Citizen Cain - Somewhere But Yesterday (1994)

Artista: Citizen Cain

Álbum: Somewhere But Yesterday
Año: 1994
Género: Rock sinfónico / Neo-progresivo
Duración: 67:48
Nacionalidad: Escocia

Lista de Temas:
1. Jonny Had Another Face (Parallel Lines)
2. Junk and Donuts (An Afterthought)
3. To Dance the Enamel-Faced Queen (Beyond the Boundaries)
4. Somewhere but Yesterday i. Owls ii. Obsessions iii. The Ballad of Creepy John iv. Echoes – The Labyrinth Penumbra v. All the Sin’s Men vi. Farewell (A Word in Your Ear)
5. Strange Barbarians (The Mother’s Shroud)

Alineación:
- Nick Arless / drums
- Stuart Bell / keyboards
- Cyrus / lead vocals, flutes
- Andy Gilmour / bass
- Alistair MacGregor / guitars

Otro disco que nos trae Alberto y que les dejo para que degusten en este fin de semana, y esta vez se despachó con los talentosos escoceses que alguien recién llegado puede confundir con una banda que copia a Genesis. Esto no es así, claroq ue tienen muchas influencias de ellos, pero también del temprano Marillion y hasta de Jethro Tull... incluso con algo de VDGG y Camel, pero las canciones de los escoceses son más complejas. Lo que sucede es que el timbre de voz de Cyrus, quien también lidera al grupo y lleva adelante ese poderoso bajo que comanda cada canción, es muy, pero muy similar a la de Peter Gabriel. Pero a mí me dan la sesación de que son demasiados honestos y crudos como para realmente querer imitar a Genesis o a cualquiera. Claro que siempre hay influencias y éstas, en este grupo, no se pueden negar. Pero esta música no es brillante y alegre como la Genesis. Aclarando este punto, seguimos...
Un álbum épico, oscuro como todos los discos de esta banda, una epopeya compuesta de excelentes composiciones que funcionan en capas superpuestas unas a otras, música que se pasea por muchos estados de ánimo diferentes, con algunos teclados maravillosos, un bajo omnipresente y y entrevesamienro de todos los instrumentos en un laberinto musical a veces difícil de desenmarañar.
En el disco no falta nada, ni la fuerza ni las secciones emocionales, tranquilas y pausadas, en ocasiones hasta nos encontramos con un doble juego de letras... aquí es todo casi enfermantemente complejo, y desde ya aclaro que no es un álbum fácil de escuchar, como ninguno de los álbums de esta banda. Este es uno de esos discos que crece en uno, y no hay que asombrarse si no gusta en la primera escucha, hay que prestarle atención y oírlo varias veces para dar un veredicto final, ya que si éste es el estilo que te gusta te puede resultar un álbum impresionante, que mientras más lo escuchas más te gusta.
Dueños de una música intrincada que uno o ama u odia, sin términos medios ni medias tintas, los Citizen Cain imprimen pasión desbordante en cada trabajo y ésta no es la excepción.
Pero vayamos a ver qué es lo que nos dice nuestro comentarista involuntario de siempre:

