CHROMA KEY

Stylistically "Graveyard Mountain Home" continues the ambient/atmospheric pop/rock style of the preceding Chroma Key releases. Predominantly instrumental music using samples and effects to create melancholic atmospheres rather than vocals. There are sporadic effect laden vocals on the album, but they are often low in the mix and very subtle, adding texture to the tracks rather than dominating them with lead melodies. I´m somtimes reminded of post-rock like Tortoise, although Chroma Key aren´t as rock oriented. It´s slow, introvert, and thougthful music, which works just as well as pleasant background music, as it works as music that you spend a little more time analyzing.

The album subtitle: "In his loneliness and out of his longing, an idea occurred to Andrew. if he could fix his mother´s radio, perhaps he could bring her back to life" perfectly fits the generally melancholic and longing atmosphere of the album and almost tells the story of how this album sounds better than any reviewer´s words can ever do. A 3 star (60%) rating is warranted.

(Originally posted on Metal Music Archives).

Based on the film "Age 13", he loved making a film soundtrack so much to Ghost Book (Soundtrack to the Film Okul) that he made a fake movie soundtrack to a public domain film that he found from the prelinger archives, so most of the spoken word that is characteristic of his music comes from that film, the album cover is also taken from it.

I'd consider this to easily be the peak of his career, nothing that he really made before or after this is as good as this. The only thing that bugs me though is just how drastically different tracks 7 and 8 are. These songs really move into a completly different direction that is different from the overall serious and sombre tone of the album. This record all and all though really is an absolute masterpiece.

Favourite Tracks:Give Up, White Robe, Graveyard Mountain Home, Sad Sad Movie, True and Lost.

Least Favourite tracks:Before You Started.

10/10

Moore is well-known as the original keyboard player for Dream Theater, from the times when the band was under the name of Majesty; also, as a collaborator and a band member (for a short period of time) of Fates Warning, as well as the leader of the experimental progressive metal project Office of Strategic Influence (or O.S.I.), where he shared songwriting duties with his fellow friend Jim Matheos, Fates Warning's very own guitar maestro. Also involved in some soundtracks, Kevin Moore is a very interesting creative entity, and I can surely proclaim that he was on top of his game on the Chroma Key albums.

'Dead Air for Radios' can be very generally described as a mellow rock album, but that would be insufficient to effectively depict with words all that is going on. In fact, 'Dead Air for Radios' is an album rooted in electronica, one of the primary interests of the enigmatic keyboardist, as well as atmospheric rock. The most vivid trace of this record is the fact that it is absolutely nostalgic, slow-paced, and embracing, giving a strong indication that Kevin Moore is a masterful creator of moods and settings, sonic settings that let the listener tune in for a soundscape-like ride through the weird but curious stories that this man has to tell.

'Colorblind' is the opening song on the album, one of the most recognizable and memorable songs from Moore, I think. It definitely has a touch of pop to the overall style of it, something that is not so typical for the mastermind behind Chroma Key. 'Even the Waves' is one of the atmospheric, experimental tracks. 'Undertow' is another very strong number; It is generally hard to assign some sort of label to any of the tracks, as they are very different from anything else that is circulating in the broad landscape of prog; Moreover, the Chroma Key project sounds nothing like Dream Theater or O.S.I., or Fates Warning, it is a very unique creature!

Other highlights are definitely the haunting 'Camera 4', an intelligent instrumental patchwork of otherworldly keyboard sounds and voice recordings, probably from a movie or a radio show, 'On the Page' with its lovely piano riff, very reminiscent of 'Space-Dye Vest' that Moore wrote while in Dream Theater, and 'Mouse (Now Watch What Happens)', another haunting composition.

'Dead Air for Radios' is not an everyday listen, or a necessarily uplifting one; it is also not your typical prog album, if it is a prog album at all! What I think it is, is a very ominous and personal collection of songs that require the listener to lay down and embrace himself in the genial mind of Kevin Moore, and just to listen and contemplate.

That sound, to me, sounds a bit like where mid-to-late Pink Floyd may have ended up had they scaled back the spotlight on Dave Gilmour's guitar work and made the keyboards more prominent. (The vocals even kick off doing the whole "singing through a telephone" thing that Pink Floyd-inspired groups seem to love to do.)

It's all rather pleasant stuff, and at its best is rather relaxing, but at the same time I can't find it in myself to really have especially strong feelings about this album; it's competent enough, but it's just kind of there, and it's in that awkward space where it's ambient enough to be forgettable but not quite ambient enough where that's sort of the point.

