Although Kaipa was formed many moons ago, the band has contemporary associations with The Flower Kings. That right there should scare off the faint of heart. And to be frank with you, if I didn't have to review this CD to rid myself of my piles of promos, I'd be running off with those folks.

Kaipa put out a few records in the 70s and early 80s before taking one of the longest hiatuses in musical history. Notes From the Past is the band's first release in a couple decades. Originally I was all set to smear the band for casting their line in maudlin, cheesy overblown 70s progressive rock till I read their biography. At least Kaipa can state they were part of that scene. So now I'm forced to write how this band is excruciatingly dull in their 2002 rendition of 1976 prog.

Notes From the Past tends to remind me a bit of mid 70s Genesis, once Peter Gabriel left the fold. There is no doubt about Kaipa's technical ability, which is the cavaet nearly every single talented, but tedious act receives. The real issues are just the songwriting and structuring, as well as the fact the band bothered to record this in the first place. Kaipa's reliance on exceptionally long and drawn out songs means they'd darned well better put something in there that keeps one's attention, but instead they just throw in a variety of keyboard passages and a lot of really goofy lyrics.

Perhaps resurrecting Kaipa was a lot of fun for the musicians involved, but let's just say there really isn't much room in the world for yet another 70s prog act that just doesn't know when to say when.

Review by John Chedsey

Review date: 02/2004

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Just when I thought power metal was one of the most ignoble, wretched of genres...

Rehashed 70s prog rock is now on my list of things that just needs to stop. Sure, Kaipa was there back in the day, but what's so hard about staying back there? It's 2004 as of this writing and at the very least, rehash some Devo or something that pretends to be modern. Kaipa serves no purpose but to agitate and beleaguer poor music journalists who, at one point, thought the concept of getting free CDs in the mail for review was pretty neat. And people wonder why I've asked to be removed from promotional mailing lists.

This gluttonous exercise in showy overabundance is enough to make people hate rock music and listen to the ceiling fan. Kaipa seems to think that their ponderous, cumbersome song structures are progressive, when all it is repeating similar concepts over and over. Length does not equal progressive. In this case, length equals wasting my valuable time which could be spent petting kitties! How dare Kaipa interfere with precious kitty time! Are they cat haters? Do they condone throwing kittens into rivers? But I doubt they would do that, since their lyrics are incredibly sappy and drippy. In fact, whenever their singer opens his mouth (or worse, the lady who provides some very lousy lead vocals here and there), I shout, "Shut up! Please shut up!" Unfortunately they don't listen.

I really thought Notes from the Past was a chore to sit through, but Keyholder is even less tolerable. I really wish you so called "prog" fans would stop encouraging bands like this. The world could be a much better place if we left the 70s behind and focused on our kitty petting instead.

Review by John Chedsey

Review date: 03/2004

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