Con éste, su segundo disco oficial, la banda escocesa CITIZEN CAIN da un repaso definitivo a sus raíces genesianas y marillionescas con furia y pasión, manteniendo la herencia fastuosa y epopéyica del sinfonismo más pretencioso, hasta el punto de hacer de "Somewhere but Yesterday" una obra maestra del género neo-prog. La temática lírica del disco gira conceptualmente en torno a la corrupción autodestructiva de la sociedad humana y el inapelable ciclo de vida y muerte que inunda a todos los aspectos del Universo; ciertamente, las letras del vocalista-flautista CYRUS alcanzan unos picos miltonianos impresionantes e inescrutables, lo cual acentúa el aire mefistofélico y apocalíptico que constantemente se desborda a través del ampuloso repertorio (el segundo tema, que es el más corto, dura poco más de nueve minutos). La complejidad conceptual del disco se manifiesta en la inclusión de algunos pasajes de los tres primeros temas en ciertos momentos de la extensa suite homónima, sino también en el hecho de que cada tema tiene un epílogo con título propio. Ya para entonces la banda había pasado por una renovación crucial en sus filas. La nueva sección rítmica de Andy GILMOUR y Nick ARKLESS funciona de una manera muy precisa y bien afiatada, manejando con pulso perfecto los constantes cambios de ritmo y ambiente. Pero es el guitarrista Alistair MaCGREGOR quien se luce más notoriamente: su manejo diestro de las guitarras eléctricas y acústicas crea la magia necesaria que se necesita para complementar el trabajo fundamental de los teclados de Stewart BELL.
Una cadencia de acordes martilleantes de inicio al cautivante primer tema, ‘Jonny had another face’, que ofrece en algunos momentos algunos guiños inconfundibles a ‘Watcher of the skies’ y ‘Can-Utility’ de GENESIS. Por su parte, ‘Junk and donuts’ resulta un poco más denso, con un tono más solemne, introducido apropiadamente por el hermoso y breve prólogo de guitarra acústica. ‘To dance the enamel-faced queen’ contiene varios de los pasajes más entusiastas y frenéticos del disco, a veces rayanos con el tono hard que MARILLION metió en su "Fugazi". Pero ante todo, lo más fastuoso (dentro de lo fastuoso que de por sí es este disco en conjunto) queda reservado para los dos últimos temas. La suite homónima es un vendaval genesiano, lleno de giros dramáticos y quiebres melódicos por doquier, que se suceden sin parar con una fluidez inteligentemente armada. El tema cumbre es el que cierra el disco: ‘Strange barbarians’ encarna en muchas maneras todas las virtudes que se explayaron a lo largo de los temas anteriores. Lo que lo hace tan especial dentro del conjunto es el clímax final, casi un heredero directo del de "Supper’s ready", con esa hecatombe nuclear que explota en el silencio, cerrando con la reiteración del primer acorde de ‘Jonny had another face’. El círculo musical de "Somewhere but Yesterday" se cierra así, dejando constancia de la capacidad de CC de sorprender al oyente recreando la vieja magia del progresivo y darle una orientacion moderna a fin de reciclar las influencias añejas. Ésta es una obra cumbre del neo-prog, tal como dije en un inicio, por su derroche de ingenio en las composiciones, los arreglos y las conexiones bien armadas entre las partituras y la tortuosa temática narrativa.
En la distancia del tiempo, el valor musical de este impresionante disco puede interpretarse como el cierre brillante de una etapa de germinación del estilo propio de CITIZEN CAIN, previa a las exploraciones más autónomas de sus dos siguientes trabajos.

César Inca

Y vamos con los comentarios en inglés, y podría haber puesto muchos más, y leyéndolos parece increíble que este disco que gustó tanto no sea más conocido:

I have always had a real soft spot for these guys since their first release. "Somewhere But Yesterday" represents their second major release and remains to this day their strongest effort. I will admit that this has a strong early GENESIS feel to it (that is obvious), but Cyrus and gang bring a whole new dimension to the material. You will get strong keyboard work with hard driving themes carried by the great unorthodox vocals of Cyrus. Like wiskey, his vocals do take some time to get used to, but once you have the itch there is no turning back...I love his sound to be honest and find it nice and raw. The guitar work is brilliant and the music is magical all the way through...I am sure that if GENESIS had not fallen into the pop culture scene, they would have sounded something like this.

James Unger

For those of you who like early Genesis, this album will fit you. This CD is worth to buy at least for two beautifully crafted tracks: "Junk and Donuts" and "Somwhere But Yesterday" (epic). In "Junk and Donuts" you would find its introduction is Genesis-Blood on a Rooftops alike accoustic guitar part. Its really nice opening. When the vocals part enter you would immediately find the voice is 90% similar to Gabriel voice. This track is excellent. A big five star for its melody, compositions and movement between musical segments which were created excellently and smoothly. I could not afford not to repeat this track if I play this CD. Anyway, it's been so long I haven't heard this album I would play once I finish with this review. Now, if you start listening to 4th track "Somewhere But Yesterday" you will find how genius this band is in creating touchy melody. This is an epic with excellent composition. It would reach its climax when it hits minute "11:11" onward. The musical part is really nice here! It reminds me to Genesis "Supper's Ready" or "The Battle of Epping Forest". I bet that you would love these two tracks alone. Guaranteed! I don't try to demean the other tracks. Indeed, the opening track "Johny had Another Face" is excellent, uplifting track. You should buy this CD!

