Elephant Planet - The End of Time - Song Review - Modern Progressive Jazz Rock from Vienna, Austria
Today I am writing about a promising modern progressive jazz-rock band; Elephant Planet, from Vienna, Austriawith; The End of Time, one of their singles released in 2022.
elephant planet | the end of time [music video]
Credits:Music and arrangement by J. P. Aguilera, Alexander Haustein, and Frederic Brünner;Lyrics by J. P. Aguilera;
Musicians:J. P. Aguilera – vocals, bass, guitar, keyboard;Alexander Haustein – guitar, guitar solo;Frederic Brünner – drums;
Produced by J. P. Aguilera; Recorded by Frank Pitters at Silverline Music(assistant engineer: Antony K.);and by J. P. Aguilera at Grey Matter SoundsMixed by J. P. Aguilera at Grey Matter Sounds;
Mastered by Acle Kahney at 4D SoundsVideo production, camera, editing, and color grading by Yan BululukovPhotography and production assistance by Radka Klein
Elephant Planet caught my attention with the collective character in their music and The End of Time is the example that convinced me. If there was one certain thing after reading and listening to their music; it was the fact that this music belongs to intelligent and music students.
The general approach in this particular example was creating something with progressive, jazz, and pop influences, keeping it simple while showing musicianship and composing skills. Now, when you think about the basic plan and the product, Elephant Planet deserves a medal, and this is just one of their debut singles.
The progressive rock side of things has clean and sharp edges and vintage qualities in it, even though the sound design is quite modern, it reminded me of one of my favorites Rush, where ugliest progressions resolved into beautiful melodies.
Moreover, the composition has a radio friendly structure, and opens with their progressive and ends with their melodic and pop side while jazz elements accompany the flow all the way to the end.
The technical side of the work also deserves appreciation, it was part of the big plan from the beginning. As you can also hear, the band stands out with their diverse music blend, but it was the vocals which separated Elephant Planet for me from the rest of the world. It wasn't possible if this song didn't have the necessary production and quality to express. In this part, I liked the vocal characterization work above everything else, pulling this off was the most decisive moment of this song.
Lastly, going into every detail and trying your best to be creative is a mind set that I always admired. The End of Time is simply showing us the beginning of another talented progressive band from Austria worth following.
Elephant Planet, performing on stageCredit: Unknown
When I put aside my admiration for the work, there were also a few things that didn't resonate with me even though I kept on listening to the song.
First of all, it musically was too bright and positive for my current mood, reminded me of one of the reasons why I stopped listening to Dream Theater for the last ten years.
Secondly, I felt like the sound design was too modern and digital, but I also know that their sound can get somewhere innovative in the future.
Lastly, I personally didn't like the feeling of melodies with pop influences, and those sections repeated more times than I expected.
Elephant Planet, performing on stageCredit: Unknown
When I put all these into account, I'd like to say that I had a good time listening to The End of Time. A promising debut where jazz and pop melodies come together with the 80s vintage prog-rock character of Rush, modern sound, and solid collective character. Thanks for reading.
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