Search - Phideaux :: Doomsday Afternoon

Fun Like Music Used To Be!

G-Dexter | Lakewood, NY United States | 02/22/2008

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I'm old enough to remember back to the hey-day of the "Prog Rock" movement when purchasing an album was an experience. In those days, we weren't able to sample songs prior to buying them. And, at least where I grew up, we didn't have access to thousands of titles...a few hundred if we were lucky.



If we knew a band or singer we liked was releasing a new album, we would go to the record store at our first opportunity and hope the record wasn't already sold out. We would then pony up our $7.99 or whatever, and buy the album almost sight unseen. We may have had heard one song from the album played a couple of times on the radio, but we really had no idea what we might be getting. Once purchased, we'd take our 12" x 12" treasure home, unwrap the celephane and pull the record out of the cardboard sleeve. Then we would lay the needle in the track and start the experience. While we heard the music playing for the very first time, we would pour over the album cover and dust sleeve, absorbing every word of the lyrics, studying each photograph, and absolutely drooling over those fantastic paintings.



I can clearly remember the first time I heard such albums as ABBEY ROAD, TOMMY, GOODBYE YELLOW BRICK ROAD, AQUALUNG, THE LAMB LIES DOWN, A PASSION PLAY and CLOSE TO THE EDGE. Amazing in every way, and it was all new -like nothing I had ever heard before. I bought THE DARK SIDE OF THE MOON without ever having heard a note of it on the radio! That was a night I can never forget because it completely and irrevocably altered how I looked at music, art, and the world forever...a truly life changing experience.



Well, I recaptured that feeling a few days ago when I purchased Phideaux's DOOMSDAY AFTERNOON. True, I was able to sample the songs here on Amazon.com, but I was unprepared for what an amazing and wonderful experience I was about to enjoy. The music is very much in the vein of all my old favorites...different passages do indeed remind me of Jethro Tull, Genesis, David Bowie and The Alan Parsons Project. Not nearly as lush perhaps as Pink Floyd or Yes, but the same spirit is there. But please don't get me wrong - this is not some retro cover band slogging out uninspired tomes. This band is completely fresh, fun, challenging and is breaking new ground. But somehow, they managed to capture the very essence of what made me love music so much more than 30 years ago.



If you love music, and especially the bands I've mentioned above, Do yourself the great favor of trying Phideaux. I can't wait to get the rest of their albums - they're just that good!"

An amazing album

R. Martino | 07/03/2007

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Once again Phideaux sets the bar even higher and creates a moody, beautiful concept album of recurring/overlapping themes (and effective use orchestral instruments as well). Easily some of the best new music I've heard this decade, this album incorporates killer melodies/songwriting, with creative arrangements and production... totally compelling and addictive. It's dark and deep yet fun at the same time, growing on you more with each listen. The influence of music like Jethro Tull, Pink Floyd, Moody Blues, and early Genesis is there but Phideaux's unique musical personality really shines through. Art rock at it's best, magical and passionate. It's been quite a while since new music made an impact on me like this."

A must-hear album.

Jeri Riggs | New York | 08/24/2007

(5 out of 5 stars)

"As the latest in a stream of carefully crafted, complex and intricate music created by Phideaux in recent years, this album is the best yet. It is truly a concept album, with melodies, musical structures, themes and instrumentals that echo, resonate, recur and interweave . This musical play is a delight to the ear and a puzzle that rewards the mind of the listener. It is akin to an aural novel, in that it tells a story with song and music, but it is also a masterpiece of crafting and effect, moving the listener with themes and harmonies. If it were a movie, you would want to see it several times, marveling in the storyline and each time being rewarded by new insights. It is a work of art, including the marvelous booklet that illustrates each song with paintings by Molly Ruttan. Don't miss it; you will love it."