Gatot Widayanto

When first putting the CD on and glancing through the lyric sheet, I was a bit confused though as there are some words written down for what appears to be a track called 'Preface', which doesn't seem to appear to be on the album, but there is an instrumental played before 'Jonny Had Another Face' comes in, which may or may not be 'Preface'.
Anyway moving on, the first track is 'Jonny Had Another Face', which is an excellent track, complex, but thoroughly entertaining, lasting some ten and a half minutes. This is one of those tracks that grabs your attention straight away, the music wanders through many different moods, with some wonderful keyboards and guitar, while Cyrus's vocals are reminiscent to Peter Gabriel's GENESIS early '70's period. Towards the end the track changes and moves into 'Parallel Lines', I am not sure if this is supposed to be part of "Jonny." or whether it's a separate track, it works as either.
'Junks and Donuts' is another highly complex track, though appears to be a slightly quieter track, starting with some nice classical guitar, changes to electric and Cyrus's vocals come in. Already you can sense a strong melody. All of a sudden heavy guitar and keyboards come in, but only for a short time. There are many changes in direction, mood and tempo throughout this track and it has its moments when the band are really rocking. There's some nice flute parts in a similar vein to early Genesis and JETHRO TULL.
Another tagged on track 'An Afterthought', a very short track at 21 secs with strange lyrics. This leads to the next track 'To Dance The Enamel-Faced Quee' this track has a superb bass line and some highly complex keyboards. The tempo of this track is constantly changing, but most of the time it's played at a fairly quick pace. Great guitar and stunning keyboards. Now comes the longest track on the album at a mere 25 minutes, the title track 'Somewhere but yesterday', divided into six sections: 'Owls'. 'Obsessions', 'The Ballad of Creepy John', 'Echoes-The Labyrinth Penunbra', 'All the Sin's Men' and 'Farewell'.
'Owls', starts off with fade in keyboards, and then some intricate guitar. Cyrus's vocals again are reminiscent of Peter GABRIEL, but this is nice, soft and inviting. 'Obsessions', great bass, strong keyboards and great guitar. Vocals are superb and there's a strong melody and catchy chorus. Nice changes in direction, mood and tempo. 'The Ballad of Creepy John', this track starts off with the vocals sounding like a nursery rhyme, then goes into the track properly, nice track that kinda creepy (creepy John is a spider) 'Echoes - The Labyrinth Penunbra', intricate guitars, atmospheric keyboards and soothing flute while the drums play in a military style. When the vocals come in there's a double set of lyrics that come at you from different speakers. 'All The Sin's Men', starting with some stunning guitar work and nice keyboards and then there's a nice combination/interaction between keyboards and guitar, the Cyrus comes in with his version of the Lord's Prayer. 'Farewell' is more emotional, great vocals, guitar and keyboards with the end of the track fading to the sound of a piano and keyboards.
'A Word In Your Ear', sees some House of Lords speaker waffling on about "the role of the multi national company" before "retiring to the pub" with pubs sounds and a Yorkshire poet quoting some prose. The final track is 'Strange Barbarians', on this track there are some strong keyboards, powerful vocals from Cyrus. There some great bass going on and there's a few other influences on this track, VDGG and CAMEL, this sequel into 'The Mother's Shroud', this track is around two and a half minutes long with Cyrus's vocals sounding more like a preacher and some stunning guitar work and then the whole thing ends with the sound of an explosion and the for the last minute there is just the sound of wind effects, and the right at the end, you get an unexpected one off chord. If you set your CD player to loop you will see that this chord fits in with a similar chord at the start of the album.
This is one of those albums that grows on you, now I am not saying that I didn't like tit the first time I played it, in fact I thought it was good, but now after listening to it several times I think it is a stunning album, the more you play it the more you'll like it. This is an album for all progrock fans and lovers of early GENESIS, Go out and buy!

Greger Rönnqvist

I love the good ol' GENESIS records, of course I mean the original line-up with Hackett and Gabriel and these guys here are at least for me the real resurrection of this legendary band. But unlike most of the numerous other clone bands, they are really stunningly good and although they sound so similar to them, even the singer could be called a second Gabriel, I would not consider them a clone. The style for sure is quite similar,but there is as well an obvious reminiscence of JETHRO TULL present in their music. I know this is one of the most controversial bands, either people love or hate them. But IMHO they created some very beautiful excellent intricate music which can be called without any doubt as their own work. And I'd like to tell everyone trying to put "derivative" bands down, all lovers of early Genesis like me are very happy to find a band who is able to do something similar and to have let's say a few more "early Genesis" records to enjoy. Especially this album is probably their best one together with "Playing Dead", but this one here is in many ways more accessible like that. Actually I love all outputs of this band. One reason why they're sounding so amazingly identical is certainly the voice of Cyrus, but as well the fact they're using extensively the mini moog, that TONY BANKS has used in the beginning before he decided to switch to squeaky plastic sounding keyboard sounds. I will not go into detail of each individual song since this has been done already by a couple of other reviewers extensively. I just can confirm that all compositions are really excellent, and in fact I could not tell any outstanding one. The album as a whole is just fantastic and actually one would like to listen to it again and again. Absolutely worth 4,5 stars and highly recommended to any fan of early to mid era GENESIS!

