Surface Tension

Surface Tension

Editorial Reviews
Product Description
1999 debut album by this symphonic metal band who've been heavily influenced by both Yes and Dream Theater. Mixing lush keyboards, dual lead guitars, layered vocals and a tight rhythm section, their music is complex, melodic and highly memorable. Features a guest appearance by Sean Malone (Cynic/Gordian Knot). Eight tracks.

Surface Tension,Clockwork,Sensory Records,Jazz,Latin,Latin Jazz

Average customer rating:
Surface Tension
Sitka
Manufacturer: Rippled Recordings
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Folk | Styles | Music
ASIN: B000CAEK86
Release Date: 2005-09-27

Tracks:

Therefore : Soul
Oral Tradition Re-Courted
Without Reservation
Lovesong for a Leaf
Fog
Weather Underground
My Heart Is Wilderness
Eternal Soul Gazers
Echo Resonance
Fissure
Final Penetration of Mars & Kaite
Tao'n Tempo

Average customer rating:

Howard Skempton: Surface Tension

Manufacturer: Mode
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music
ASIN: B000005ZK8
Release Date: 1998-05-19

Tracks:

Passing Fancy
Drum Cannon 2
Bends
Call
Fire
Melody
Recessional
Tree Sequence: From The Palm Trees
Tree Sequence: Willow
Tree Sequence: Laburnam
Tree Sequence: Duet
Tree Sequence: Mountain Ash
Surface Tension I
Three Pieces
Surface Tension 2
Moto Perpetuo
Lament
Small Change
The Gipsy's Wife's Song
Gemini Dances, #6
Lullaby
Bagatelle - Sarah Leonard/Howard Skempton S
Prld
Intermezzo
Under The Elder
African Melody
Agreement
Trace

Average customer rating:

Surface Tension Breaks Prog-Metal Boundaries!
Solid musicianship, (...) production
Attention melodic prog metal fans!

Surface Tension
Clockwork
Manufacturer: Sensory Records
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Latin Music | Styles | Music

General | Jazz | Styles | Music

Latin Jazz | Jazz | Styles | Music

General | Rock | Styles | Music

General | Hard Rock & Metal | Styles | Music
ASIN: B00000JBEO
Release Date: 1999-06-29

Tracks:

Secrets Of Centuries
One Wing
East Of Knowing
If These Walls Could Talk
The Guardin' Of Eden
The Convolution Box
Smile Under Sad Eyes
Design Of Enlightenment

Album Description

1999 debut album by this symphonic metal band who've been heavily influenced by both Yes and Dream Theater. Mixing lush keyboards, dual lead guitars, layered vocals and a tight rhythm section, their music is complex, melodic and highly memorable. Features a guest appearance by Sean Malone (Cynic/Gordian Knot). Eight tracks.

Customer Reviews:

Surface Tension Breaks Prog-Metal Boundaries!.......2002-03-05

Clockwork, unlike many so-called progressive bands, is vital, alive and kicking--at least to my ears. They don't seem devoid of good musical ideas and they aren't limiting themselves like many prog bands do. They do have many similarities to other prog bands, but they seem to realize that they'll only go so far copying their prog brothers. A look at the songs on Surface Tension:

1. "Secrets of Centuries" - The opening is eerie and grandiose. It reminds me a bit of "Fire Blossom" by Vanden Plas (from the CD The God Thing) and maybe a bit of Eternity X's "The Edge (Introduction)" (from the album The Edge). When the vocals do kick in, we are treated to Douglas Gillin's incredibly beautiful voice. He sings in a higher range more than most progressive metal vocalists do. And he never sounds like he is out of his natural range. His vocals remind me a bit former Extreme and Van Halen vocalist Gary Cherone, only much smoother. Douglas Gillin is one of the best vocalists I've ever heard. And Gillin's vocals fit this engaging, mid-paced Dream Theater/Eternity X-type song perfectly. The vocal melodies throughout this song are gorgeous.

1. "One Wing" - Track two is much more quirky than the opening tune. Guitarist Chris Poland's post-Megadeth band Damn the Machine comes to mind. This is a fascinating and wonderfully rich and unusual song. The vocal harmonies are a treat. This is bizarre prog at its best.

3. "East of Knowing" - A Spanish guitar (or something very much like one) is the foundation of this instrumental. This is an engaging, dynamic mid-paced song.

4. "If These Walls Could Talk" - I've heard very few bands over the years that sound anything like Eternity X. And though I appreciate Clockwork's originality and efforts in sounding uniquely like Clockwork, they do a lot of things that remind me of Eternity X. Clockwork's ability to sound dramatic without sounding overemotional make comparisons to Eternity X easy. Though their vocals and vocal melodies are more reminiscent of bands like Yes, Shadow Gallery and Vanden Plas, intentional or not, there are still strong Eternity X similarities present.

