SR VIII: Vander Got Run Over By A Reindeer!

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   For me, Ëmëhntëhtt-Rê is an incredibly satisfying album. 
I find it can be so beautiful and fun and.... Even though I've listened
to it so many times since I got it, I could not review it yet because
I'd want to cross-referencing which would take a lot of time and
thought.  If I were not to factor in anything such as innovation,
originality (considering what they've done before), and judge the album
on its own merits without comparison, it would get five stars from me. 
I prefer it to K.A. -- I think I'd give K.A. a four. The keyboards in
KA III are not that satisfying for me.  I find the newest is
well-nuanced, well-textured, and I love the instrumentation and feel. 
I don't like the last two tracks so much, but I look at those as coda. 
It can be so joyous, as can KA.  What hindered my ebullient reaction
somewhat to the album when I first heard it  has to do with
familiarity, that I knew the music on the whole already so well, so not
quite the element of surprise that would have immediately elevated it. 
But I really think it's a terrific album, and I don't think I could
rate it less than a 4.5.  Magnificent and mature, even if it has some
inanely geekish moments.  It has the best of Magma (post 1001 Degrees)
and Offering in the mix.

I still would do things a little differently with the album if I
could. Sometimes some parts are mixed down a  little more than I would
like, the balancing could be better in parts, and in some cases there
is not quite as much as full 3D sounds as I would like, and would have
added some more elements to the music in places, and I would have
brought in some more harmonic complexity to certain parts, while
keeping the simplicity of others.  When I was listening to it before
with headphones I was adding kinds of harmonies to it in my mind
(something I commonly do when I listen to music because harmonies are
so important to me).  It would benefit from more complexity, more
contrast still, and can sound forced in parts. Never-the-less, a
wonderful album, I think.  I wonder how I'll feel about it in another month, though.

I think I overplayed it a bit though, and so as not to get tired of it, I'm listening to albums by  Egisto Macchi now.