First things first. I have been a huge fan of the Dutch progressive rock band Sky Architect since their debut album Excavations of the Mind in 2010. I have reviewed all four discs of the band and have found their music to be really quite brilliant. The band's drummer Christiaan Bruin has been quite prolific releasing a number of solo albums under the 'Chris' moniker and the couple I have heard, Days Of Summer Gone and Making Sense are very enjoyable bits of mellow symphonic prog. This leads us to Bruin's latest project Inventions and his new album titled Meta.
This is subtle stuff as Bruin doesn't dazzle the listener with instrumental virtuosity although he could if he wanted. This album is about melody and texture, very listenable with Bruin's pop-ish and dreamy lead vocals and slow builds of lush symphonic keyboards. Songs like the title track and "One And The Same" demonstrate the art of the slow build before turning into wonderfully melodic symphonic pop prog. Other highlights include "The Dream Sequence" with its sparkling keyboards and gentle rhythmic swells, the wistful melancholia of "Into The Light" reminding me of Mew's latest release Visual, the orchestral "Spaceship Earth" and the gorgeous melody in "One Small Step". Throughout the disc the use of voice samples ranging from Stephen Hawking to The Twilight Zone television series are effectively used to propel the individual songs.
Meta further demonstrates Bruin's artful playfulness and superb musicality. Just don't go in expecting a different version of Sky Architect, you won't find that here. A superbly crafted art/prog pop album of the highest caliber. Recommended!
Track Listing:
1. Meta
2. One And The Same
3. The Turing Test
4. Into The Light
5. Spaceship Earth
6. Touch Of Rain
7. Oceania
8. The Dream Sequence
9. One Small Step
10. A Place Where We Belong
11. The Space Between
Bonus Tracks:
12. Monochrome
13. The Space Between (Alternative Version)
14. Touch Of Rain (Alternative Version)
15. Spaceship Earth (Alternative Version)
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First things first. I have been a huge fan of the Dutch progressive rock band Sky Architect since their debut album Excavations of the Mind in 2010. I have reviewed all four discs of the band and have found their music to be really quite brilliant. The band's drummer Christiaan Bruin has been quite prolific releasing a number of solo albums under the 'Chris' moniker and the couple I have heard, Days Of Summer Gone and Making Sense are very enjoyable bits of mellow symphonic prog. This leads us to Bruin's latest project Inventions and his new album titled Meta.
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