Oregon State Barometer

The Attila & Dave Project Breathes Life Back Into Defunct Genre

By Jake TenPas

Progressive rock is dead. Long live progressive rock.

Ask any rock critic, and they'll tell you it died in 1978 with the brutal invasion of punk. And yet, many never saw the obituary. Television, Present, The Caspar Brotzman Massaker and Material were a part of the latter group, but the vision of progressive rock that they carried on bore little resemblance to the genre during it's overblown heyday. For a true rebirth, time and distance from the jaded reviews of jealous and unimaginative critics was needed.

It's been heard that the '90s are supposed to be the second coming of the '60s. Puff Daddy is irrefutable proof of that theory's short comings. But maybe in the way that they challenge the repugnantly stagnant '80s in the same way the '60s kicked the backward '50s in the ass, they are. The newest release from the Attila & Dave Project, Lifeline, certainly supports this notion.
This is not to say that the Attila & Dave Project is simply restating the themes and sounds of progressive rock, but it's hard to listen to the first track of the album, "Seven Wonders in the Sunrise," with its moog synthesizer washes and late period Beatles guitar tones, and not conjure images of Yes at its late '60s/early '70s prime. Of course, Yes is a band renowned for John Anderson's weak and abstracted lyrics, as much as it is for Chris Squire and Steve Howe's amazing string work. Luckily, the Attila & Dave Project doesn't suffer in like fashion.

Instead, on "Moonlight," lead vocalist Attila Medveczky offers straight forward, imagistic lyrics, about a night of half-sleep, that perfectly compliments the dark, expressionist musical landscape. As the keyboards undulate between the realms of a carnival and a funeral pyre, Dave Stevenson's guitar adds perfect coloration. Then, out of nowhere, comes a tempo change that leaves you breathless, and the lyrics simultaneously launch into the subconscious world of dreams. But, just as suddenly as you're flying, you've landed; the keyboards fill your aural space with melancholy, leaving you feeling like you just woke up from a troubling fantasy.
Ultimately, it's this element of perpetual change (sorry for yet another Yes reference) that makes this album fly. Medveczky, Stevenson, and excellent drummer/percussionist/album cover designer Rusty Aceves understand that what made progressive rock great was it's use of contrasting dynamics. Songs move from soft acoustic guitar passages to searing, fuzzed leads; from restrained keyboard support to blissful moog overkill; and from minimal percussion to whiplash-inducing drum frenzies.

The only element lacking from Lifeline is arrogance. Although not usually an attribute, being arrogant enough to persue a musical idea to its climactic breaking point, with absolutely no concern for the public's perception, has always been crucial to great prog. Maybe that's not exactly what the Attila & Dave Project is going for, but as songs such as "Moonlight" and "Some Saturday Blues" illustrate, when they stretch out, the results are nothing short of spectacular.
Trust yourselves boys, and let your experimental side shine on the next album. If Lifeline is any indication, you could be the electrical spark that gets the heart of progressive rock beating again.