Search - Magic Pie :: Motions of Desire

Mmmm... Pie

J. Petruska | 07/18/2007

(5 out of 5 stars)

"First off I have to say I am honored to be the first person to review this CD, it is truly an amazing album through and through. I bought the album on iTunes and I wish I would have bought the actual CD for lyrics and artwork and such, so buy it here! Okay enough foreplay though lets get to the music.



I usually am not a big fan of old school style progressive rock, but after I heard the song "Without Knowing Why" I just had to give the band a chance. The first track "Change" is a monster clocking in at just over 20 minutes. Sometimes long tracks can get boring but that was not the case at all with this song. The song moves seamlessly through different time signatures and styles of music. It's just a non-stop delight to listen to; brilliant song!



The title track is very old school prog and beautiful at that. I was never a big fan of the organ but I love the way they have incorporated in this album, especially this song. It's pretty fun to sing along to as well, very catchy and melodic.



"Full Circle Poetry" is another longer track and is a very fun song indeed. Again, the keyboard work is just phenominal, Gilbert Marshall on the keys just knows how to write catchy stuff! I love the reggae sounding verse section in the song as well, well done!



Here's the album's showcase song in my opinion. "Without Knowing Why" is great prog with a perfect mixture of classic and modern prog. The constant organ is clearly homage to their classic prog influences like Yes or early Genesis. On the other hand, the scorching guitar gives off a Dream Theater vibe. Great song!



The "Illusion and Reality" songs are really beautiful and epic. In the first part, the listener is serenaded with excellent vocals and a section that is a tip of the hat to Pachelbel's "Canon." The second part is just the perfect length for easy, quick listening. The third part brings back the Canon sounding theme and ends the Illusion and Reality trio beautifully.



The last song "Dream Vision" is basically an instrumental for the better part of the first half of the song. The recurring guitar and keyboard harmony is awesome and very epic; a brilliant ending!



Overall, I'm really glad I gave this band a chance, I loved every minute of the CD and am definitely looking into buying their new record as well. They perfectly mesh their influences together, which is clearly seen in their long track "Change" as well as every other track on the album. There's everything from slap/pop bass to metal rhythm structures; whatever you want, I'm sure it can be found in Magic Pie. But I owe Magic Pie not only for their music, but for pushing me in to the world of classic progressive rock. I was never a big fan of the forerunners of prog, but since buying this album, I have been growing very fond of bands like Kaipa, The Flower Kings and Yes. I highly reccomend this album for anybody who calls themselves a progressive rock fan; you will not be disappointed!!"

If you like prog rock with top-flight musicality, don't miss

Timothy Gallant | Conrad, MT | 07/15/2007

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This debut album by these unknowns from Norway has upstaged everything among my recent purchases. I daresay it's one of the top 20 prog albums of all time - very melodic and well-executed. Three very good lead vocalists, captivating harmonies, and excellent musicianship. Think a more accessible version of The Flower Kings, and maybe toss in a sprinkling of The Alan Parsons Project. Fluid, original, beautiful. Buy it."

Very Good, But

P. Schumacher | atlanta, GA United States | 03/05/2008

(4 out of 5 stars)

"If you like prog rock, you will probably like this.



The instrumentals are fabulous.



And by and large the compositions are excellent. The key word here is VARIETY. If you don't like something, wait a second and it will change.



The songs are all very long, but have enormous diversity.



Some of the licks are cliches, but they are EXTREMELY well done, and well blended with the other parts.



The only downside for me is that sometimes the lead male vocalist lapses into that terrible arena-rock style of Grit-Your-Teeth-And-Scream-Through-Them.



I think of this as the "Straining on the Toilet" school of singing. Hey! Take a laxative! You'll hurt yourself. This is the way Elvis died.



But these lapses are brief.



Most of the vocals are human and wonderful.



"