Swedish quartet Cyan Marble love prog-rock and classic TV in the vein of Star Trek, Twilight Zone, and Planet of the Apes. They formed in 2007 with the intention to play challenging prog-rock as a tribute of sort to their heroes. After a lineup shuffle, the group emerged with a looser sound steeped in jazz and experimental tendencies. After being put on temporary hold, Cyan Marble emerged this year with an exciting sound that is true to their initial prog-rock inspirations. The stylistic and lineup shifts should cease to exist now, seeing that the band’s stylistic vision is at its clearest. They recently re-released an EP, Mirror, from last September. The second track in particular, “Monoceros”, caught my attention. Frontman Sebastian Brkic has vocals reminiscent of The Mars Volta; his theatrical croon wavers between deep reflections and shrieking falsetto as shimmering guitar riffs fly by. A haunting organ lingers in the background over patient percussion as the song opts for a start-stop approach, momentarily serene but enjoyably chaotic for the most part. There’s a lot of great ideas to be found on Cyan Marble’s “Monoceros”, and the entire Mirror EP as a whole.
