Progressive rock is a very difficult genre of music to work in for musicians. The very nature of “prog rock” is that it progresses in form, arrangement, meter, etc. as it continues along. In order to accomplish this, an artist needs to have the musical knowledge and ability to write and perform this kind of material with enough style and instrumental flourish to keep the listener engaged. Even on a lyrical level, progressive rock is usually on a different plain of existence. Notable progressive rock groups such as Genesis, Yes, and King Crimson often wrote unique, abstract lyrics that could be delved into and explored as much as the music itself could. Pop music tends to be the antithesis of these things but not in any kind of negative way. Pop is more often than not, punchy, direct, linear, catchy, and more formulaic. The marriage of these two genres is not an easy task; yet Michael Lee attempts to do it on much of his 2009 album, Face Forward.
The best thing Lee does throughout the record’s eleven tracks is create remarkable arrangements that are more rich and textured than most conventional rock or pop songs could ever try to be. Even more notable is that he largely accomplishes this by himself. With the exception of drums (played by Will Gates) and some organs and synthesizers (played by Christopher Lever) on two tracks, Lee is responsible for virtually every sound on the album. Fortunately, unlike other multi-instrumentalists, Lee doesn’t pick up an instrument that he doesn’t play well. The guitar tracks in particular are where Lee really shines, from the acoustic picking on “Mystery of Life”, to the riff-rocking on “Never Enough Time”, and the chiming rhythm of “Land of Change” which also features a great bass line.
One performance issue that affects Lee at times is his voice. By no means is his voice bad, but there’s two traits to it that negatively impact the album. First, Lee’s pronunciation of some words, and at times whole verses, is muddled and slurred. Parts of the song “Trust” are very difficult to understand, including how he sings the word “trust” itself. The second issue is Lee’s tackling of the lead and overdubbed harmony vocals. His upper register is stronger than his lower, which occasionally makes his harmonies better sung than the leads. Other times Lee’s vocals sound so similar that the harmonies are ineffective. Compare the backing vocals on “Land of Change” to those on “Distant Future” sung by Martin Drabik. The latter song’s stronger contrast in the two voices provides a more dynamic sound that emphasizes the song’s poignant lyrics more.
On the subject of lyrics, this is where Face Forward has the most difficulty. As previously mentioned, effective progressive rock has a combination of strong musical and lyrical arrangements. For much of the album, the music is at a rock/prog hybrid level while the lyrics are firmly rooted in pop/rock. “Land of Change” has a lyric that is an unfortunate cliché and slightly preachy call for change that isn’t delivered with the same vigor the music is. The same criticism is easily applied to “Youth” where the lyric tries to convey the frustration of the younger generation in the world but it just doesn’t quite capture it. The point of view that Lee writes from comes across as more of a teenage stereotype than an actual teen’s thought process, and it doesn’t match up with the tense musical atmosphere Lee wonderfully lays down.
The second half of the album remedies this mostly by steering more towards traditional rock. ”In the Picture” provides a great perspective on the frustration caused by another man infringing on the narrator’s relationship with his loved one. The previously mentioned “Distant Future” is another fantastic lyric with the striking line “but you didn’t know I was a troubled soul, waiting for direction”. On both of these songs the acoustic base for the song and vivid imagery of the lyrics form great musical pieces and in completely different tones. “In the Picture” is bleak and slightly angry while “Distant Future” is hopeful and borderline plucky. The greatest combination of Lee’s efforts is “Never Enough Time” which captures the progressive elements, rock influences and dark musical tone and pits them against an equally dark lyric. Though Lee doesn’t really reach this peak elsewhere on the album, this song is evidence enough of his talent and potential.
Overall, Face Forward is too ambitious for it’s own good; “Youth” is over long without actually being progressive, the blazing guitar solo on “Despite” seems somewhat out of place, and the instrumental title track is a little superfluous. Still, these songs feature breathtaking arrangements and glimpses into great potential. As mentioned before, trying to wed pop/rock and progressive rock is not an easy task. Later-day Genesis tried it and at times completely abandoned the prog rock side, Asia tried it and were considered laughable by many critics, Yes tried it and were called sell outs. At best, Michael Lee has crafted an imperfect album with great moments and at worst he’s in highly noteworthy company. Either way, that’s not bad at all for someone as young and fresh in his career as he is.
Review by Heath Andrews
