A 3-year wait, moving from their last previous album release, Octahedron, came about Noctourniquet. An album of tracks that were said to be recorded during 2009, just following the release of Octahedron.
This is the first album to feature Deantoni Parks on drums and also the first without contributions by keyboardist, Ikey Owens and guitarist, John Frusciante.
With a first listen of the Noctourniquet album, you will realise how this album is less musically complicated compared to the rest of albums they have released. That isn’t to turn it down, as the recent addition of Deantoni Parks fits in fantastically well with the fairly unique style of playing. He just seems to click well with the band, which is a big thumbs up for me.
Lyrically and vocally, it’s still just as impressive. Cedric’s voice and overall character has always been definitive, different and he does not produce a generic sound compared to a lot of musical artists in this modern era of music. I could even go as far to say his voice is the epitome of progressive rock music and it really does wonders for the genre.
The tone of the album takes a more Radiohead/Thom Yorke approach, quite notably on the Radiohead-esqe keyboard driven Aegis. Aegis in my book, being one of the strongest tracks on the album; a beautifully written song with sombre verses and upbeat choruses.
If you have been a listener of other content, you will release that there 7 minute drum/guitar solos are absent in this album.
A criticism about the album has to be that the synths can get a little overwhelming in some tracks, however, it’s still a minor thing to look past.
If you’re wondering how the album stacks up against albums such as De-Loused or Frances, while Noctourniquet is a great album that raises the bar for making challenging progressive music, it still comes up short to De-Loused or Frances.
On a side note, I can possibly see this album being my favourite progressive album of 2012. It is definitely worth a visit, especially for new listeners to set them up for the albums released before that were a lot harder to digest and understand.
Essential Tracks: “Aegis”, “Zed And Two Naughts”, “The Malkin Jewel”
