Half Past Four
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Half Past Four

Toronto, Ontario, Canada | Established. Jan 01, 1999 | INDIE

Toronto, Ontario, Canada | INDIE
Established on Jan, 1999
Band Rock Art Rock

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This band has not uploaded any videos
This band has not uploaded any videos

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"Dweezil Zappa Email"

Hello Half Past Four,
I had a moment to check out the first video up on your site. You guys and gals have a lot going on! I liked it. The diminished passages were interesting and I particularly liked the intro lick in the guitar solo.
Nice job, good luck with everything!
Regards, DZ

A recent email from Dweezil Zappa
- Dweezil Zappa, Zappa plays Zappa


"Second Prog Archives Review"

Those who believe progressive rock is defined by lengthy epics, grandiose atmospheres and displays of technical brilliance should look elsewhere, because "Rabbit in the Vestibule" will probably sound to them as little more than an intelligent, sophisticated pop album, almost totally devoid of those elements that have become stereotypical of the genre. Unlike the ever-increasing contingent of 'retro-proggers', Half Past Four are a thoroughly modern band who, while clearly acknowledging their debt to the music of the past, are not afraid to experiment with a new take on progressive rock.

The initial impression of "Rabbit in the Vestibule" may indeed be deceptive, and get the listener to find very little suggesting progressive rock, at least in any conventional sense. It is only as the album progresses, and then on further listens, that its true nature begins to unfold. Like another excellent crossover band, 3rd Degree, Half Past Four also engage in 'defiling perfectly good songs with prog', and this apparently sacrilegious act results in one of the most interesting records of the last few years.

A number of the songs on the album would indeed qualify as 'glorified' pop songs, with a traditional chorus-verse-chorus structure, and plenty of catchy hooks. Most of the tracks run between 2 and 5 minutes, and even the longest of them, "Biel" (clocking in at slightly over 8 minutes), sounds nowhere like a standard prog epic. However, even the shortest items, like opener "Missing Seventh", possess that indefinable quality that lifts them well above the average pop song. Moreover, the individual members of the band all display an impressive level of musicianship and songwriting skills - something that bodes well for the band's future.

Half Past Four's 'secret weapon', however, are Kyree Vibrant's distinctive, riveting vocals. Her delivery, witty and commanding at the same time, suits the band's quirkily attractive music to a T, and adds further interest to their compositions. With a reasonably long career as a singer, songwriter and filmmaker, and a musical background spanning various genres, she is a versatile vocalist who can tackle equally well intense, dramatic stuff such as "Biel" (possibly Kyree's finest moment on the album), or jazzy, relaxed, pieces like the Steely Dan-inspired "Strangest Dream". Hers is a voice that, at first, may not strike the listener as conventionally beautiful (in the way the dozens of more or less angelic sopranos fronting every other modern prog band can be), but whose charm and power are revealed at each listen.

The thirteen tracks featured on "Rabbit in the Vestibule" make for a variegated, often exhilarating listening experience. The slick interplay between the instruments, the diverse influences, the superb vocals keep the listener on their toes. Even though any 'classic' progressive elements are sprinkled judiciously throughout the album, and often come as a surprise - the spacey keyboard sounds in "Lullaby", the Middle Eastern vibe in "Salome", the asymmetrical drumming and bass line in "Bamboo", the guitar-organ interaction in several songs ? they are definitely there, and all the more intriguing because they are not immediately evident.

As previously stated, "Rabbit in the Vestibule" may need repeated listens for all those elements to be discovered and fully appreciated. In spite of its apparently 'poppy' nature, it is a multilayered effort, brimming with humour, creativity, and excellent musicianship. Open-minded listeners, and those who are constantly looking for new twists on their favourite genre, will be sure to appreciate this disc, and possibly be left wanting for more. - ProgArchives.com


"Progressive rock website review"