5. "The Guardin' of Eden" - This is another very weird song. I don't know how to describe it except to say it is all over the place musically. Out of control at times, the song is still interesting and the second half of the song is amazingly beautiful as it slows down a bit. It picks up and becomes weird again toward the end. Not my favorite on the disc, "Guardin' of Eden" still has its moments.

6. "The Convolution Box" - This is a wild instrumental as the band moves all over the place musically. The music comes off a bit too chaotic. Don't get the impression I'm anti-instrumental because I'm not. This song is just to over-the-top for my tastes.

7. "Smile Under Sad Eyes" - This is one of the most beautiful songs I've ever heard. The vocal melodies are stunning. Only Shadow Gallery comes up with vocal melodies more breathtaking. The song soars on the strength of vocalist Douglas Gillin.

8. "Design of Enlightenment" - Here we have a song that never seems to pull it together musically. Too many musical ideas make this track come off as messy. I'd try and describe it, but it moves around too much. No description would be adequate. The length of the tune (it's a long one) makes it even more difficult to digest.

Clockwork are comprised of excellent musicians that know how to write good songs and give great performances. Unfortunately, I think they try and jam too many ideas into some songs. Many of the songs on this CD would have been better served had not so many musical ideas been competing for space and--dare I say--had those same songs been shorter. Still, they've put together a darn, good CD here. "Secrets of Centuries", "One Wing", "If These Wall Could Talk" and "Smile Under Sad Eyes" are not just good songs, they are fantastic songs. Douglas Gillin is a gifted singer with range and emotion. Chris Pignatelli and M. Thomas Gammarino are outstanding guitarists, together they remind me of former Eternity X and current Exhibition guitarist Jeff Shernov. Chris Pignone (bass) and Anthony Sciamanna (drums & percussion) provide a solid rhythm section. Vocalist Gillin and guitarist Pignatelli split keyboard duties and do a great job--together they give us some very atmospheric and fanciful moments on the keys. This band really plays well together. Perhaps more focus and tighter songs (like tracks 1, 2, 4 & 7) would serve the band well in the future. Don't get me wrong, I really do appreciate Clockwork's seemingly limitless musical ideas. The band doesn't seem bound by typical prog metal conventions. And even with tracks that left me wanting, Clockwork has still put together a good debut.

Solid musicianship, (...) production.......2001-12-09

The music contained on this disc is very much to my liking. It's prog rock/metal so you know you've got excellent musicianship, with odd time sigs thrown in here and there as well as interesting modes (kind of an asian feel on East Of Knowing). Also this disc is not really metal. There's not really aggressive parts, for the most part the music has a slight depressive feel to it (but hey depressing music is fun to listen to!). I'm not one for lyrics so i don't know if it actually IS about depressing stuff or not. I'm actually suprised that there was only 1 other review for this album at the time i'm writing this! it's a lot better than some prog bands that get a lot of attention, or at least on par with them and deserves a little more attention than what it's gotten. It's like the bands Everon or Andromeda, although Andromeda is slowly getting big. I bought their debut release "Extension Of The Wish" shortly after it came out and it is one of the best heavy prog discs i've ever heard and only NOW is it actually starting to catch on to fans of bigger bands such as Dream Theater or Pain Of Salvation (IMHO better than the latter!)And i think that's partially because i keep going on those message boards and posting sound files to get people interested :) BTW if you don't own it you need to do something about that. Anyway, back to this disc. I really like the music on it, and the singer is quite good, as a reference i'd say like Fates Warning's singer. But the real problem is the production. I think it REALLY takes away from what the band has done here, kind of like what happened with Dream Theater' When Dream & Day Unite. It's not unbearable or anything, but it just sounds kind of flat and muddy. Nothing really sticks out and grabs you like say the guitar sound on Nevermore's latest "Dead Heart In A Dead World" Now THAT's how to produce an album! All in all a worthwile purchase for fans of Fates Warning or even Dream Theater, though Dream Theater has a much more aggressive sound as of late than this does. You won't be dissapointed if you love prog rock as well as prog metal, it's not as aggressive as the latter but moreso than the former. Best tracks here are Design Of Enlightenment and Secrets Of Centuries.

Attention melodic prog metal fans!.......2000-08-06

This album took me a little while to get into, partly because it was more different from their demo than I was anticipating, and partly because their song writing is so complex. Once it began to sink in though, I really found myself loving it. The lyrics on this album are top-notch, as is the technical use of guitar and prominent keys. Their singer I've grown to enjoy. He's less operatic and dynamic than I usually like, with a kind of Dave Matthews-ish alternative or monotone sound, but I think he suits the band well and is able to give them something distinctive in this regard. The melodies and arrangements throughout the album are also excellent, yet I think at times their full effect is lost amongst production that is, I feel, less than impressive. All in all, this is one of the better prog releases I've come across in recent years (and it's still continuing to grow on me!).

Average customer rating:

Surface Tension (Jpn Lp Sleeve)
Aleph
Manufacturer: Marquee
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD
ASIN: B00006IXFW
Release Date: 2001-12-20

Album Details

Limited Release featuring an LP Style Sleeve Cover.

