PICTURE

This album by the crossover / neo-prog group Kino was basically blamed for the pop-influences on this 2005 album 'Picture'. I myself am discovering the vinyl re-release of InsideOut in 2020 and I am quite surprised by how this criticism endures when so many celebrated neo-prog groups have become equally easy to listen to (Mystery for example). Furthermore, the neo style keyboards are soaring here and the symphonic guitars of John Mitchell (of Arena fame) can get quite heavy. The band does focus on song-writing and offers no random sequences of instrumental passages that deviate from the overall atmosphere of the song. There are some nice instrumental passages and the overall fairly melodic song-writing reminds me a bit of 21th century Kayak - albeit Kino has a more dreamy sound-pallet. Some of the hooks are really memorable, like for instance the opening melody of 'All You See' or the keyboard riff of 'People'. The opening track is a neo-progressive tour the force as well. The solo's of Mitchell sound reminiscent of his work with Arena of that same time. His vocals are a bit more lively and expressive than on the more recent Lonely Robot albums, but his vocals still sound a bit like a backing vocalist doing frontman 'duty'. Though I really like most songs, the album could perhaps have done without its most accessible songs ' Leaving A Light On' and the cheesy 'Room for Two'. The fine production of the album does sound slightly dense (as in contrast to spacious) and the vinyl remaster isn't that different from the original. The quality of the vinyl is fine. Listeners of the vinyl can also consider listening only to side 1, 2 and 4, skipping some of the more poppy material. All in all a rather unoffensive and rather enjoyable offering of a side-project band (by former members of It Bites, Arena, Marillion and Porcupine Tree) that perhaps wasn't even meant to be a 'supergroup' in the first place.