The debut album by Canada's "Half Past Four" is a wild and highly original concoction of progressive, Avante Garde and art rock themes and moods. "Rabbit In The Vestibule" is a well produced album with some excellent musicanship and song writing. It is so nice to hear music like this being produced these days with bands really taking their time to write some original "Progressive" stuff. This album will appeal to fans of Renaissance and Kate Bush with the lead vocals coming from Kyree Vibrant (who does not sound at all like Annie H. or Kate Bush but does share the female vocal lead role and does so with great originality) and fans of Neo prog bands like Arena, IQ and Marillion. Perhaps the best part of Half Past Four is that they dont play into any one prog or avante garde category and each song really spans a wide spectrum making this album an original listen. You can contact the band and buy this CD from them directly at http://www.halfpastfour.com/ ...Overall a well done debut album and one that I have enjoyed a lot. - James Unger, Unger’s Wonderful World of Progressive Rock website


"Fazer music mag album review"

Okay progressive music fans, here’s one for you. Rabbit in the Vestibule is the experimental first endeavor from Toronto, Ontario group Half Past Four. With musical abilities on full display, Rabbit in the Vestibule is sure to impress musicians and casual fans alike. Brimming with synths, queer sound effects, quirky vocal hooks and a shit ton of guitar solos, the album is mature enough to be a second or third album. Recommended for fans of King Crimson, Frank Zappa, and music theory. Some standouts on the album include “Rabbit” and “Missing Sevenths”. Half Past Four is an able group of musicians with a knack for the abberant, and Rabbit in the Vestibule is their odd little brainchild. - Brandon Rabideau of Fazer Magazine


"Prognaut.com Album review"

Half Past Four hailing from Toronto, Canada and brings a fresh sound via musical experimentation and it draws its inspiration from band like King Crimson, Rush, Jethro Tull, Kate Bush even Frank Zappa as well as newer bands like Emily Bezar, Bubblemath, Changing Modes, Fluttr Effect and many others. The band began in 1999 when Dmitry Lesov (bass) and Constantin Necrasov (guitar) joined together with a common bond to create new music without boundaries. The band went through some line-up changes (what band doesn’t?!) with current members Kyree Vibrant (vocals), Igor Kurtzman (keyboards) and drummers Art Pisanski (studio) and Ann Brody (current) joining Dmitry and Constantin to flesh out the sound.

They released their first full album in 2008 (just before Halloween) called "Rabbit in the Vestibule", which has Kyree, Dmitry, Constantin and Igor listed as producers. The style is hard to describe since there’s really no restrictions or boundaries on the direction. This allows the band to explore, sometimes within the same song. In fact, each song goes through many changes from melodic to complex and back. Never the same combinations. It’s almost as if the band, while having influences, set them aside and created 13 tracks that make up the album.

My favorite tracks are opener “Missing Sevenths”. “Strangest Dream”, “Biel” and closer “Rabbit”. I always come back to these songs every time I want to be taken on a surrealistic journey with Half Past Four. I would strongly recommend the listener to set aside the 63 minutes without distractions, preferably with headphones to experience the magic.

Half Past Four and it’s debut, Rabbit In The Vestibule, shows that modern progressive rock bands can still be inventive and not pigeon-holed in any of prog’s sub-genres. This is by far one of the better releases from 2008, that truly needs more exposure outside their native land. - Ron Fuchs, Prognaut.com


"Dutch Radio review"

Half Past Four sounds very fresh. It sometimes looks as if Martha & The Muffins became a progressive rock-band, playing Gentle Giant and Echolyn music without ever having heard that kind of music. There's also much confident in the way the band performs, maybe because of Kyree Vibrant's long time experience as filmmaker/actress/singer-songwriter. Rabbit In The Vestibule is an exciting journey, created by a band that knows how to create surprising short miniatures as well as more epic like tunes. - Rene Yedema, Radio Xymphonia, The Netherlands


"Blown Away by Half Past Four"

There were three acts last night. I've seen the opening one many times before, and the third one only at the previous Nuance prog mini-fest. Half Past Four were the second act last night and I couldn't listen to the third one anymore after they played. So blown away by Half Past Four I was, that, I even forgot to at least say "See you next time" to those I already knew onstage, or in the audience, or met there. See? I can't even sleep now after that, I'm blogging instead.

I didn't feel, again, like blogging for another couple of months or so since the last time, after an unexpected, unwanted change rendered useless the changes I was planning to make as mentioned in the past entry. So now, instead, I'm pouring too much out of myself.

