THE NEW SOUND

The first solo album from black midi's inner sanctum of eight or so principle musicians. Geordie has been a guitarist, lead singer, and songwriter for all three of the punk prog band's studio albums as well as principle showman in their live performances, but here he unleashes a display of songs each of which manages to weave quite a number of eclectic styles and sounds into quite sophisticated and unpredictable forms and direction--doing so with results that exhibit absolute confidence in craftsmanship and skill.

1. "Blues" (5:43) the most black midi-like tune on the album, and it's a great one--especially musically. The lyrics, however, unfortunately contain some rather graphic and lewd sexual references which render the song unplayable for radio broadcasts. Otherwise, this really is a great song. (9.125/10)

2. "Terra" (4:18) Chick Corea's piano over a Brazilian bossa nova? Naturally! The most sophisticated, layered, subtly morphing song on the album. I love, love, LOVE it! (9.5/10)

3. "Holy, Holy" (6:03) a song that plays out in a way that sounds so derivative of so many Broadway stage musical themes, styles, and gimmicks, some Latinized, some funk and hip-hop, all with a cool STEELY DAN orientation. The drumming (sound) is a bit weak, but I love the background vocals! (8.875/10)

4. "The New Sound" (4:48) an instrumental that again feels like an overture for a Broadway musical. (8.875/10)

5. "Walk Up" (4:25) another song that I can easily picture being sung on stage in the middle of a 1950s or 60s gangster- musical like Newsies or Guys and Dolls or even Bullets Over Broadway. Even the musique concrète radio play stuff in the final minute breathes "stage play musical." (8.875/10)

6. "Through a War" (5:44) a great, immediately infectious musical foundation is cleverly sung over with a fantasy dream lyric. The second motif used is straight out of STEELY DAN music lexicon, but there are other themes used as well that feel familiar but whose names and artists are beyond my grasp/recollection. Very fun, catchy, interesting, and unusual song. (9.25/10)

7. "Bongo Season" (2:35) setting the listener up with dreamy, tropical beach Fender Rhodes, piano, and Santana-like multi-musician percussion and bass, Geordie gives the band almost half the song to play before even uttering a sound or word. Then Afro-pop and Caribbean/Jazz-Rock Fusion guitars, lead and rhythm, respectively, join in before Geordie returns to deliver the title phrase in melodic repetition. Great music. (4.5/5)

8. "Motorbike" (6:01) singing in an entirely unfamiliar, lower register is odd (and wonderful, if one can pull it off) but the topic, lyrics, and musical variations kind of provoke more conflicts and odd references that serve to distract rather than engage and smooth out the listening experience. Definitely the weakest, most internally-conflicted song on the album. (8.75/10)

9. "As If Waltz" (7:54) a solid jazzy-pop song with great music, great singing and lyrics, and great incidental flourishes from the musicians adding to the wonderfully nostalgic Parisian nightclub feeling. Possibly my favorte song on the album. (14.5/15)

10. "The Magician" (12:20) a kind of confessional soliloquy that didn't really need ten minutes to express much less ten, did it? One of the weaker songs on the album. (21.5/25)

11. "If You Are but a Dream" [Frank Sinatra cover] (3:08) Unfortunately, though the music here is perfect, I find Geordie's vocal quite weak and flawed--not nearly living up to the standards set by his vocal hero (FS). It really and truly is the weakest vocal performance (and recording) I've ever heard from Geordie. And the live performances of this song fall equally short of any and all expectations. (8.5/10)

Total Time 62:59

B+/four stars; though genius is on full display throughout this crazy ride of imaginatively conceived and constructed thousand-knives-of-reference music, the genius has a little ways to go to hone his commodity. At the same time, as a music lover, I love the listening experience and stand in awe of Geordie's Techno-Core Johnny-like vision: it's almost God-like in its field of Infinite Possibilities--which leaves me quite excited for whatever it is this young man gets up to next (artistically, that is).