1. "Get Back In The Car" (5:05) nice sleep-inducing fare. The vocal performance is, for my tastes, a little too laid back--almost as if he does really care. (8.5/10)

2. "Another Permanent Address" (5:05) a little more up-tempo, this one has a piano base that sounds like Bruce Hornsby. The vocal here is more engaged, the lyric a little more engaging, than that of the opener. Nice choruses and nice gentle piano solo in the instrumental section. (8.667/10)

3. "Nice To Know" (4:31) a slow, plodding, dramatic pace and CURE-like low-end leading soundscape supports Kevin's vocal. Too bad every vocal is fed through the exact same effects boxes; being a keyboard master, he obviously has choices of how he'd like his voice to sound. Still, it is one of the more interesting vocals on the album. The song has some cool heavier chords/sounds in between the vocals as well as an overall cool vibe to it. A top three song for me. (9/10)

4. "Lunar" (3:14) opens with TV anchor's news about an Apollo mission then piano with actual voice tapings of Apollo 11 astronaut and Mission Control intercommunication. Nice jazzy tropical outdoor lounge music in support. (8.667/10)

5. "When You Drive" (5:27) another vocal sample--this time from an Indian man--giving relaxing yoga-like driving lessons. Another vocal sample of a young girl singing in a foreign (Southeast Asian) tongue is used as well. A song with a nice groove that could fit well on one of the Buddha Lounge collections. I like it very much ... I'm just not sure how proggy this is. Another top three song. (8.75/10)

6. "Subway" (4:37) Vocoder Kevin sings over World Music / Buddha Lounge music for the first couple minutes until at 2:26 a heavy synth chord ups the intensity of tension for the following Peter Gabriel-like electric piano solo and then finally takes over and dominates for about a minute before VK rejoins. PG piano and African-like drums to end. (8.667/10)

7. "Please Hang Up" (1:59) weird, wobbly little thing that also reminds me of 1980s Peter Gabriel. Cute editing of the automated telephone operator's vocal. (4.25/5)

8. "Astronaut Down" (4:56) cool song using a nice, driving musical base over which astronaut samples are mixed with Kevin's effected voice and Peter Gabriel-like Fender Rhodes. Nice little synth solos starting at the end of the third minute and then, the second, later--all beneath astronaut chatter. My final top thee song. (8.75/10)

9. "You Go Now" (4:23) nice almost ambient Fender Rhodes-based electronica within which odd spacey sounds and vocal samples are woven. (8.75/10)

Total Time: 39:17

A very pleasant, unoffensive, often engaging if soporific album listen. While I do enjoy Kevin's use of media samples woven within the song structures, I just wish he would employ a little more dynamic diversity.

B/four stars; an interesting and enjoyably dreamy journey into the mellower side of former Dream Theater keyboard artist Kevin Moore's creative brainspace.

What you get here are some electronic musings, some with vocals and some without. I appreciate what he was trying to do here, but for some reason, these tracks just don't have the same effect on me as, say, listening to a Vangelis or Tangerine Dream album. This is basically Kevin's take on that type of music. There is some experimentation, ambience, and so on, but what comes out of this venture is some pretty straightforward electronic music that comes close to space or psychedelic rock. There is some beauty here, but there is a lot of repetition that doesn't really prove anything. It seems, for the most part at least, there is a lot of sound, but not a lot of substance. It sounds like a first try at electronic music, even though it is well produced, it sounds a bit like what it is....someone trying their hand at electronica.

I suppose I'm not that big of a fan of Kevin's style, but I'm telling it from my own "audio viewpoint". The vocals once again, don't do anything for me, and the stylings here just aren't adventurous enough. It is at least a good attempt at expanding his sound, but in trying to create something new, at least with this attempt, it just seems he tried and didn't quite make it.

I had hopes for this one after reading about it and being a fan of explorative and inventive music. Maybe, with time, things will improve, but I'm still not convinced that Chroma Key or OSI is top notch material. At least, Kevin has the sense of adventure with this one. 3 stars...because there is a lot of music out there that is so much better, but at least he is trying.

Most songs are upbeat with straightforward rhythm and meters. There is a little experimentation on "Mouse" and "Camera 4", but the music doesn't develop much or lead to anything very interesting. But there is a lot of enjoyment to be had in the music if it is taken as a prog-lite album. As much as I would like to find some challenge to the music, it doesn't really happen.. So, in short, I find the album enjoyable but not progressive enough to be interesting. Good, but not essential.

This album proves that simplicity breeds beauty. There exists such an overwhelming meaning in this album that almost everyone may feel connected to it.

The atmosphere is rather heavy, greyish and mysterious. Creativity lurks in every corner. Kevin just knows how to beautifully express himself in simple chords, melodies, arpeggios and rhymes. The lyrics are short and full of emotions at times.

If you are looking forward to finding meaning in music listen to this album.

The album takes a tremendous start though, Get Back In The Car is such a pure and touching piece of melancholic trip rock that instantly sets me into 5 star mode. Moore is brilliant in mixing space rock, post rock, soft jazz and electro into his own unique type of lounge prog, for lack of a better name. Another Permanent Address is very similar but less compelling. Also Astronaut Down dwells in the same space and with a much better result. Great song.

More nice surprises come from two very atmospheric tracks. Nice To Know and the instrumental Lunar. Also When You Drive melts the trip hop of Massive Attack into deliciously lazy soft jazz. The remaining tracks, Subway, Please Hang Up and You Go Now don't do much for me.

I think that a greater diversity in mood and some progression from the previous album might have made for a more inspiring listen. On this album I miss the sweat of an artist challenging himself. Nevertheless, it's a good album with many strong tracks.