I think it would have been the same for me if Half Past Four had played without any other acts. Lucky opening act, and I wouldn't have wanted to be in the shoes of the third one after the second one. If I had been supposed to play after them, I would have cancelled my performance on the spot, out of dignity and common sense. Half Past Four seem to be the best prog act we've got in the Greater Toronto Area. You can check them on MySpace, or on leadvocalist Kyree Vibrant's YouTube account.

Guess what? They sent a demo to Tony Levin, hoping he could pick them to open for him some time. "His booking agent didn't like it (Sverdlovsk-born Dmitry Lesov - bass, vocals). Or "He didn't even listen to it" (Kyree). Then why in the world is Tony Levin still in their top friends? They'll give him a second chance, though :D . "Nobody knows [of] us" (Dmitry). Well, that, with the few ideas I already have on getting them known, might change a bit, though. I also see they need a band manager but I don't think I'm up to it (yet?).

I got their CD, now already signed by all. Dmitry's wife does its graphic artwork. I understand she's from St. Petersburg. I also got their very own brand of Half Past Four tree free cigarette paper. Now, for a couple of years or so, I've been on "Benson and Hedges" (the black package). But, I must confess, my guilty pleasure was to roll "Drum" tobacco (with nothing else in - I never did, don't do, or plan/want to do drugs). Well, there also used to be more prog-like cigarettes, like "Camel", or "Winston" ("...Churchill dressed in drag, he used to be a British flag" and inow is a boulevard between Mississauga and Oakville where I live; "So it goes" ;) ).

So I might switch back to that "Drum" tobacco after this. See? "Drum" even sounds more prog-like than "Benson and Hedges" (Is there a brand of cigarettes named, e.g., "Hatfield and the North"?). Speaking of which, I think last night I also met for the first time a prog rock female drummer. I sure know other rock female drummers (about three years ago I even took a start up drumming lesson with Dena Tauriello here in top) but, again, I think Israel-born Ann Brody is the first prog rock female drummer I met. Sure there once was also Ruth Underwood, but she was rather doing choreographic percussion for Frank Zappa rather than playing behind a drum kit. And yet, at least when I saw ten years ago in Montreal, there was also Juanita Parra, sitting in for her late dad Gabriel on drums in Los Jaivas. So Ann may be actually the second one.

And she also seems to be the only one in the band with a MySpace personal page and her headline clearly says PROG. And she also says Bill Bruford is her influence. Now, Bruf is my all time favo(u)rite drummer, so I'm lending her his AutoBio when I'm done reading it (more on it maybe in another blog).

Last night they played for one hour and only their opener and another song had no vocals. In the second one, I recognized immediately Balkanic harmonies and mixed time-signatures that are also used by other bands so dear to my music soul (Transsylvania-Phoenix, for instance). Which made me curious about their origins.

Tiraspol-born Constantin Necrasov (guitar, vocals) even speaks, among others, my very mother tongue. Counting Igor Kurtzman (keyboards, vocals) as well, it sounds like I and three fifths of the band have basically the same accent (I was born and raised somewhere between St. Petersburg and Tiraspol). If there were four of them of five with basically the same accent as mine, you would almost get the title of a classic Genesis tune.

Now what? I think it's already well past half past four when I'm finally finishing this blog, right? Well, I think I should yet get some sleep now, though. - Eduard Antoniu, USAprogmusic.com


"HPF Live show review"

I came across Half Past Four on myspace and within the first song “Johnny” I thought, “these guys are f$#king insane”! Not only do they feature the must have odd and changing time signatures, they also have a great way of using dissonance within their wacky key changes. In many cases you think a song section is going to go in one key direction, but instead it goes in another. Their songs are all extremely well executed with the whole band being very tight which must take some talent as in many cases all the instruments are playing busy 8th note rhythms. That’s not to say that they don’t have some mellower less complicated tunes. Their song “Strangest Dreams” is a wonderful haunting tune that’s more textural then riff oriented.
In addition to fantastic musicianship of Les -Bass/vocals, Iggy - Keys/Vocals, Kyle – Drums, and Kostya – Guitar/ Vocals, Half Past Four has one of the greatest singers I’ve ever heard in prog. Kyree Vibrant is not only a singer but also a performer. Her operatic approach adds clarity and sometimes humour to the wacked out music of the other 4.
Live, Half Past Four are high energy with Kyree miming, bouncing, and moon jogging away to the songs. I would highly recommend Half Past four to all prog lovers, and to people who like their rock a little different. - Wilton Said, Nuance Progressive Rock Festival, composer, musician and editor of the Nuance Webzine.