Dieter Fischer

Over the years there have been quite a few bands who have been compared to Genesis. Marillion for one, mainly because of Fish's voice, which is quite similar to Peter Gabriel's, and also because of Mark Kelly's keyboards. His playing style in the early days was remarkably similar to Tony Banks's. Then you have IQ, who lots of fans seem to think are in the Genesis vein, although I myself think the similarities are tenuous at best. The Nightwatch are another band often included in that group. And I have to admit they are quite Genesis-like at times, especially through the vocals and guitar work. However, Genesis are unique, and there is not a band in the world who can quite match them for their very Olde English sound, though many have tried, consciously or unconsciously. They are still, after all these years, my favourite prog band ever. The beauty of the lyrics, the mystery in Gabriel's voice, and the total togetherness of the band, all excellent musicians, is yet to be equalled in my book. Genesis are Genesis and other bands are, well, other bands. Now, having said that, I have to say that Citizen Cain, whilst not being Genesis, are undoubtedly the nearest thing to them that I have heard. The vocals of Cyrus are uncannily like Gabriel, and I have never heard a keyboard player play in such a Banksian style as Stuart Bell. Bass and drums are firmly in the Genesis mould, and the guitar, whilst not quite being Hackettish, is played at times in a similar style, especially in the phrasing. The songs on this album are all excellent; long, and complex, but each with an underlying melody. Their structure is definitely in the Genesis style, and even lyrically, they are not unlike their heroes. Don't get me wrong, you can tell instantly that this is not Genesis, and, overall, the songs are more aggressive, and not quite as beautiful melodically. Occasionally the vocals become a little too strong for the music and the whole thing almost goes off key. But in the end it always comes back. The question I usually ask myself when listening to Genesis-like bands is: can I imagine Genesis playing these songs? And, on this album, the answer is - in parts, yes. The Genesis albums that most come to mind here are 'Selling England By The Pound' and 'The Lamb'. This could easily have been recorded around that time. And the songs are so strong and interesting that, if Genesis had never existed, this album would be hailed as a classic, standing up easily on its own merits. It is simply a bloody good record and deserves to be listened to. Do I recommend it? Well, if you are a Genesis fan who can't bare to think of other groups emulating your favourites, then the answer would be no. But, if you are a Genesis fan yearning for more music in that style, to fill the gap left by the demise of your favourites, then the answer is, undoubtedly and wholeheartedly, yes!!! Four stars easily, and, as a future classic that should stand the test of time, five stars ultimately. Just listen to those keyboards, superbly and innovatively played. If only Tony Banks played like that now! Highly recommended.

Carl Swallow

Citizen Cain's sophomore release, Somewhere But Yesterday, showed a much improved performance mainly because this time they relied on a human drummer so it seems less mechanical sounding. Again, there are strong Gabriel-era Genesis and Fish-era Marillion influences, like on their debut. And again, on the surface Citizen Cain sounds like a clone of these bands. As I mentioned on my review of their debut, Serpents in Camouflage, there is much more to this band when you listen deeper into their music.
Lyrically speaking, lead singer Cyrus must be a really depressing fellow. This music isn't bright and cheery like Genesis was. It has the bite of Fish's lyrics, but the music fits Cyrus better than Marillion ever did with Fish. Again, Cyrus' vocal tone sounds much like Peter Gabriel and Fish, but he's more monotonic and less melodious giving him more similarities with Peter Nicholls of IQ. Stuart Bell's keyboard work is again strongly inspired by Tony Banks, but he seems to rely more on atmospheric backgrounds rather than being in the forefront like Banks was. The rest of the band sometimes has a Genesis flavor to it, but for the most part is unique.
Although I loved Citizen Cain's debut, there were times when it seemed stale. I like to attribute that to the drum machine they used, but somehow I think it also had something to do with a band just trying to figure out who they were. On Somewhere But Yesterday, everything gels just nicely and it makes the entire album a pleasure to listen to. The 25+ minute title song is absolutely amazing.
For those of you who can't get past the clone label this band attracts, you'll probably not care much for this. For the rest of you, this is an essential masterpiece and one of the best releases of the 1990s. Gabriel-era Genesis fans will drool over this. Easily five stars and one of my favorite albums.

