TRANS​-​NEPTUNIAN OBJECTS

I will always connect these guys to the extraordinary live performances of Claudio Milano, so I know what they're capable of--and thus I have pretty high expectations of them (as well as high hopes for their process of learning to unleash their TREMENDOUS untapped potential).

1. "Sidus" (Prelude) [01:12] a little Bob James-like Fender Rhodes electric piano lounge opener joined by some weird computer-effected Alva Noto/Christian Fennesz-like noises. Great prep song! (4.375/5)

2. "Neptune" [06:13] Chick Corea miniMoog! Droning saw organ! all presented over/with more traditional jazz-rock fusion drum and bass play. (Rhythm guitar, too.) But the synth solo maintains the lead for over two minutes before yielding to smooth-moving "dirty"-effected jazz guitar who solos for the next 1:15--even over some tempo and motif changes. At 3:45 the motif becomes quite KING CRIMSON "Discipline"-like, even down to the tension build and rising melody lines--but totally modernized, totally "their own." Around 5:20 the Chick Corea synth lead returns--ushering in the opening motif again for the song's finish. Very cool song! (9/10)

3. "Magrathea" [05:46] Spacey synth backdrop over which infinity guitar plays with portamento note play by sliding up and down the fretboard. At the one-minute mark there is a pause in which the band switches gears, picking up a sound palette quite similar to the previous song (Rhodes, CC MiniMoog, Alva Noto/Christian Fennesz sounds, raunchy/dirty guitar sound). With the advent of the fourth minute the sound builds, becoming deeper, louder, thicker, in the three rhythm instruments while Andrea Serino continues his melodic and rather serene Chick Corea-like MiniMoog-over-Fender Rhodes solo play. At 4:01 the synth concedes the spotlight to the guitar. Man is Andrea Ferrari's guitar sound powerful, ominous, and deeply moving! It's like some of Eef Elber's most introspective low-note play on the Focus song, "Orion" (Focus Con Proby). So great! Wow! So powerful! Definitely a top three song! (9.33333/10)

4. "Saturn" [04:26] space synths droning, morphing synth and guitar notes set up a near-Eberhard Weber motif for the second and third minutes with late-onset (fourth minute) slow build of deep/low bass and drums. Really cool! (9/10)

5. "Ephemeris" [07:18] the similarity, for me, to the recent collaborations between Swiss band SONAR and David Torn and J. Peter Schwalm are striking. The biggest difference for me is the slightly jazzier drumming and more active Herbie Hancock-like Fender Rhodes play. The bass and guitar, however, feel straight out of a Sonar song. (13.125/15)

6. "Pale Blue Dot" [04:58] rocket-scraping-the-sky sounds from the guitar while the Rhodes plays gentle Michael Logan/Boz Scaggs-"Harbor Lights"-like at the bottom. In the third minute some cinematic Eberhard Weber-like bass and industrial alley-spanking sounds take over while the Rhodes slips more into sustained background chords. Nice. Very cinematic and chill; feels like the street level life in Blade Runner Los Angeles as well as some of fellow-Milanese band DAAL's cinematic soundscapes. I really, really like this one. Another top three song. (9/10)

7. "Amalthea" [05:21] catchy jazzy bass-line introduces us to this song, quickly joined by improvisational drums and reactive Fender Rhodes accompaniment. In the second minute distant electric guitar sounds gradually rise into the mix, bursting forth into a flashy wah-wah- and talk-box-ed solo over some solid jazz-rock fusion drum, bass, and Fender Rhodes play. While the guitar's flash never stops, Andrea's sound does recede so the Fender Rhodes gets a turn to shine, but then it's the guitar that gets to finish on top. Excellent play from the bass and drums. I like the presence of this, an up-tempo song. (9/10)

8. "Sidus" [12:55] "dirty" treatment of some Frippertronics-like guitar work opens this one until the bass (and tympani) steps in at 1:30 with some Floydian psychedelia. The bulk of the song (after the four-minute mark) then unfolds like a mix of 1970s porn film soundtrack jazz-rock fusion before going SONAR with DAVID TORN (at the end of the sixth minute) and then (at the 8-minute mark) GONG/STEVE HILLAGE glissando guitar showmanship followed by a little MARK ISHAM Never Cry Wolf OST music mixed into the mix starting around the nine-minute mark. What results are some very stark Neptunian landscapes. I appreciate the Vangelis-like solo Fender Rhodes bridge beginning around the 10:00 mark before the band recongeals for the DAAL-like finish. An interesting and very enjoyable song that also could/should accompany a visual story. Though the composition is original (in a DAAL kind of way) I find it unfortunate that each motif is so reliant/derivative of one particular iconic artist/sound. (22/25)

Total Time 48:09

The Sonar, King Crimson, Fennesz, David Torn, Chick Hancock, DAAL reminders are quite real and pronounced. I love the creativity involved with this kind of blending but I would still like to see a little broader dynamics and more unique/individualistic sound come from these very talented guys!

B+/4.5 stars; a near-masterpiece of cinematic music that draws inspiration from an eclectic list of sources. Highly recommended--especially for the science/sci-fi daydreamer type.