"HPF Album review"

When the first few notes of " Missing Seventh" (the first tracks on the album)started, I immediately tought of the early rockier tracks by Gentle Giant. Even though I quickly realised that Half Past Four did not owe much to that famous prog band, I still tought that all through the album there were moments that reminded me of GG, mostly because of the guitar and keyboard styles.

The music on Rabbit In The Vestibule is hard to pin down. There are clearly some prog influences, mostly because of the keyboard soloing. The music could also be categorized as Funky or even Jazzy. Most of the tracks are on the short side (4 to 6 minutes) and offer a good mixture of instrumental sections and vocals. These are done by a female lead vocalist with a style closer to a Jazz singer than Rock. She has a very nice voice and an energetic delivery.

I would qualify the music on Rabbit In The Vestibule as good night club music. I'm pretty sure that Half Past Four is a great band to catch in a small live setting, even though their album is quite good. I would recommend it to those into funkier Jazz (for example fans of Les Claypool) to go to Half Past Four 's Myspace page and check this music out. Very good stuff indeed. - Marc at Proggnosis.com Progressive Rock and Fusion


"Toronto Music Scene.ca review"

….. Half Past Four's debut album Rabbit In The Vestibule is a deep, thoughtful album filled with musicianship and great talent. Fans of Prog rockers King Crimson, Rush and Robert Fripp will most likely be foaming at the mouth after listening to this musical journey…. - TJ Liebgott


"Half Past Four debut album review"

Toronto-based Half Past Four produces art-rock along the lines of Echolyn or Izz -- Intelligently composed songs with tricky meter changeups and strong melodies.

There's something inherently sexy about a progressive rock band with a female lead vocalist, and Half Past Four has that in spades: Kyree Vibrant is the clear star of these proceedings, with a voice that can be gentle and seductive as well as strong and commanding (reference "Strangest Dream", one of the few down-tempo pieces for an example of the former, and "Missing Sevenths" for the latter).

Guitarists Constantin Necrasov and Dmitry Lesov lead the music acrobatics with fine playing. "Biel", at just past eight minutes, demonstrates the band's potential for epic arrangement and instrumental prowess to match Vibrant's charisma.

As Rabbit in the Vestibule is the group's debut, it's fair to expect even greater things next for this very promising contemporary progressive act. - Progression Magazine (print edition)


"Progressor Review"

...Quirky art rock taking its cues from the likes of Frank Zappa and Gentle Giant and blending it with a tad more mainstream-oriented strong melodic themes is what is offered up on this debut production by Canadians Half Past Four. Innovative in approach, sophisticated and challenging numbers fill up this disc from start to finish... - Progressor.net


"Background Magazine Review"

…one thing is certain, the band has very much a style of their own….A band that most of all shows that progressive rock music has many faces! Most of all a face with a smile on it. Thumbs up! - Background Magazine


"CD Review"

As a reviewer, every once in a while I come across a CD that is so unique and original it is difficult to categorize. I have to say Rabbit In The Vestibule is one such recording…The music is complex enough to satisfy hard core progressive rock fans yet accessible enough to have tremendous cross over appeal for those leaning towards pop and rock. Fans of classic 70s progressive icons like King Crimson, Genesis and Jethro Tull will appreciate the band's angular yet melodic approach to songwriting. The lyrics have a quirky sense of humour and the music has a certain playfulness that fans of Frank Zappa will appreciate… - Sea of Tranquility


"ProgArchives Review"