Ken Robinson

Citizen Cain´s second efford is slightly below their debut in terms of songwriting, but it is still a very strong symphonic piece of work. Specially if you like Genesis at the time of The Lamb Lies Down On Broadway. Cyrus voice is even closer to Peter Gabriel than Fish ever was. Genesis was definitly their main influence all around, but their sound, although still very much derivative from that band, had also been developing their own identity and this is clearly shown here. Besides, Cyrus flute playing owns more to Jethro Tull than to Genesis.
The production is very good for the time and the atention for the smallest details is obvious. Great keyboards and guitar parts, with some very strong songs like the epic title track (25 minutes, no less!). This CD is a little less accessible than the first one also but it does grow on you after repeated hearings. The complexity of their structures is really amazing, making you wonder if this is the kind of sound Genesis might have produced if they took the Lamb concept one step further (and if Gabriel had stayed, of course). Quite dense and striking.
A very strong release from this talented band. Recommended to all Genesis fans and open minded progheads. Rating is difficult, something between 3,5 and 4 stars. I´ll round up to four.

Tarcisio Moura

Great! I can say that Citizen Cain is NOT the reborn burgermeister :).
This album is made by the identity of Cyrus, the lead vocalist and the key member of the group. His identity is real mixture of the great-old progrock essence. Of course, as some of PA members said, I suggest it's not dependent on the only one group (it's not worth commenting about the group).
The length of songs is long, especially the title track is over 25 minutes song, and the wave let me not feel so long. The body of sound is indeed rough and a bit light, but from start to end, powerful and aggressive beat can absorb me completely. Cyrus and other members might make this work a total concept story...I hear the story is incomplete or half-complete. but can I emphasize that the incompleteness is not so bad for me?

Keishiro Maki

Some people say this is just a clone, well, if so, let there be clones!!
Obviously Cyrus voice is so similar to Gabriel's, and much of the musical style is also in the vein of early Genesis, that you can not help thinking about the clone thing, mostly during the first few listens. But this album contains an overwhelming amount of true inspiration and top musicianship, by its own merits. Put aside the clone phantom and listen to this record without prejudices, and you will find a timeless masterpiece. Similarly to how Marillion's Script for a Jester's Tear sounded to all of us so much like Genesis when we first heard it back in '83 but we now regard it as something in itself (I am assuming you do, like me), after enough listens I got rid of the clone feeling. Sure enough the voice is still much more Gabriel-like than Fish's, but when you manage to divert your focus from the voice effect, you come to realise that the music itself is not so Genesis-like after all as you first thought. Especially the electric guitar has a very different feel from Hackett's, and you also start to see other strong influences like Jethro Tull. And anyway, even assuming that the job was to create a Genesis clone, you have to be a genius to create such a good one.
What baffles me most about this record is the sheer inspiration of all its music, it's quite a long album at nearly 68min and there's not one single low in it. I have all the records of Citizen Cain and nowhere can I find anything remotely close to the music in SBY. I really struggle to understand how the same guys who have created for the most part rather unsatisfying music (albeit admittedly intriguing and interesting) could come up with this astounding work. I can only conclude that they were touched by the hand of god during a brief period of time.
The musicianship is excellent and the attention to detail really mind-blowing. The lyrics are a real tour de force both in extension (and yet they manage to interlink enough instrumental fragments, if only just enough) as in contents (blending fantasy, epic, irony, cynism, poetry, obscurity?).
It too has several details of true originality, to mention a few: 1. each track consists actually of the main song plus a short totally different "aftersong". 2. the album ends with the same struck note as it starts, so if you play it with a player which replays automatically, the end of the record actually links to the start again. 3. the surrealistic artwork by Cyrus (which suggests that he is something more than just an imitator singer). 4. the echoed phrasing between synth and flute and the double vocal melody in "Echoes" are not in itself something original (Yes have mastered double vocal melodies for decades), but this whole segment still mesmerizes me every time I listen to it. 5. in the booklet we get the lyrics of a non-existing first track "Heretic", I guess it's a sort of "bonus poetry".
I will not go into a detailed review of each track, they are all superb. The people who will like this are those who like early Genesis, Jethro Tull and the likes, which I guess it's most of us in the Prog Archives community. I can not recommend this album enough.

