Howdy list, I'm just listening to an album by Wilton Said called The Butterfly Plague. I wish there was a lyric sheet because I don't yet know what the album is "about" but I'll find out eventually. At any rate, the album is quite good. I've only had one listen, but I would like to recommend folks who like vocal oriented progressive rock to check him/them out. myspace.com/wiltonsaid . Their page describes the music as theatrical art rock and I would agree with that. His voice is a low register, almost musical theatre style voice. But that is not to say he doesn't have mystery and that cunning menace of say, Peters Gabriel or Hammill. There are some tracks on this album (their second) which seem a bit singer/songwriter-ish and then will bloom out with exciting guitar stabs or syncopated high drama in the instrumental section. I like this music very much because it is song oriented. The whole album seems like a concept album, thematically the songs sound "of a piece". However, it might not be conceptual in nature. My only criticism of their albums is as regards the artwork. I believe they could do with a "remastered artwork" edition. The music is so good and makes one think and trip out, it would be nice if the album packaging would produce the same desire.

The music industry boundaries are mere ankle-high hurdles Toronto singer songwriter Wilton Said gleefully clears. Thankfully, much of The Butterfly Plaque isn’t at all radio friendly, but its deliberate nod to ’70s progressive rock will make pals with ears belonging to most right thinking Discman owners. And old acts like Genesis, Yes and Rush might take the familiarity offered by The Butterfly Plague as flattery and not infringement of copyright. There are enough winding, jazz-inspired passages that linger beyond three minutes to give us all hope that not all up-and-comers or even music hobbyists are working to sound like a cooing Britney Spears or ultra-dull Sam Roberts. Sure, some of Said’s new work might make us think of Spinal Tap ("No, we’re not going to play %@$#&* Stonehenge"), but that isn’t always a bad thing. All of this, of course, is quite deliberate. Said purposefully steers clear of the unimaginative and mundane. He might also want to thank his band of musicians, including drummer Richard Rizzo, bass player Andrew Buntain and guitarist Chris Reid. His last CD was recorded with a home studio and he performed his own guitars, lead and backing vocals, and keyboards. The only thing he didn’t do was play drums and manufacture the CD. The artist said that 100 copies have sold in two months, out of 500 that were produced. He likes challenges. "I like to listen to and write rock music that’s a bit more challenging . . . in some cases, music that takes two of more listens to understand what’s going on," Said said. "The same goes for lyrics. That’s what makes me happy and happiness is what it’s all about." As for the words behind the melodies, he says most of what he has written for Butterfly is about "looking inward." "There are so many situations where I’ve come across people who weren’t able to move forward in life because they haven’t looked inside," Said said. "They haven’t discovered and acknowledged their own faults or perversions. As a result, they keep falling into the same pattern of unhappiness." Butterfly follows 2001’s Broken, which followed his debut self-recorded World up my Ass. Ho holds a degree in musical composition from York and lives in Toronto. His real name is Donovan Wilton — he changed it because Donovan is also the name of a ’60s performer. Want to learn more? See him at WiltonSaid.com

Wilton Said returns with a fresh back-to-school style with this LP, The Butterfly Plague. The dizzying rock opera vibe on this record is at full strength in its instrumental parts, as are man rock operas. Initially, Said’s voice does not gel enough with the carnival-esque theme of the record. For fans of Said’s softer acoustic brand of pop, only the recurring raindrop sequences would fit their perception of the musician. Said and his backing band efficiently execute the different genres featured on this record, especially considering the difficulty of playing prog-rock. Then he briefly returns to his softer, subtle form for “Mom,” which is a song about his uncle… or his mom… or himself. The most difficult part about listening to this record is getting rid of the associations one has with Said’s prior recordings. Comparing this record to his previous work, all that came before seems scattered when trying to identify his influences. With The Butterfly Plague, he hints at the Talking Heads, Frank Zappa and Andrew Lloyd Webber, and they can be heard all at once in “Bar.” Said is accustomed to impressing listeners with his mastery of musical compositions, but the lyrics on this album point to a man who is hurt when he is at his most introspective. A song such as “Outside” captures this essence perfectly and demonstrates the dichotomy necessary when looking inward. The crooning on this song is reminiscent of Morrissey’s earlier work, and on this track, he embodies the Morrissey/Marr dynamic of songwriting. I would not go so far as to say that he is as influential as are the two lads from Manchester, but he certainly does an impressive job at creating a lush atmosphere, be it musically or lyrically. The Butterfly Plague flows beautifully albeit at the enormous musical risks Said takes throughout the album. By the end of the record, Said makes his vision clear, but it is the listener’s duty to decipher it.

I listen to the first time Wilton's music with 'The Butterfly Plague'. It's obviously a great progressive pop-rock music. Wilton voice remind me the one of Geoff MANN (TWELFTH NIGHT, CASINO and SOLO); 'Circus alive', 'Mom', Halos' for example, otherwise I can say, he has a very personnal voice. There is some keys like you can found in ANGE in 'Circus Alive', the refrain musical background part is punk-rock, and the song contain some nice progressive moments. 'The Butterfly Plague' first part 'A Journey' is straight a pop-progressive-rock song as 'A Sighting' is, the second part, but the first one is much greater, being more progressive than is comparse. 'Halos' is a rock song. With 'Mom', we really think to a Geoff MANN cabaret-singner-songwriter song on acoustic guitar and vocals, like 'For The Lie' is but this time with the piano as accompaniment. The next four songs are all somewhere progressive and rock. 'Stitch' is an excellent singner-songwriter song with a great prog ending. The next two songs are by far the better ones on the album, and 'The Telling' enought smooth and more rock. Unfortunatly sometime, the music seems a little bit novice (1, 2, 10 to 12), bad recording, or something is wrong with the sound of the guitar which not fit really with the music. But in compensation they have very nice idea a along the CD. So much toward rock and progressive-rock, the music of Wilton is for me not to far as the music of GEOFF MANN, or guy like P.J. Herkkola with his band LARS ECHO.