This young canadian band named Half past Four did an excellent job here on their first album named Rabbit in the vestibule from 2008. They gathered in this album almost all the greatest ideas must has an eclectic band from today, the result is a brilliant trip through eclectic music with a little avand gard in places and for those who are open minded and want somthing diffrent then usual prog music. The imagination of these 5 musicians is top notch, is quite rare for me to listen to such chalenging and intelligent music from newer bands, but as is with Rabbit in the vestibule everything is possible, impressive album. The musicianship is awesome, from cruchy guitar tones with a,lot of time signatures and a typical sound movements to some most amazing vocal parts I've come across lately in progressive rock, the magnificent voice of Kyree Vibrant. She has a wide registerd with a great range, from mellow to more rougher in places when pieces needs it, she make a truly solid vocal arrangements here, super on some pieces like Johnny, Southern Boogie, Biel, Bamboo or Rabbit she covers almost every zone of her voice, delivering some very catchy and intristing moments, great voice. The rest of the pieces are aswell very good, 2 instrumental tracks are here one of them hard to forget with a lot to offer - Lullaby, shows how talented and good this band is. What is realy top class here is the keyboards of Igor Kurtzman, he knows when and how to use this instrument to make some truly amazing moments here, very interesting and not very often I heard this kind of approach to keys , quite eclectic after all. So an band to watch in the future because they are amomg the best in last years, very talented with solid and intristing ideas.4- 4.5 stars, an excellent addition to my collection and to anyone who gets this album, he won't regrete it for sure. Album available at CDbaby.Recommended - Prog Archives


"Music Street Journal"

Combining classic progressive rock sounds with jazz and a serious bit of weird humor, this is a cool album. It’s not instantly accessible – and yet parts of it are. I hear a lot of Pentwater in this, but also B-52’s and more obscure things like TagYerit and Witches in Bikinis. Whatever you call it, you might find some parts of this familiar, but it’s a safe bet you’ve never heard anything exactly like it.

Track by Track Review
Missing Sevenths

This swirling rocker seems like what you might get if you mixed Rush and early Yes and threw on some unique and unusual vocals. It’s off-kilter and quite tasty.
Johnny
Quite fusion oriented, the female vocal line here is more pure jazz. Still, there’s plenty of progressive rock and weird changes, stutters and alterations.
Poisoned Tune
This is in some ways more traditional progressive rock. There are still plenty of the little quirks that make Half Past Four Half Past Four, though. At times this moves towards RIO, but yet it’s still catchy. You might hear various classic prog bands at different points, but none of those blatant links remain long. Nearly eight minutes in length, this includes quite a few changes and alterations and it has a crunchy movement that’s quite cool.
Southern Boogie
Bouncy and very jazz-like, this is a more instantly accessible cut. There’s an extremely jazz-oriented instrumental section in the cut.
Twelve Little Words
More of a driven rocker, there is some samba and other jazz elements in the mix here. There is a killer keyboard dominated instrumental section in this piece. This thing is just packed with changes and progressive rock oriented instrumental mayhem. It’s a great piece of music.
Underwater
Quirky and stranger, this is also jazzy and rather catchy. It’s bouncy and a bit lightweight, but has a couple screaming guitar solos.
Lullaby
You’d expect a mellow little number due to the title, right? Well, that’s not what we get. This is a hard edged prog rock instrumental. It’s got bits of Rush in the mix, but also King Crimson, Dream Theater and more. It’s quite tasty and one of the most purely progressive rock pieces to be found here.
Strangest Dream
Here we get the mellow and suitably dream like piece we expected last time. This is gentle and yet there’s plenty of progressive rock charm to it. It reminds me a times of Renaissance (especially the vocals) but at other points of Pentwater. It’s always an awesome piece of music, though.
Biel
There are some serious classical influences on this and it’s dramatic and powerful. It’s also somewhat influenced by European epic metal. It’s less quirky than some of the other music, but this is far from a straight line journey. It is one of the highlights of the set and includes some cool keyboard work. Certainly this piece is the most “rock” oriented one on show.
Dwayne
Bouncy and quite jazz oriented, this is a cool little number. It’s got some Yes-like changes later in the piece, too.
Salome
A bouncy sort of high energy number, this spins and veers here and there. Further down this musical road we get a killer guitar driven jam, but eventually it comes back to the opening motif for its continuation.
Bamboo

