Empty Space Orchestra

Understanding the value of the space between notes is essential in composing progressive music. Be it jazz, metal, Afrobeat, classical or some likely amalgamation thereof, what isn't played is what gives shape to a piece. Putting the structural and melodic concerns of their instrumental movements first, the five highly schooled members of Empty Space Orchestra leave ego out of their playing, resulting in a sound more relatable to casual listeners than their more esoteric prog-rock brethren, such as early Mars Volta. Do Make Say Think flirting with Russian Circles before climatic stabs of Deftones-esque, densely distorted guitar and meaty rhythmic wallops blow the roof off paints a more accurate, though by no means complete, picture. Funky horns often trade off melodies and harmonies with Shane Thomas's versatile guitar lines, while the tremendous rhythm section of dynamic powerhouse drummer Lindsey Elias and bassist Patrick Pearsall hold it all together with groovy swagger. Precisely because they know how to let a good melody breathe without losing the appeal of virtuosic players bringing their considerable skills to bear, Empty Space Orchestra have created an album of progressive musical ideas that should be able to be processed and appreciated by a wide audience.