Eolian
Egg
Self-released
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Eolian's connection to past prog-rock giants shows on Egg, the band's 35-minute, single-track concept album. The group — frontman Ian O'Dougherty, drummer (and occasional Backbeat contributor) Sean Merrell and bassist Adam Edwards — offers a wide range of sounds and contours, summoning giants of the genre like Geddy Lee and Steve Howe in O'Dougherty's dizzying guitar work. The band's sound isn't quite as ambitious as that of progenitors Yes, Rush or Frank Zappa, but the album still boasts impressive moments. For example, the outro of "Circular," one of Egg's eight "sections," features thunderous drum lines and driving, dense melodies that are surprisingly catchy. Such downright rocking instrumental moments make up for some of the album's sillier vocal sections, haphazard segments all tied to the larger theme of eggs and birds. Indeed, it's hard to keep a straight face while listening to lines like "In the morning I'll be thinking about first breaking this egg/And in the morning flying to warm air."
