Search - Far Corner :: Far Corner

Absolutely Unique

Mario G. Mejia | Houston, Texas United States | 08/25/2005

(5 out of 5 stars)

"For all of those who are tired of regular prog rock or progressive metal, Far Corner is a wonderful and challenging alternative. This is not a regular prog band, this is an ensemble, yes, chamber rock music. A piano (synthezisers, organ also), a cello, a drums kit and an meaty bass. The musis is magistrally composed by Dan Masque ( piano player) and shows a great level of complexity and musicality at the same time, it has to be heard to be believed. Additionally the instrumental interplay is top notch, full of dynamic and changes without overwhelming the listener or distracting it from the spirit of the piece.

It is also important to mention that the quality of the recording is excellent, great stereo separation and full detail.

This recording will become a classic in the symphonic genre. Believe or not, this is classical music played in a very interesting way.

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Check Every Corner

Dave_42 | Australia | 03/24/2008

(4 out of 5 stars)

""Far Corner" is the first album from the group of the same name. This instrumental group creates a form of progressive rock which involves a mix of classical, chamber, and rock, along with a bit of jazz fusion mixed in for good measure. Parts of some of the pieces reminded me of ELP and King Crimson, but with their unique group of instruments and a style all their own, this album is by no means an attempt to recreate someone else's sound. The base of the group is keyboards, bass, cello, and percussion, but they are not limited to those instruments.



This debut was released on September 21, 2004, and opens with the engaging and powerful driving "Silly Whim". The listener is immediately drawn to the surging beat and rhythm changes, along with the instrumentation. This is followed by "Going Somewhere?" which is an interesting piece but one which wasn't quite up to the opening number for me. The next three tracks are the three movements to a piece titled "Something Out There" which also involves a lot of improvisation. The first movement is a bit experimental and kind of meanders along. The second movement steps immediately into overdrive with a driving beat and some wonderful keyboard and bass work with the cello adding in to a lesser extent. The last movement returns to more of the meandering and experimentation of the first movement.



"With One Swipe of Its Mighty Paw" is another of the powerful and grabbing pieces on this album. The mix of cello, keyboards and bass is excellent with the percussion holding everything together. "Outside" is a bit calmer, but still offers good interplay between the instruments. It is not outstanding, but a solid track. In a similar vein, "Tracking" offers some more complex rhythms and melodies, but comes in a bit short when compared to the strongest tracks on the album. "The Turning" is another of the engaging pieces which really grab the listener's ear. Alternating with syncopated rhythms and melodious sections, it is a real treat. The album ends with the longest single track called "Fiction". Once again featuring varied rhythms and wonderful interplay between the musicians, it is a good way for the group to finish this debut album.



This is an impressive debut album, to say the least. The group consists of William Kopecky (electric bass - fretless & fretful), Dan Maske (grand piano, Hammond organ, synthesizers, additional percussion), Angela Schmidt (acoustic and electric cello), and Craig Walkner (percussion). Each of the members contributes a lot to the final product, and are clearly very fine musicians. Frederick Schmidt (clarinet) and Heather Schmidt (flute) are guest musicians on the album. Dan Maske composed all the pieces, though on "Something Out There" one has to credit all the musicians for their improvisations. This album deserves around 4 ½ stars, though I will round down to 4 so they have some room for improvement.

"