit platinum
status, largely based on the single called "Bring Me to Life" which was used in
the movie "Daredevil" earlier this year. A four-piece band, they
consist of a female vocalist and a guitarist who are the formative members of
the band, and they have added another guitarist and a drummer to the roster
in the last year.
The album features a lot of prominently mixed keyboards, predominantly piano and
string parts, some real and some clearly keyboard strings, "Mellotronish" in
nature, with a David Hodges being given credits for keyboards, arranging, and
programming. Google turns up no information related to him other than the
Evanescence connection, but the parts are really nicely done, particularly on
the big hit song. Lots of dissonance in the string lines, and a
tremendously fun part to play.
My own band has just added the song to our setlist, as
we have a lot of strong similarities in overall sound to that of Evanescence,
and I find it very comforting that a band from just around the corner from me in
the Wichita, Kansas area (they hail from Little Rock, Arkansas) with such a
proggy, keyboard-laden, and slightly goth feel to it is doing so well.
It seems that the mainstream prog rebirth I've been
expecting for so long just may be occurring in, of all places, the Great
Plains of the United States.
Any info from anybody here about the band, the
keyboardist, or the POSSIBLE use of Mellotron here and there on the
album?