theDEEPstate: “Mysinformation Highway Pt. 2” (release date July 9, 2021)

Something Grand This Way Comes

Prolific, Progressive, and Dark

Ok. If I’m following the story-line correctly there are two musically gifted pals who toured in Europe and UK for a year, in 1995.

At some point in 2019 or 2020, they decided to initiate an astonishing outpouring of music, of which “Mysinformation Highway Pt. 2” is the latest, the second full-length album, which came hard on the heels of three EP’s, a twenty-nine minute epic piece, and a 50-plus minute edit of “Mysinformation Highway Pt. 1 and 2”.

Whew. I think I have all that somewhat correctly.

Ralph Cardall – Electric Guitars, Acoustic Guitars, Bass, Taurus Pedals, Moog Synths, Mellotron, Keyboards, Dulcimer

James Sedge – Drums and Percussion

Then The Artist

Well, just because the art work has become part of theDEEPstate and Phil has become a member of the outfit.

Plus

On “Mysinformation Highway Pt. 2”, there’s a tune featuring vocalist/composer Louise Dowd.

What About the Tunes?

Band info mentions past masters like YES, RUSH, KING CRIMSON and early GENESIS. It’s all instrumental music, except for “Mean Red Day“, the song mentioned above, and personally, that track is fine, yet feels a little off-kilter from the rest of the album.

I can get some of the Genesis references- plenty of fine, majestic, mellotron-laden passages with those great Taurus pedals, and synthesizer parts. Maybe not so much of the others, but it’s hard for a serious progressive rock musician NOT to be influenced by those giants one way or another.

“Beetles in My Brain” has those grand, morose passages, chiming guitar lines, rumbling held bass notes, and some sizzling lead guitar. There is plenty of Latin-style percussion, quirky synth lines, and dark, eerie mellotron.

“Can’t Control You” opens with gentle flute-mellotron, which leads to a symphonic passage. The band describes itself as “cinematic” and “soundtrack” inspired, and I think that’s accurate throughout. The live drumming really underlines for me how much life that brings to music, vs. programmed drumming, no matter how tastefully done.

“Carmina Burana” has me scratching my head since it’s an epic, well-known passage, maybe Wagner?, that I can’t quite identify. At any rate, the track come blasting in, heavy, pompous, grabbing the attention. It’s regal with grand chords, and that choral mellotron theme that grows.

“Mean Red Day” stands out from the pack since it does have Ms. Dowd’s vocals, and she sings beautifully. For me though it stood out in the sense that it was different enough to seem a little incongruous. I thought it had some pop elements, but also plenty of progressive cred as well.

“Seduction and Desire” opens with crisp martial drumming, then a mysterious instrumental passage with gentle flute-mellotron and a lovely synth lead, jangling guitars over punchy chords, and a cool deep-synth passage. There are plenty of twists and turns, some searing lead guitar, and again a sweet flute-mellotron section plus some tasty acoustic guitar. Might be my current favorite track here.

“Sinister Memes” lives up to its name with ominous guitar and bass unison lines, crisp snare drum action, and ‘mystery and magic’ mellotron themes. There’s a cool wandering bass guitar/drums passage and a playful synth lead, then a tortured over-driven guitar meltdown.

And “Welcome to the Apocalypse” completes the album proper, with radio-tuning sounds, dialing in the right frequency, then choral mellotron, more radio frequency sounds and busy, complex drumming. There are space sounds and a deep synth passage flowing from left to right to left, string-sounds and drums, very intense, devolving into space sounds.

BONUS TRACK

I wasn’t quite sure what to make of this forty-four minute-plus extended track, “Mysinformation Highway Pt. 2 Transmission Edit“, and I’m still not sure of its purpose, but there, lurking like a leviathan, it waits to be unleashed.

It’s like a necklace, with voice transmissions from the fringes of rational human thought- UFO’s, alien bodies, defense mechanisms, all leading to the same basic tracks but intriguingly framed.

I suppose if I were on a road trip, needed some music to accompany me on a long, lonely, overnight trek on a barren highway- this might be the one.

In Conclusion

theDEEPstate has brought a lot of music to the table with plenty of mellotron and other keyboard magic, cinematic and grand in scope, and much to please the progressive rock fanatic, in “Mysinformation Highway Pt. 2“.