This has a B-52’s kind of weirdness, but bent into a purely progressive rock direction. It’s energetic and powerful and just plain fun.
Rabbit
This is a real tour-de-force. It works through a whole series of different changes and we even get a nod to an old “Bugs Bunny” cartoon in the middle of it. It is a dynamic cut with a whole series of oddly connected sections – and yet it works. It’s a great way to end the disc in style. - Gary Hill, Music Street Journal


"Ravenheart Music Review"

Half Past Four hail from Toronto and draw inspiration from King Crimson, Jethro Tull and many other progressive and art-rock bands. Their style is hard to describe and pigeon hole, with experimental arrangement, fusion composition, polyrhythmic structures and atonal melodies not uncommon in their music. To put it simply and to the man (or lady) in the street, I would call this album Jazz/Progressive Rock.



This release is very different to the kind of music I would normally listen too, but I will say this, Half Past Four is good. The quirky 'Missing Sevenths' kicks things off, being followed by the awesome and very progressive 'Johnny', that showcases Kyree Vibrant's amazing vocal style. 'Southern Boogie', is almost reggae flavoured, and is one of my fave tracks, offering a great sax solo too. 'Twelve Little Words' sees Kyree belting it out, proving what a good voice she has. The instrumental 'Lullaby' kinda reminds me a little of Pink Floyd at times, and actually is one of the rockier moments on this record. Then we have the cool 'Strangest Dream', while 'Biel', running at over 8 mins almost goes operatic at the start. 'Dwayne' is another quirky one, while overall, an interesting album this certainly is, which ends with my all out favourite, ' Rabbit' - "Kill the Rabbit" sings Kyree!



The type of music (with interesting lyrics as well) I would sit down and listen too with a bottle of wine. I have heard that this band is awesome live, but we possibly here in the UK will have to make do with the album for the time being, so check them out at www.www.myspace.com/halfpast4 and part with your hard earned cash. - Dave, Ravenheart Music (England)


"ProgressiveEars Review"

"Drawing its inspiration from a unique heritage of King Crimson, Frank Zappa, Jethro Tull and many other progressive, kraut, art and math-rock bands, Half Past Four takes pride and pleasure in taking progressive rock a little further and planting its seeds in the harsh soil of contemporary popular culture."


I thought the above words, found in the promotional release for the Toronto based Half Past Four gives a nice synopsis of what this band is all about and what they are striving for with their music. For those of you who believe progressive rock is all about twenty minute epics and out of this world musicianship (although these guys are no slouches) you need not bother reading this review. However, if you appreciate the quirky side of art rock, with gasp, moments of poppy bliss, please read on.

The musicians responsible for making this wonderfully modern progressive music are Constantin Necrasov (electric and acoustic guitars, mandolin, bass, vocals), Dmitry Lesov (bass, acoustic guitar, vocals), Igor Kurtzman (keyboards, sound effects) and Kyree Vibrant (lead vocals). Rabbit In The Vestibule is the band's first full length release. Now on to the music.

As a reviewer, every once in a while I come across a CD that is so unique and original it is difficult to categorize. I have to say Rabbit In The Vestibule is one such recording. There is no doubting this is a progressive album, filled with tricky time signatures, excellent musicianship and a general feel of adventurousness that is all to uncommon in today's music. The music is complex enough to satisfy hard core progressive rock fans yet accessible enough to have tremendous cross over appeal for those leaning towards pop and rock. Fans of classic 70s progressive icons like King Crimson, Genesis and Jethro Tull will appreciate the band's angular yet melodic approach to songwriting. The lyrics have a quirky sense of humour and the music has a certain playfulness that fans of Frank Zappa will appreciate.

It all starts with the quirky dissonance of "Missing Sevenths" featuring nice interplay between guitar and keyboards and the excellent vocals of Kyree Vibrant sounding a bit like Deborah Harry of Blondie. She has a unique voice that is difficult to compare to others but Kate Bush also comes to mind. "Johnny" features a delicious bass groove, flowing keyboards and tasty lead and rhythm guitar while the jazzy prog approach of "Southern Boogie" with Steely Dan inspired keyboards that really pop and excellent saxophone really works well. The retro progressive rock of "Poisoned Tune", sounding like an amalgamation of Genesis, Jethro Tull and perhaps Jefferson Airplane just plain feels good and the vocals of Vibrant really took me back to a more innocent time when pillows were surrealistic and England was sold by the pound. And yes, this just might be the perfect music for hippies.

