author: Jon Neudorf
Wilton Said are a Canadian progressive rock outfit from Toronto and have been around since the late 90’s. This is the first I have heard of them, and it has been a pleasure listening to their latest album The View. This is pretty interesting stuff. I can hear bits and pieces of artists like Queen, Roxy Music, and David Bowie but in no way are they derivative. They have infused a classic guitar sound from the 70’s with a modern sensibility that sounds fresh and exciting. I found myself having a sense of nostalgia while listening to this record, but I did not find this to be a bad thing.
The album starts with a short carnival-like intro with interesting voicings which leads directly into the second song “Heavy Motion”. The song has a pounding bass and guitar that took me back to the 1970s. Wilton Said’s vocals are excellent with some nice falsetto that somewhat reminded me of Freddy Mercury, and that is not a comparison to be made lightly as we all know how tremendously talented he w
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The music is powerful and evocative, the lyrics are startling in their clarity,
author: Doug LeBlanc from Yahoo Group Canprog
You know, part of the problem in doing a review of a progressive rock CD is that as a prog fan, you're almost certain to like at least parts of it before you even give it a fair hearing. It’s like asking a child what part of a chocolate bar he or she likes best. So, in doing a review of "The View" by Toronto’s Wilton Said... I must admit to a certain prejudice before I even gave it the customary three listenings.
The temptation is to roll out the usual list of superlatives in describing this work. Instead, I will list the faults with it. To start with, those who do not like progressive music are gonna HATE this. It drips progressive music, strange time signatures, lyrics that evoke feeling, music that is not at all easy to get into. If Mantovani and Lawrence Welk light up your day, give it a pass. If you’re looking for top ten material, songs that would sell soda pop, er, no.
But if you're looking for musical challenge, this album is for you. If Peter Gabriel and Fish are in
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The View is an album packed with a variety of musical twists and turns.
author: Progscape.com - Reviewer: Bill Knispel
Wilton Said (the band) AND Wilton Said (the musician) hail from Toronto Ontario. Said’s quirky mix of art rock influences (Queen, Bowie, Kate Bush battle with Sarah Slean and A Perfect Circle for prominence) is on full display on The View, his newest release.
Said holds a degree in Musical Composition from York University, and his contributions on vocals/piano/keyboards are joined by those of Andrew Buntain (bass), Richard Rizzo (drums) and Chris Reid (guitars). Sonically the band has forged a sound that focuses heavily on rock, with buzzing guitars, a punchy rhythm section, and Said’s dramatic, inflected vocals flitting in and out of the mix. The tracks on The View are pretty immediately accessible, but with enough quirk and twisted arrangement to move the band out of the mainstream. Art rock is quite possibly the best categorisation for their music, as it seems in many ways the logical extension of the direction bands such as Roxy Music or the Spiders From Mars took in the 1970’s
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I would definitely say The View is highly recommended independent or otherwise r
author: Ron Fuchs of Prognaut
Wilton Said returns in 2006 with the release of The View. This release contains some of most eclectic styles ranging from hard rocking to some dissonant singing to symphonic & art rock. On The View, the band explores several themes which makes up humanity and the way we view ourselves. All songs are sung with a flare that still reminds me of a blend of Geoff Mann and Freddie Mercury.
I enjoy each and every track on this album but to me the highlight is the 3 part of The Empty Sky. This one will surely lure in the symphonic and neo prog fans. Wilton Said has always, to my ears, has always thrown out the rule book on progressive rock and re-written it to suite their musical ideals. While, they stay within the song-based format, they stretch it out to include things that make up progressive rock.
With each release, Wilton Said refines themselves and while I enjoy their other releases, The View seems to be their defining moment to date. Wilton Said really brings back the fun and adv
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