Gerard

CITIZEN CAIN is one of the bands I avoided like a plague after reading in several places they were GENESIS clones, because even when I'm a hardcore fan of the Charterhouse School guys, the total imitation of even the best band, without a bit of creativity is something I can't stand.
A band can play in the vein of other decades and that's great for me, they can even be hardly influenced by a determined band and still release great albums, because they add something of their own, but a total copy is something that goes beyond my understanding.
So, after many years and only a couple months ago, while searching for some music, I found three CITIZEN CAIN albums including "Somewhere but Yesterday" and the surprise was huge, yes it's true that except for certain similarities between "Cyrrus" voice and Peter Gabriel's (To be honest, he sounds like a Gabriel, Collins, Fish and Nick Barrett fusion), I find no huge resemblance between the two bands.
The keyboard approach of "Stuart Bell" is absolutely different than the one characteristic of "Tony Banks" and the use of guitar is much ,more aggressive and less delicate than the one of "Steve Hackett", so the ones that believe this band is a GENESIS clone, must have an absolutely dissimilar perspective with me.
The album starts with "Johnny Had Another Face (Parallel Lines)", which begins with a strong introduction with some MARILLION reminiscences, even the keyboards sound closer to "Mark Kelly" rather than to "Tony Banks", but the style is richer and much more versatile, seems that the band capably blends moods and atmospheres of different eras and sub- genres.
A totally frenetic song with amazing changes and well elaborate sound, an excellent start for an even better album
"Junk and Donuts (An Afterthought)" marks a radical change, starts soft and narrative, in the vein of "Wind & Wuthering", a soft flute softens the strong aggressive intro and leads towards something totally different, some sort of Symphonic - Folk with profound and dramatic transformations in the structure. Even better than the precious track.
"To Dance the Enamel-Faced Queen (Beyond the Boundaries)" is simply breathtaking from the first note, without any warning, "Stuart Bell" hits us with his organ, giving no rest until the vocals join. At this point, anything can be expected, the horror to silence this guys have is evident, because they cover every single fraction of second with the sound of an instrument, giving no time to rest, something that can be too exhausting for the casual listener, but is a delight for the Progressive Rock fan.
"Somewhere But Yesterday" is "the piece of resistance", a 25 minutes multi-part epic that covers all the possibilities the band has, from soft. almost lyrical to aggressive and almost brutal, but always making the perfect change and working exquisite arrangements,. they can disconcert us because we can't imagine what comes next, but never disappoint or loose the coherence...An accomplished piece of art.
CITIZEN CAIN left one of the most explosive songs for the end, if they surprised us along the whole album, in "Strange Barbarians (The Mother's Shroud)" they present us different approaches and sounds, they even play some sort of "Jazz" by moments, but the star is the organ, that takes us through the 70's without copying any band or style in particular, they simply capture the atmosphere.
Excellent album that I regret having left behind for so many years due to other reviews, but this is a mistake that can be solved, already have three of their albums and waiting for "Serpents in Camouflage" that will be delivered in the next days.
The rating is hard, I'm tempted to rate "Somewhere but Yesterday" with 5 stars, but due to the fact that I haven't heard all their discography and compared releases, will stay with 4 stars until I have more perspective.

Iván Melgar

For most this is their favourite CITIZEN CAIN album. This sophomore release continues with that strong GENESIS flavour as well as that Fish era MARILLION vibe. These guys do it all so well and with passion and emotion so it's hard not to be a fan.
Vocals come in before a minute on the opening track "Jonny Had Another Face" . This really reminds me of early MARILLION here when it settles, and it's so emotional too. A lot of starting and stopping and pulsating keyboards. Just a great sounding track that twists and turns. A calm 9 1/2 minutes in with reserved vocals to end it. So moving. "Junk And Donuts" features vocals and keyboards standing out early on. Again there's emotion for me, this time on the chorus. It picks up 2 minutes in. Great sound. Nice guitar before 4 1/2 minutes. Themes are repeated. Flute leads before 7 minutes. They're kicking butt after 8 1/2 minutes to the end. "To Dance The Enamel-Faced Queen" is so GENESIS-like. Vocals after a minute. The focus on this song is on the vocals and keyboards.
"Somewhere But Yesterday" is the over 25 minute tour de force. Synths to open as reserved vocals join in with drums and guitar. It picks up before 2 minutes although the tempo will continue to shift. Guitar solo before 7 minutes. Great sound before 10 1/2 minutes then it settles again. An atmospheric calm before 12 minutes then marching style drums arrive. Vocals 14 minutes in then it kicks back in before 16 1/2 minutes. Excellent instrumental section here then the vocals return. "Strange Barbarians" is again very GENESIS-like and fairly laid back. It picks up then settles back around 5 minutes. A change before 7 minutes as the atmosphere rolls in but it turns fuller quickly. An explosion after 10 1/2 minutes then almost silence to the end.

