Super-groups are everywhere in 2013, but nowhere more-so than in progressive music. It seems the milk of creativity is bringing some of the best names in the world together, is producing killer new albums. One such group is Levin Minnemann Rudess, and their stellar, new album LMR (Lazy Bones Recordings).

The names almost smack you in the face: Tony Levin is prog royalty, having played with many incarnations of King Crimson, Peter Gabriel, Liquid Tension Experiment, and even on David Bowie‘s new album. Marco Minnemann is best known for his work with Steven Wilson, The Aristocrats, but also tech death kings Necrophagist and Ephel Duath among many others. Marco may have provided the germ of the idea to create this project in fact. Finally, there is Jordan Rudess of Dream Theater. The collective history, professionalism, ingenuity, and class of these individuals can be heard dripping off every note of LMR.

From the first distorted bass notes of ‘Marcopolis’ that brings in the album, you get a full plate of sounds, both fun, funky and inspiring. Jazz inflected prog rock is the main course, but obviously the band has a flair for the dramatic and weird too. Each member takes a turn as the leader, but all of the parts ebb and flow in a studiously constructed and well composed manner. Some parts of the album are surprisingly heavy, which pleasantly caught me off guard. Minnemann provided the guitars too, which are nicely tucked into the mix, helping to support other sounds. Marco really lays it down on songs like ‘Frumious Banderfunk’, ‘Scrod’, ‘Mew’, and ‘Orbiter’. I bet he could do a new drumming DVD, just off of the work on this album. All in all, this is a must have album, but also for the modern newbie prog metal kids, if they really want a lesson in how great music is made and played.

 10/10

Keith (Keefy) Chachkes

Levin Minnemann Rudess website