Simon Says did not abandon the long forms of Progressive Rock music and still produced stretched and interesting compositions, they did update though their sound a bit, moving somewhat from their old-fashioned GENESIS stylings for a more contemporary style, which still involved huge analog echoes on Mellotron and organ, delivered with a cleaner and more modern production.They were caught though in the trap of sounding extremely close to SPOCK'S BEARD and THE FLOWER KINGS, offering arrangements with alternating synth and Mellotron/organ textures, strong symphonic tendencies and some lighter poppy tunes.The material is still well-written with captivating melodies and professional executions, ranging from pretty dramatic themes with atmospheric instrumental passages to more optimistic and accesible tunes.Lots of bombastic keyboard parts, sudden shifts in tempos and a few jazzy vibes result a work, that has been written with intelligence and passion till' the last detail.Good and sometimes adventurous guitar parts with melodic and post-psychedelic leanings and an efficient rhythm section complete the picture of the group, that now seems influenced by a wider spectrum, including GENESIS, YES, KAIPA and FOCUS.However the resemblances with SPOCK'S BEARD''s or THE FLOWER KINGS' music get a bit disturbing in the process. Things did not turn out very well for Simon Says after ''Ceinwen'' with Ola Johansson being sacked due to his arguments with Stefan Renstroem and Nils Stenstroem moving to Goethenburg.A new line-up was set up for a brief time by Daniel Faeldt, but in 1996 the band was put on ice, as Renstroem was not quite satisfied with the direction of the new core.He focused on his work with his other band, The Moor.Years later he decided to revive Simon Says and sent an mail to Faeldt, who had moved to India.Without any second thoughts Faeldt returned to Sweden and the new line-up included also The Moor's Jonas Hallberg and Ulf Nylen on guitar and drums respectively.As Nylen had a hard time to absorb Simon Says' material, he was replaced by Valinor's Tree's Mattias Jarlhed and the recordings of the new album were finished in 2001.Demo tapes were sent to Galileo Records and ''Paradise square'' saw the light the following year. Posted Friday, | Review this album | Report (Review #1178506)
Note for Love, and, my favorite, the bit in White Glove where members trade off solos, including on sitar and tabla.
I enjoy, such as the wah-wah and backward guitar intro to Paradise Square, jazzy playfulness of beginning to Striking Out a Single Impression could be explained that the album is structured like a play, judging by linear notes. Songs are mostly very long, loosely structured and frankly some transitions feel like filler. Production sounds retro and sparse (but you can distinguish everything), a direct contrast with ultra-īombastic Yes-like Tardigrade. On Paradise Square they sound as a kind of stripped-ĭown mid-period Genesis. On-again, off-again project releasing 3 albums over the course of 20 years.
The Swedish Simon Says are not exactly prolific, an There is an adolescent-oriented AmericanĪlternative band of same name that comes up more often in internet searches. I like a lot about Simon Says (I gave 5 stars to Tardigrade), except maybe the name. : : : Erik Neuteboom, The NETHERLANDS : : :įan & official Prog Archives collaborator Funny self-mockery: SIMON SAYS has integrated some musical moments from GENESIS albums ("The Lamb." and "Foxtrot") but the way they have done this, showcases the mature compositional skills. The vocals are at some momens a bit theatrical but in general strong and convincing. The 24-carat symphonic sound is very inspired by mid-GENESIS but has also echoes from ANGLAGARD (sumptuous Mellotron waves), SPOCK'S BEARD (shifting moods and fiery electric guitar), MARILLION (keyboards) and MANFRED MANN'S EARTH BAND (Minimoog flights with pitchbend). The second album is superior to their debut, in my opinion "Paradise Square" is one of the best releases from 2002! Most of the 7 songs are long, alternating and elaborate pieces with lots of surprising ideas: classical guitar and piano, a jazzy intermezzo, sensitive Spanish guitar or sitar and tablas. Releases: album "Ceinwed" from '95 and "Paradise Square" from '02. Here's another gem from the amazing Mellotron-loaden Skandinavian progrock scene, this time a Swedish band including Mattias Jarlhed (percussion), Jonas Hallberg (guitar and backing vocals), Daniel Fäldt (lead - and backing vocals, sitar) and Stefan Renström (bass, keyboards, voices). Founded in Falköping, Sweden in 1993 - Put on hold since 2015
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