Custodian, The: Necessary Wasted Time

The debut release from The Custodian - Necessary Wasted Time is filled with melodic prog rock that never gets too heavy; a nice blend of electric, acoustic guitars and keyboards throughout. The band themselves are currently remaining in obscurity.

They are a four piece band consisting of:

F = vocals, guitar, drums, keyboards

A = guitars

P = acoustic guitar

J = bass guitar

Hmm…? Perhaps they are all taking a page out of Marillion's Steve Hogarth or "h" with regard to their names. Anonymity not withstanding these individuals will make a name for themselves if they continue to deliver tremendous product like this.

Many of the tracks are mostly instrumental offerings; periodically enhanced with background voices or effects that add great atmosphere to the songs (think Pink Floyd's Dark Side of the Moon). I would say the only minor issue I had (and it is minor) was the vocals do tend to be very sparse; but that being said, the vocals do sound great. "F" has a vocal range that blends very well with the songs and the harmonies fill in quite nice when utilized.

Highlights for me were:
"Stop Talking" which has some great acoustic guitar work. The layered guitars and keyboards lay down a great foundation for the song as it flows through various tempo changes. Vocals are initially processed creating an excellent atmosphere to the song. One wishes songs like this would find their way to radio stations rather than most of the "stuff" that is out there.

The title track "Necessary Wasted Time" is the real stand out for me. All the best elements of the band are blended into this song. Exemplary instrumental passages and fantastic vocals take this almost nine minute track to the top of my list. The only thing I wished for was more... this has "epic" written all over it. This one features some very catchy riffs and perfect time changes, near the end of the song there are some vocal effects that sound a bit like a radio or PA announcer which is followed by a beautiful piano passage at around the six minute mark. The listener is then brought back to the opening instrumental piece of the song followed by a tasteful guitar solo that finishes up the track.

Overall this is really great stuff; one band that came to my mind while I was listening to this was Porcupine Tree as The Custodian feature the same type of very melodic music. As stated before it never gets too heavy as each track has you swaying along with the music. A friend of mine upon his first listen described this as "dreamy music"; I think that sums it up quite nicely. Give it a try and enjoy the dream…

Track Listing;
01. The Man Out Of Time ~ 3:28
02. Stop Talking ~ 5:14
03. Other People's Lives ~ 6:59
04. Persona ~ 5:17
05. Things We Tell Ourselves ~ 8:33
06. Departure ~ 3:39
07. The Sun Is God ~ 7:16
08. Necessary Wasted Time ~ 8:47

Added: February 28th 2013
Reviewer: Terrell Brooks
Score:
Related Link: Band Facebook Page
Hits: 3060
Language: english

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