Other notables include the eclectic art rock/pop of "Dwayne" where the band's Zappaesque humour comes through loud and clear and "Salome", an instrumental that oozes exotic Eastern themes, especially in Necrasov's inventive guitar playing.

Suffice to say, I could have talked about any of these songs as they are all very good. Half Past Four are one of the better Canadian bands I have heard, proving progressive music is alive and well in the great white north. You owe it to yourself to give this band a listen. - Jon Neudorf, ProgressiveEars.com


"Music Waves (French Magazine - translated)"

English Translation

It's been a long time since a band as peculiar (surprising) as HPF made our ears vibrate; those canadians are totally exuberant ;-))) Gathered round Kyree Vibrant, they bust out some 70s prog-rock variété sounding stuff, presented in solid form with "RitV".
Passé Missing Sevenths et son excentricité évidente (pas facile de positionner ce morceau en entame !),
After "MS", with its evident excentricity (it's not easy to get into it at first!), the band comes alive and puts out Poisoned Tune, in stubborn mid-tempo reminiscing Echolyn and their era, Constantin Necrasov takes advantage of it to get together a little solo, which, by the way, he's quite good at (Bamboo and the neoprog instrumental Lullaby).
Southern Boogie, leaning on simulated reggae, gives Kyree the chance to put her whole vocal range on display, yet managing to do it with much needed and very emotional suavity. The high bar set by the piece is only raised further by the saxophone's intervention.... See More
But the main enchantment, the most dominant is SD/B, a watertight combination of two rather lente tracks, where the ghost of Heather Findlay (who turns out to be none other but the always wondrous Kyree) takes us to the top, feeling marvelously accomplished.
However, the band's originality also betrays them. The emotion carried by the calmer songs is ruined by the firecracker exuberance of the opening "Bamboo" or "Johnny". It's difficult to imagine that all of these pieces can be on the same disk! And so the theme of it falls into jazz-prog of the 70s, with some sincere touches of atmospheric rock in the manner of what were grateful to Harvest for recently. A disc of a debutant collective bursting with energy yet, carried away by its ardour, scatters in multiple directions. This album will surely please the admirers of seventies prog, but it won't satisfy them as much as it may please those who like calmer waters who, in turn, risk to give up when they get to the turbulent material.

HPF is a group blessed with skillful musicians and a masterful touch of Kyree Vibrant, they offer some strong, high-level numbers. Surely, the mistakes of youth are there, but how many have achieved impeccability on their first opus? This "striped" yet likeable band shows great progress and they'll know, no doubt about it, to save the best for the next. - Pete T Reviewer, Music Waves.fr


"Progressive Area Review (French)"

Docteur, il y a un lapin dans le chapeau !...

Quel fraîcheur ! Quel enthousiasme ! Quelle voix !
Vous vous souvenez de cette joie à découvrir dans les années 80 une relève progressive, transformée au filtre de la chanson, de la pop song, accessible (donc compatible avec le passage radio), en un mot: au format plus court, concis, mais bien loin, pour le meilleur, d'affadir son propos.
Et l'on découvrait qu'une ou deux idées suffisaient à captiver, et que la simplicité n'était (ou ne devait pas être) synonyme de simplisme. Réécoutez les 4 premiers albums de MARILLION ( et si vous en avez l'occasion, découvrez le fantastique coffret live « Early Stages », de cette époque, à couper le souffle...), par exemple, et cela vous rapprochera certainement de HALF PAST FOUR...

