Discipline Debut
Dan A. Bobrowski | California | 01/12/2005
(3 out of 5 stars)
"A terrific debut, Push and Profit sets the stage for the excellent Unfolded Like Staircase album. Not as dark as Unfolded and it's theories on the after-life, Push and Profit is a collection of tales about the here and now.
Diminished is a good title about the insignificance one feels in this massive universe. A nice lilting piano line with violin fills. My only pet peeve is singers who say, "I yam," instead of "I am." That lazy tongue wears on my nerves, but Parmenter's voice is one I enjoy overall.
The Reasoning Wall comes very close to stealing the main riff from Tull's Thick as a Brick, with only a slight variation on that theme. The song on the whole is somewhat reminiscent of A Venture from Yes in its flow. The drumming carries a strong Bruford feel and I could still register Jon Anderson in the vocal delivery.
Carmilla appears to be a song about a girl's suicide in her bathtub, the reaper whispering in her ear as she fades. There are some strong instrumental lines; mellotron washes that swirl around your head and enough guitar breaks to keep things chugging along. Bassist Matthew Kennedy plays some solid deep end.
The Nursery Year is a chilling story of a child molester, discovered and promising revenge against his accusers. A detective friend told me about closing in to arrest a child molester and noticing he smelled sweet, like fresh baked sugar cookies. Parmenter displays that sickly sweet character in the most disturbing manner. The melody is very warm, a lullaby, which makes the effect even more disturbing.
Discipline shows they can do 70's rock and roll with Faces of the Pretty. This tune could have come from any number of bands, from Bowie's Ziggy era to Queen's Sweet Lady. It's a fun tune that makes your foot get heavy while cruisin' down the boulevard.
Systems gives me a Steely Dan vibe on the intro. Parmenter's vocal melody is soothing and catchy. Lyrical images flash through this cinematic tune. This may be my favorite track on the CD.
The instrumental, Blueprint, starts with a chase scene momentum, but veers into a slow burn with a powerful guitar solo, soaring and Gilmouresque.
The final tune, America, again has that Yes vibe to it. This is a commentary on commercialism, the loss of a person's meaningful position in society, hopelessness and abandonment.
Push and Profit is a fitting addition to any prog collection and a fine debut. After Unfolded and Astray, I would place Matthew Parmenter high in the list of those artists keeping progressive rock fresh and alive along with Echolyn, Lands End and IZZ."
Great Debut Album
Steven Sly | Kalamazoo, MI United States | 01/18/2007
(5 out of 5 stars)
"Discipline is one of my all time favorite progressive rock bands and I still think it is a crime that these guys did not find more success than they did. Band leader Matthew Parmenter is one of the single most talented people I have ever had the chance to see live, and the rest of the band were equally competent on their respective instruments. By the time the band's debut CD "Push And Profit" came out the band had already been together for quite a few years and had released several cassette only albums and a live video. This album is not quite as strong as their 2nd effort "Unfolded Like Staircase", but it has a charm that is missing from the latter album. Parmenter's lyrics and vocals weave themselves around John Preston Bouda's guitar and Matthew Kennedy's bass covering subject matter that is mostly on the dark side. Every song on the album is a good one with "Diminished", The Reasoning Wall", "Carmilla", and "Systems" all being highlights. The instrumental "Blueprint" shows off what the band is capable of without words. The two shortest tracks on the album are both interesting ones. "The Nursery Year" tells the story of a child molester in first person. It is truly a disturbing piece of work made all the more sinister by the almost nursery rhyme quality to the music. This is definitely one of Parmenters most disquieting compositions. The other short one is "Faces Of The Petty" which is a four minute romp that could have been a single had it been given a chance on radio. It is a great little song. The album closer "America" takes a bleak look at the our current state (circa 1993) and again contains some of Parmenter's strongest lyrical work. I love everything about this album and highly recommend it."
Track Listings (8) - Disc #1