Scott's Song by Song #94: T.A.P - Paradigms 2
Welcome to issue #94 of Scott’s Song By Song (#scottssongbysong). For more information about this series, click here:
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T.A.P are a progressive rock band led by composer/keyboardist Michael Jobborn. On their first album, which I have not heard (2023’s “Paradigms”) the band was rounded out by Warr-guitarist/multi-instrumentalist Mark Cook (Phase of Twilight and others) and Guitarist/Vocalist/multi-instrumentalist Suzi James (Fearful Symmetry, whose wonderful latest album “I’ve Started…So I’ll Finish” is reviewed on this blog as well!). Paul Sears and Bill Bachman were both contributors on the first album on the drum throne. This time around Bill Bachman is a full member. Bill is renowned for his work as a drumming educator, including his work with several Drum Corps around the US. (DCI- Drum Corps International- is a deep rabbit hole that I have been familiar with since my college days!) But his prog resume is impressive as well: (From the press release) “Bill is the drummer for Herd of Instinct, Spoke of Shadows, has toured with progressive rock artist Neal Morse, is on recordings with Trey Gunn (King Crimson), Colin Edwin (Porcupine Tree), Adam Holzman (Miles Davis & Steven Wilson), and Gerald Albright (Grammy award winning saxophonist)”. So the musical talent in this band is absolutely staggering!
This album comes courtesy of Anne-Claire Rallo of Bad Dog Promotions. As always, I receive no additional compensation, and am free to “call it like I hear it”. In fact, when I received the email offering this review to me from Anne-Claire, I replied “You had me at Suzi James”. The album “Paradigms II” is to be released on October 3, 2026 on the Prog Rock Essentials label (Ordering info follows the review). As per my usual method, this is a cold listen.
Time to dig into the music!
T.A.P are:
Michael Jobborn - concepts, keys
Mark Cook - Warr guitar, bass, 12-string guitar, synth, sitar, strings, choir
Suzi James - acoustic/electric guitars, keys, flute, violin
Bill Bachman - drums, percussion
Additional Contributors on tracks:
2. Chris Gill - guitar
Chris Messina - synth
4. Steve Bonino - guitar, lyrics/vocals
5. Gayle Ellett - mellotron, acoustic/electric guitars
6. Massimo Pieretti - piano, synth
Gayle Ellett - bouzouki, mellotron
8. Tenk van Dool - mandolin, guitar
Chris Gill - guitar
Track 1 - Galaxy Unknown (4:28)
An organ riff, accented with drums starts us off with an odd meter. The rest of the band soon joins in. There is a guitar solo after around 45 seconds. A softer section follows with alternating acoustic and electric instruments in the spotlight. This is a wonderful instrumental musical journey with many layers. As one might expect, the talent level here is through the roof! A teriffic opener!
Track 2 - A Beacon of Light (12:17)
This one fades in with some guitar effects and synth tones. It feels like the first rays of sunlight at dawn, matching the title. Electric piano chords bring a sense of rhythm. The bass line provides melodic movement. The chords are layered among many instruments, giving a rich tonal pallate. This is moving at a moderately slow tempo and a relaxed feel. The guitar solo that happens at around the 4 minute mark brings a balance of melodicism and complexity. A droning section after that leads to an upbeat groove on the bass and drums. It begins to take on a jazz fusion flavor. Synth and guitar solos float over the top of the rhythm bed. Just before 7:30 things calm down and a new section begins. Sitar sounds are a part of the soundscape. Bill's marching band experience shows in his snare part. At 8:45 we are down to lead guitar, bass and keys. The drums subtly return. We are in a slower 6-8 at this point. At 9:55 a more strident beat that reminds me of old TV themes takes over. There are so many moods in this piece; I love it! At 11:30, it reminds me of how it began. What an absolutely fantastic instrumental piece of music!
Track 3 - A Dramatic Interlude (4:06)
Electric piano, bass and lead guitar start this off. The drums enter a moment later. This is in a moderately slow 6-8, so far, but the title tells me something is going to happen. The tempo increases slightly and becomes more rhythmic afetr a small crescendo. I believe that is the Warr guitar taking the solo that follows. I love the sataccato bass and guitar riff at around 2:20. Things begin to build up at around 3:20. The track ends with a long, sustained chord. A wonderful piece, but not as dramatic as the title indicated.
Track 4 - A Hole in the Ground (6:14)
Rich electric piano chords and clean guitars start us off here. Lead guitar emerges. And then--Vocals! Guest musician Steve Bonino is on this track with guitars and vocals. (This is not the first time his name has appeared in one of my reviews!) The drums begin to emerge as we progress. Mark Cook's basslines are fantastic on this album. Steve's voice seems a little buried in the mix at times. The drums might be a little too far back at times, as well. I like the song, but I don't feel like it's mixed as well as it could be. It would benefit from a better presentation. It ends with droning sounds.
Track 5 - 4th Dimensional Wave (11:50)
Sound effects fade in and guitars join. This starts out sounding like some sort of alarm. Soon, though, the music gets melodic with a fantastic guitar solo; I believe it is Suzi James. We are in a moderately slow tempo. The keys are playing a mellotron style chorus behind the solo. Some intricate rhythmic patterns follow. This keeps building, slowly and gradually. At around 4:20 we get into odd meters. At 5:45, the rhythm shifts into a different groove. I am really enjoying this one! There are tons of changes! Gayle Ellet of Djam Karet and his band the Electromags adds his keyboard abilities to the soundscapes. Probably my favorite track, so far.
Track 6 - Lyrical Paradox (3:50)
This one has a bit of a swing to it. Sort of a mellow melodic tune. The sound gets bigger just after the one-minute mark. Great melodies in this one. I love the slide guitar in it; it reminds me of the slide guitar in “And You and I” from Yes. This is a nice little piece. Ellet is back with bouzouki on this, and Massimo Pieretti (whom I have reviewed as well) adds keyboards.
Track 7 - Outlooks of the Closed-Minded (6:29)
This opens with some accents and jazz chords. It has a fusion feel to my ears. I love the syncopated rhythms. It reminds me of the Dixie Dregs a bit. Lots of melodies wind their way through this one. Wonderful track!
Track 8 - Wishful Solitude (:)
This one is more uptempo, yet lighthearted. As with most of the album, the melodies are abundant! At around 3:15 Suzi plays her flute. There are many interesting things in the soundscape. At just be for the 5 minute mark, a descending synth part that sounds like the 70s idea of a UFO landing takes over, then we get a bit funky! At around 6:45 we get a psychedelic organ sound. This is a very cool piece with many different things going on. Tenk van Dool (who I am not familiar with ) plays the mandolin at around 8:45. The melodies intertwine as we approach the ending. This is a wonderfully arranged prog instrumental. Great way to end this wonderful album.
OVERALL IMPRESSIONS:
I really liked that a lot! Unfortunately, I am not sure what happened on track 4, “A Hole in the Ground”. I have always liked Steve Bonino’s contributions and he always seems to be a good guy in the online interactions I have had with him, but something just didn’t work for me on that track. Otherwise, this is a fantastic album of mainly instrumental prog with some fusion tendencies. I give this a 4.5 out of 5 or 90%. Recommended!
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LINKS FOR LISTENING/BUYING:
Bandcamp page:
https://tapprog1.bandcamp.com/
Videos:
Trailer:
https://youtu.be/dxqKuVssQic?list=RDdxqKuVssQic
Trailer 2:
https://youtu.be/oKdZXP3aUKo?list=RDoKdZXP3aUKo
“A Dramatic Interlude”
“A Hole in the Ground”
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