The Aaron Clift Experiment, Outer Light, Inner Darkness

If you hate progressive rock, I am sorry for that. As long as I am sent good prog I will cover it. The same goes for all the genres I generally review when worthwhile, and that includes prog's trumped up (no not Donald-Trumped-up, that is another problem I address elsewhere) nemesis punk or alt. These kinds of frictions may create readership but I reject it all on principal. Prog had a period of excess long ago and that should be forgotten to my mind. There is good music to be heard out there today.

So yes, we have a very capable prog band at hand, the Aaron Clift Experiment and their album Outer Light, Inner Darkness (self released). It's a quartet headed by Aaron on keys and lead vocals, Eric Gutierrez on guitar (he's very good!) and mandolin, Devin North on electric bass and double bass, and Joe Resnick on drums and percussion. Some of the songs add arranged strings and that sounds nicely with the torque of the core group.

These are very good musicians, the songs are strong and well sung by Aaron, and the arrangements are well wrought. It's a basic lyricism going on, spiced by elaborate arrangements in the prog tradition but not derivative-sounding, and some good guitar work from Gutierrez.

It all comes off as original, a new band with a new sense of possibilities.

Hey, this is substantial music, not puffery, and it holds up with a bunch of listens. So go there if prog floats your boat!