December 09, 2006
RPWL
Who says there are no good German Prog bands? (Who asked? ME, that's who!)
A really cool German Prog band that was referred to us by Mike Stoddard (he of Stag fame (if you haven't seen Stag, you need to find it here and check it out. RPWL started out as a Pink Floyd cover band, but eventually decided to do their own thing. You can hear a very strong Floyd-ian influence, although it's from the extremes of the Floyd years - there's a strong sense of the Syd Barrett and pre-DotM years, and a strong sense of the later post-Waters Floyd, not so much from the middle. You can also pick up some other British prog influences, especially early Genesis, and the band is not afraid to add in sitar and tabla for an Indian atmosphere.
RPWL is definitely not what you'd want in the car for a road trip, but it's exactly what you might want when you get to your destination and just want to chill. The ,usic wraps around you, symphonic psychedelia taking you on a journey through lush soundscapes.
This video is a live performance of the song roses, featuring the original guest vocalist, Ray Wilson.