Unitopia – Covered mirror vol. 1 – smooth as silk

Australian band Unitopia play Prog rock but with other influences.  The band formed in 1996 but it wasn’t until 2005 that they released their debut album – “More than a dream”.  Two more albums have followed since then (“The garden” and “Artificial”), and now we have a new album from them.  It’s not a typical studio album for them – instead of writing their own songs they ahve decided to release an album of cover versions of songs that have inspired them.
The Prog influences are clear with Genesis and Yes featuring heavily, but there are also songs from Marillion, Led Zeppelin, Todd Rundgren and more.

The music is lovely – very smooth and polished with a strong prog feel.  The vocals are beautiful and really do sound good with the music.  The songs are still recognisable from the originals, but have been given a different feel here and that means songs from Genesis, Led Zeppelin and Yes can sit side by side and still feel like they belong together.

For fans of the band this gives a chance for them to hear some of the songs that have influenced Unitopia, so it gives fans more than just being a selection of random cover versions – these songs are here for a reason.

This is a really enjoyable album that I’ve thoroughly enjoyed listening to.

Rating: 8/10

“Covered mirror vol. 1 – smooth as silk” is out now.

Track Listing:

1. Signs Of Life – Prelude (unreleased)
2. Calling Occupants (Klaatu)
3. Easter (Marillion)
4. Man Of Colours (Icehouse)
5. Genesis Medley (Genesis)
The Silent Sun
Suppers Ready
Selling England By The Pound
Lamb Lies Down On Broadway
Carpet Crawlers
6. Rain Song (Led Zeppelin)
7. Even In The Quietest Moments (Supertramp)
8. Everybody?s Got To Learn Sometime (Korgies)
9. Yes Medley (Yes)
You And I
Awaken
Close To The Edge
Soon
Onward
South Side Of The Sky
Owner Of A Lonely Heart
10. Can We Still Be Friends (Todd Rundgren)
11. Speaking The Truth – Interlude (unreleased)
12. To One In Paradise (The Alan Parsons Project)
13. The Way The Waters Moving (The Flower Kings)
14. Real Love (John Lennon – Bonus Track)

Unitopia are:

Line-up / Musicians

Mark Trueack – vocals
Sean Timms – keyboard and vocals
Matt Williams – guitar and vocals
Tim Irrgang – drums and percussion
Daniel Burgess – sax, clarinet, flute, piccolo and didgeridoo
Craig Kelly – bass
David Hopgood – drums and percussion