John Davie

Do you believe in reincarnation? I do, if you don't believe me, just listen to CITIZEN CAIN and especially this album "Somewhere But Yesterday" and tell me if they are not a complete reincarnation of early GENESIS. Amazing album with a complete resemblance in composition, musical performance and voice to Genesis. Cyrus has a similar tone of voice to Peter Gabriel, and Stuart Bell plays completely similar to Tony Banks. The album itself has impressive passages, completely symphonic prog, some tracks are long and with a lot of progressive movements, that's why CITIZEN CAIN is a band that should be listened, especially for those Genesis fans.

Guillermo Barrera

Even after hearing most of the best progressive albums made, I am still impressed with these almost unknown bands. Even knowing almost by heart every songs of Gabriel's Genesis repertoire, this album surprised me. The refreshing melodies, the turnaround rhythmic sections, a great 'Gabriel' voice. One must not think of this as a Genesis replica or imitation, think of it as a sequel. What could Gabriel's Genesis have done if they recorded something similar during the 90's. I prefer to think of it like this. A must for any symphonic prog lover.

S3ntin3l

Very long songs, a similar style to Genesis (incredible!!...Cyrus has the same voice of Peter Gabriel!!!) and some flute parts that remind me to Jethro Tull. The music is characterized by alternates guitar and keyboard phrasings, very near to a symphonic classic style, maybe too elaborate and baroque in some tracks, but not bad. The oneiric voice of Cyrus gives to this album a dreamlike quality which links perfectly together with the sound of the band and also crazy lyrics collaborate to enphatize this impression. Some parts are near to Van der Graaf style: dark, obscure but with a symphinic final very similar to Marillion's songs. If you are a SYMPHONIC prog fan it's a must, but not essential in the general prog rock world... 2,5 stars for the originality, 4 for the style of the sound, and 4 for the technique.

Davide

I recall being a bit put off by this initially. I felt there was too much singing, and not enough instrumental parts. After a few listens I came to like this album quite a bit. Ultimately it sounds like the best album Genesis never made. It is a bit darker and heavier than Genesis though, and the band does have their own character (this will come out with a vengence on the following two albums). The Epic title track is my favorite, going through many moods and changes, very much in the style and structure of Suppers Ready. Other songs can easily be compared to other Genesis song as well, but this is not really a copycat album. As I said, it sound more like a logical progression from Selling England (had Genesis continued in that vein and not done The Lamb). If you don't like Genesis, you probably won't like this. If you do like them, even a little, and are not put off by bands wearing their influences on their sleeves, then you will like this album.

infandous

If you love early Genesis, chances are you'll appreciate Citizen Cain. And on their second official album, they top their debut and create some of the best prog rock since Selling England by the Pound.
Excellent musicianship, extended arrangements, and serendipitous song structure make for intriguing listening. Lead singer Cyrus is a dead ringer for Peter Gabriel, and his lyrics are inventive and interesting, hinting at a delicious madness.
Another plus: whereas Gabriel-era Genesis albums sound as if they were recorded at the bottom of a muddy pond, the engineering here is tight and crystal clear. Great 70s-style progressive rock.

kirklott

Un disco que quizás sea uno de los mejores lanzamientos de la década de 1990. Ya sé que fue un momento donde no salieron grandes maravillas, pero eso le otorma aún más créditos desde mi punto de vista. Una banda que siempre ha sido fiel a sus gustos y su estilo, sin importar modas o tendencias mercantilistas.
Y unas de las grandes bandas que, creo, deberian ser tomadas más en cuenta. Un disco con un musicalidad de un nivel excelente.