Progressive Rock is alive and well and residing in Los Angeles with the eponymous debut CD release by Days Between Stations. Founded in 2003 by guitarist Sepand Samzadeh and keyboardist Oscar Fuentes, the Californians named themselves after the novel by Steve Erickson and have devoted themselves to, as they say, 'Art Rock' and 'Post Prog' - music that reflects their varied influences, as well as a shared disregard for stylistic boundaries. The duo's new CD, released in October on Bright Orange Records, was engineered by Evren Goknar of the Capitol Mastering team who is best known for his work with Queensryche, Heart, Sammy Hagar and the Red Hot Chilli Peppers.
Although some music critics have been quick to tout the band as the "new Pink Floyd", guitarist Sepand is adamant that the band's music stands on its own and Pink Floyd was barely in their mind-set when the album was conceived. "Pink Floyd broke so many boundaries and introduced so many ideas, that it is near impossible not to be influenced by them... the same would go for The Beatles. The influences are certainly there, but the music is Oscar and I in our purity. The range of emotions you hear are borne only from our thoughts and experiences." "It's obviously very flattering to be compared to Pink Floyd", adds Fuentes, "but it's curious to me that that's all some people are hearing. We've been influenced by a lot of artists - from Marillion to Nirvana to Porcupine Tree to John Coltrane to Gorecki - and the music reflects that, obviously at times, but we don't try to be anyone other than Days Between Stations."
As mentioned, both Samzadeh and Fuentes have numerous influences that emerge throughout the CD, such as: Marillion, Genesis, Tangerine Dream, Depeche Mode, Radiohead, Brian Eno, Godspeed You! Black Emperor, Debussy, King Crimson, Bartok and countless others.
Here's what the critics have been saying about Days Between Stations:
"This is an instrumental album with the taste of classic progressive rock/avant-garde era. I can sense the band members were highly influenced by Pink Floyd, King Crimson and some parts even made me think of Alan Parsons. I really like this album and can easily picture these guys making a movie soundtrack." Hande Burdg, Prog Files
"The band's music is exciting and never predictable... it stretches one's imagination heavily. I would recommend this CD and the band to any person who finds enjoyment listening to very intricate instrumentals packed with emotion and looking for an extreme sensory ride through the sounds created by the band." Ulli Heiser, Rocktimes
"As soon as I finished with the first listen of the CD the first thought that came into my mind was what a wonderful combination of Peter Gabriel's Eastern Asian and African influence, along with Pink Floyd and King Crimson ... the music 'is a dreamscape where imagination and reality collide and merge.' This seems to be a fitting description of the first impression of the music, especially the term 'dreamscape'. However, after listening to the CD several times I was blown away with the extreme amount of emotion that the instrumentals depict. The CD brings the listener into a dark world of pain and suffering of the human spirit, but not so dark as to be overbearing or depressing. The sound is extremely intricate and wonderfully performed." Progressive Music Rules
Days Between Stations has delivered an innovative and uncompromising debut CD. And while much of the material on the album is dark (and deals, albeit instrumentally, with dark themes) and quite long - "Requiem For The Living", which opens the album, is over 13-minutes long, while the epic closer "Laudanum" clocks in at over 22 minutes - the band does exhibit a 'light' side.
"The theme of the album is, for me personally", ponders Fuentes , "about coping with illness, death and loss, and trying to find the meaning in the aftermath of this loss. I think, melancholy though the album may be, we do ultimately offer a light at the end of the tunnel." "It's about the poetry of the mind and the human spirit", concludes Samzadeh.
Although, not an option at first, due to the overwhelming response from fans, Days Between Stations are planning to perform live in 2008. They are already at work on a follow-up album, and there are also plans to release an EP featuring non-album tracks and demos. The duo also hope to branch out into film scoring.
The debut CD by Days Between Stations can be obtained through CD Baby, iTunes and the band's official websites: www.daysbetweenstations.com and www.myspace.com/daysbetweenstationsband