Progressive Rock is probably the most misunderstood genre of popular music around, with the possible exception of Polka. Progressive Music invokes images of dragon slaying costume wearing primadona singers, elaborate stage sets and lengthy songs that have no hooks or discernible pattern. Fans of Progressive Music are often looked down upon as greasy haired pimple ridden pseudo-intellectuals with little or no social skills to speak of who build detailed representations of scenes from Tolkien's Lord of the Rings using pewter miniatures.

I am here to tell you that it is all true. What you think about Progressive Music and its fans is all true. We are geeks. We like to think. We read fantasy novels, and philosophy. We don't like to be around too many people, and people don't generally like to be around us. But you know what? We've grown up. We are hiding right now in your server rooms and libraries, making sure you have access to the data you need. We fix and sometimes read your email, but never say anything about it because your lives are so different from ours that we don't even know how to relate. We're listening to our odd time signature music as we're making sure your data is encrypted when you log on to your bank or Amazon. You need to thank us, and you need to pay attention to our music, at least a little bit.

I offer that tongue in cheek introduction as a means of easing you into thinking about Progressive Music, and the artist that I want to talk to you about. The Underground Railroad, Fort Worth, Texas natives, have been around the Prog scene since the mid 1990s. They broke into the national spotlight after their debut recording Through and Through, and their later performance at NEAR Fest. This four piece band is a tour de force of sound and progressive experimentation. They push the limits between jazz styling and phrasing and rock. They are an intellectually stimulating band to listen to, make no mistake. Some people, however, might be like the Emperor who said to Mozart "Too many notes!" and this is understandable. Music is taste driven. Still, for me, their taste is sweet.

The Underground Railroad's latest offering The Origin of Consciousness (not available from Amazon.com yet, I'd get it through their website link above, or click HERE.), is nothing less than ear shattering and mind altering music of the highest order. The subject matter, Julian Jaynes groundbreaking book The Origin of Consciousness in the Breakdown of the Bicameral Mind is heavier reading than most people would attempt to read outside of a college assignment. Still, it seems to make for good progressive rock subject matter. The band says that only tracks 1, 2, and 8 are a part of this theme, but I think I see glimpses of it in some of the other tracks on this 8 song album also.