Average customer rating:

the greatest undiscovered band ever...
Cool Irish music

Surface Tension
Plague Monkeys
Manufacturer: Cross
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Pop | Styles | Music
ASIN: B00002MVUL
Release Date: 1999-09-10

Tracks:

Safe
White Feathers
Jack
Thirty Times Three
Breaking The Ice
Mouse Organ
Bloomsday
Surfacing
Cobweb Theory
Dreaming In Hotels
Last Watch

Album Details

Irish Four Piece who Sound Like the Velvet Underground Jamming with Joni Mitchell. Floating Pop with Earthly Melodies.

Customer Reviews:

the greatest undiscovered band ever..........2002-05-25

The Plague Monkeys formed, recorded and split within a short time frame of a couple of years. They left us with 2 albums, 2 E.P.s and the soundtrack to one movie.

Their music is breathtakingly beautiful. Contemporary fractured masterpieces with nods to Cocteau Twins, The Sundays, Joni Mitchell but consistenly plying a sound all of their own.

Bicycle spokes, car horns and other wonders mix with traditional and modern instrumentation to create a delicate yet substantial soundscape.

This is a must own album, a shame that we will hear them no more.

Cool Irish music.......2000-07-25

I bought this CD while visiting Dublin and knew nothing about it. When I got home and listened to it, I was very happy with it. The lead singer's voice is so beautiful and calm. The music is quite interesting and it reminded me of a more soothing Cranberrys. The harmonies are really incredible. I can't believe I picked such a good CD by accident! It has some fast tunes and some slow, thoughtful melodies. Its a really good CD made by a strong Irish band unknown to us in the States.

Average customer rating:

Wonderfully Diverse

Surface Tension
Tony Yardley
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD
ASIN: B000OUB8UW

Product Description

1 Sky Blue 2 The Pulpwood Shuffle 3 Well Of Souls 4 The Magnum Files 5 Stutter Step 6 The Bottom Line 7 Backwater Bossa Nova 8 Chump Change 9 Isn't It Amazing 10 Choccolocco Two Step 11 Eventually 12 Memoirs 13 Walk Away 14 Surface Tension

Customer Reviews:

Wonderfully Diverse.......2007-04-09

My wife brought this CD home on Easter Sunday, and fortunately there were no distractions so I was able to just sit and listen. What a beautiful piece of work. The last time I heard Mr. Yardley play was at The Alabama Show Palace some years back. At that time his band was doing a classic rock and country mix. I remember he was accompanied by a group of extremely talented musicians, fronted by a female vocalist with a lovely voice. The next time I spoke to him, he was strictly playing country music. Now, with the release of Surface Tension, a wonderful mix of various influences, including blues and jazz, we see the true diversity of this gifted artist. Fluid and muscular, each song flows with a gentle strength that will grab hold of you and not let go. The style and phrasing are certainly unique to Tony, but the raw emotion brings to mind another of my favorite guitarists, Robin Trower. This CD will leave you spellbound and asking for more.

James Hart Isley
Author of The Bear Hunter

Average customer rating:

Surface Tension
Aleph
Manufacturer: M2U
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD
ASIN: B000LZSFLK

Product Description

Korean Exclusive Reissue of Austrailian Prog Rock Act's Rare Album. Packaged in LP Miniature Cover. 6 Tracks.

Average customer rating:

Surface Tension
Circus
Manufacturer: President Records
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Rock | Styles | Music

Progressive Rock | Progressive | Rock | Styles | Music

Pop Rock | Pop | Styles | Music
ASIN: B000006XLP
Release Date: 2003-02-17

Average customer rating:

Surface Tension

Manufacturer: Michael Earhart
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | International | Styles | Music
ASIN: B000CA81HM
Release Date: 2002-04-09

Tracks:

(The Only Good) Fire Ant...
I Feel The Winds Of God Today
The Willow
Like Trees In November
On A Clear Day
In Loving Memory Of
...and The Dog
(Re)Surface
Girl, Walking Backwards

Average customer rating:

Surface Tension
Clockwork
Manufacturer: Sensory
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Latin Music | Styles | Music

General | Jazz | Styles | Music

General | Hard Rock & Metal | Styles | Music
ASIN: B000LWZNDG

Music Track:

Music Track

music track

Recommended Music:

Taxi [Original recording remastered] [Import]

Johann Sebastian Bach: Orchestral Music

Live in Paris [Live]

Music: High Mileage [Enhanced]

Lab Results

Junglesound: the Bassline [Import]

Kimidakeni Kizuitehoshii [CD-single] [Import]

Moonlight Serenade

Live at Brixton Academy 1999 [Live]

John Fogerty [Import]

Man of the Hour [Amazon.com exclusive] [CD-single]

Fuego

Just in Time

Dvorak & Suk: Small orchestral pieces

Oh What a Feeling, Vol. 2: A Vital Collection of Canadian Music