MAP OF THE UNIVERSE

Interesting album...if there ever was a balance between THE CLASH style punk rock music and progressive rock, well here it is. I actually used this line of comparison half a dozen times, this one is really taking the cake. Why? It indeed sounds like 'London Calling' at the moments, there are more or less direct quotations in bass lines, chords, even lyrics. If you notice that our brainchild KiNo is actually born in the same hospital where Joe Strummer was born, then it couldn't really be a coincidence.

As far as the prog aspect of the music goes, it's omnipresent - if not too impressive - and handcrafted into the new wave-y rolling machine on the surface. Synth bleeps, progressive textures (I like that phrase and I'm using it a lot at present), vocal choirs...and overall flow of a concept album, or at lest a thematic one, and nicely wrapped at the edges at that. Some passages, as well as lyrical passages are repeating themselves through the album. Overall, very nice.

My complaint is actually not uncommon: the album is overbearing a bit, perhaps a bit too long for a more or less linear music, so it kind of drags towards the end. There's not a single breathtaking moment, but on the other hand there's not a single BAD moment neither. Which makes this unit pretty decent. And highly recommended to people who like both THE CLASH and progressive rock!