PSYCHOANOREXIA

The prog world is currently overflowing with one man acts, and with all the modern technologies available, it now is possible to achieve something akin to a full band sound without having to deal with superfluous banter and discrepancies between members. The search for full control seems to be right there on the horizon.

The question beckons though - do we, as simple fans of music, want our patterned sound to be as concise as that, or do we want that irreplaceable shading of something crooked and out of sync present? To each his own I guess, and while I was, and am, very impressed by the musicianship of Thomas Thielen, I still miss something audacious and raw from this album. Something that rips me by my hair and throws me on the bed and..........hold on a minute, I may be talking about something different here - and I'm not even a girl...

The previous gibberish may come across a little harsh, especially when you count in the fact, that there are heaps upon heaps of current prog bands doing the exact same thing. The Flower Kings spring to mind. For my tastes the music becomes far too safe and predictable. Inside of 5 minutes with this kind of music, I get restless and start looking around my apartment for mice, lice and thrice as much dice as I'll ever find on here. I played this album to one of my friends the other day who also happens to be very much into progressive rock, and he said it sounded like "dad-prog". I laughed a little first, but I completely understand where he's coming from.

Take a dash of Camel flavoured vocals tinged with an ability to reach highs that Latimer can only dream of. Mix this with lush piano driven melodies, synthesizer leads, sky soaring guitar solos, a metronomically tight rhythm section, all kinds of keyboards, and out on the other side comes this melody based prog that feels as docile and friendly as a fluffy hug from a care bear.

My favourite parts of this album are to be found in the ambiances. At times I swear I can hear hints of The Cure in the ambient keys oozing up from the back, and that is a big compliment coming from yours truly. More than once I found myself thinking of the opening cut on their 1989 album Disintegration, I'd just wish there was more of this, and that it wasn't diluted by what genuinely sounds like latter day Marillion.

If you're into the current line of prog acts such as Nine Stones Close, The Flower Kings, Karmakanic, Sylvan, Arena and Pendragon, then I guarantee you'll love this baby! Without a doubt! I have to be honest though, and I find very little that tickles my fancy on Psychoanorexia. To me this feels like prog by the numbers, no matter how talented and refined Thomas is behind the instruments. Sorry, but this just isn't my bag.

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