Ajoutez un sacré feeling et des guitares bien senties, bien rock, tourmentées juste ce qu'il faut (les deux premiers titres d'ouverture), des petites fulgurances instrumentales brillantissimes, du blues (quelques solis pas piqués des hannetons), de la bossa, du jazz (on peut penser à l'esprit de SANTANA), avec ça, des claviers volubiles (piano, synthés), délivrant aussi de superbes solis, avec des sons bien space 70s (LFO, delays, et oscillations en tête), du saxo (04,11), du violon (11), du whistle (03), variez les plaisirs avec des batteries impeccables (pas avares comme dans les 80s, voyez ce que je veux dire?), des polyrythmies tout de même, de jolies alternances, des pauses, et coiffez le tout d'une voix féminine absolument splendide...
Pour la chanteuse, pensez aux amplitudes d'une Caroline CROZAT, entre autre, avec un poil plus de talent (en fait, elle en a le temps puisqu'elle tient tous les leads), avec la grâce d'une Kate BUSH ou les aigus d'une Cindy LAUPER (oui oui) , un grain et un feeling très jazz, bien loin des passionatas du gothique métal, certes parfois magnifiques, mais sans ces petites bulles de champagne que nous délivre à l'envie Melle (madame ?) Kyree VIBRANT, ici nommée, en plus de ça, elle a ce qu'il faut de théâtralité et d'humour, fait plutôt remarquable (non?).
En fait, dès le départ, cette fille, c'est l'atout majeur de HALF PAST FOUR (donc: quintette canadien, formé en 2005, anglophone, aux inspirations à hauteur d'homme, enthousiastes et pétillantes).
Mais c'est sans compter avec ceux qui sont derrière elle (avec!), faisant preuve d'un plaisir franchement évident à jouer(les gars sont russes ou quoi? Lisez les noms des collaborateurs de cet album), une super aisance instrumentale, des idées plein le vestibule, une pêche revigorante, assez miraculeuse et atypique dans le paysage actuel.
Les treize assiettes de ce chouette pic-nic au printemps (deux d'entre elles sont un peu plus copieuses), semblent autant de petites nouvelles que l'on croirait rédigées dans quelque cottage du sud de l'Angleterre, et donc bien loin de la décontraction tapageuse du continent américain.
Non non non, dans cet album (premier effort), tout y sonne élégant, en place, sans ostentation aucune, juste la jubilation très sincère d'être ensemble, et délivrer avec énergie de la bien bonne musique, qui donne définitivement ENVIE DE VIVRE !...Même ma copine tape du pied dans la voiture, c'est vous dire!...Avouez que tout de même, par les temps qui courent ça fait du bien...

Alors on peut le dire de ceux-là: ce sont des chouchous...
Chouette-chouette ! - CHFAB Reviewer, Progressive Area France


Discography

-Winter 2005: Half Past Four Self Titled EP
-Fall 2008: Rabbit in the Vestibule -full length album
-Spring 2013: Good Things - full length album

This album is featured on many radio stations all around the world.
most recently: www.starshipoverflow.com
www.progzilla.com
CKIA 88.3 FM Quebec city. http://www.meduse.org/ckiafm/ckia128.mp3.m3u
ProgRock radio's show Epic Prog: 8PM at http://www.progrock.com/
GermanyAFKmax
106.5 MHz Nurenberg at 8pm German time (2pm EST) on the Progdependent
radio show. http://62.146.2.134:8080/pplive.php

and many many more

Photos

Bio

New live videos:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NZfBof7TKr8
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mZroBcFNuYg
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AfREMQFB_lg

Building on rich traditions of classic progressive rock, this quintet beautifully marries the intricate complexity of neo-progressive time signatures with deep meaningful lyrical poetry and stories, adding a healthy dose of head-banging riffs and blistering solos! Whether you are new to progressive rock and you have never heard stuff like this before or you are a seasoned, savvy listener, you will be very pleasantly surprised. Welcome friend, Half Past Four was expecting you.

Half Past Four has been writing and playing for over 9 years. Based in Toronto, Canada the quintet has performed on many stages in North America. In 2006, they scored the horror "zomedy" movie, The Mad starring Billy Zane. In late 2008 they released their internationally celebrated debut album Rabbit in the Vestibule, and soon after introduced three well-received music videos to accompany it. In April 2013 the band has released a second album, titled "Good Things" that is picking up critical acclaim around the globe.  

Half Past Four's story telling is founded in their skilled musical craftsmanship and rich lyrical prose and is complimented by their exciting stage presence and instrumental virtuosity. Their live shows are an eclectic mix of music, cinema and theatre, augmented by elaborate costumes, projections and special effects.

Band Members