Neograss — Talisman (Neovision, 2021)
Newgrass is the really cool story of a Norwegian bluegrass band that evolved into an excellent progressive rock act. On their album Talisman, inspired by a fantasy board game, multi-instrumentalists Emil Bekkevold and Tore Morten Andreassen deliver a finely crafted set of songs that capture the essence of timeless progressive rock with a dash of folk music.
Talisman features scintillating, warm vocals; intricate and inventive instrumental passages; psychedelic guitars; mesmerizing atmospheres; superb Mellotron work; and occasionally some prog jams.
The lyrics in Talisman center on themes of introspection, emotional connection, memory, and spiritual or dreamlike experience. The writing style of the band is poetic and abstract.
Musicians: Emil Bekkevold on vocals, banjo, keyboards; Tore Morten Andreassen on guitar, bass, Mellotron; and Bjørn André Syverinsen on drums.
Buy Talisman.