Album Review: "Destrier" by Agent Fresco

Destrier

Have you noticed my direction this month?

I've been making sure to check out a wider variety of music in July. As I'm not a genre focused blog, but a dude who loves extreme metal...

I have to sometimes remind myself to check out the other albums that are floating about.

Again, we're enjoying some progressive music.

Agent Fresco is about to release their third album on Long Branch Records. It will be available in all the popular formats: CD, Digital, and Gatefold Vinyl.

I believe that we have crossed a new bridge here. I cannot recall another band that I've reviewed that hails from their home in Reykjavic, Iceland. For some reason, lately I've been thinking about the Icelandic Honey Festival from Monty Python lately....

Agent Fresco

We'll call that foreshadowing...

Seeing only four members really confused me. I was expecting about 30.

Vocally speaking, this band has a lot in common with Chappo, but certainly not identical.

There are strings, pianos, crunchy guitars, and nearly anything else you can imagine on the tracks.

What's most amazing to me about this album is how it articulately changes between movements.

From slow strings, to bouncing arena rock. The greatest challenge of a progressive album is to marry to totally different pieces of music in such a way that it not only makes perfect sense, but that going from slow cello strains to disco funk is the only logical place it could go.

Agent Fresco is more than up to this challenge.

They defy convention by having several shorter songs instead of two or three massive epics. So, it's very possible that it will just sound like a cool song when it rolls around in your shuffling, but this is best digest started to finish.

You may be left a big confused, but it'll be well worth it.

Release: 8/7/15
Genre: Progressive
Label: Long Branch Records
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