ZODIAC

Dreamy, Sardonic Wistfulness

In this sophomore release from RUUD DIELEN's one-man studio project, "Glorious Wolf", he really pulled out the stops to produce a crystalline, pure sounding album, utilizing several vocalists, and collaborating with OSCAR ANEMA.

One can hear the results- put on good headphones and drift away in the singing, soaring electric guitars, throbbing bass lines, jazzy saxophone (sadly only on one track), Hammond organ and other synthesizer sounds, crisp drumming and percussion.

Soak up the elegant, world-weary, mystical lyrics sung in lazy style.

How I wish it all added up.

For me anyway, I badly wanted to like this album, and ended up appreciating the sound, the effort that obviously went into it, the fine guitar playing- including some very nice classical guitar work (especially on "Poëts"), and the sumptuous art work by Ed Unitsky.

Yet there's a case in point ("Poëts")alongside the lovely acoustic guitar interplay, lyrics refer to domestic violence- and does it really matter? They go on to ask about angels...and leave the menace behind.

Mixed-up or Juxtaposition?

The search for transcendence comes through in the yearning for meaning, reaching for the other side. It's accompanied by slow, space-y guitars and keyboards setting an ambiance that's sometimes at odds with the ideas being put forward.

The juxtaposition has modern themes, POTUS meeting with South Korean leaders, or the idea of a constipated world and the modern dilemma of getting sucked into a superficial game- or reaching for something more.

Mystical, Spiritual Search

There are signs and symbols abounding- the zodiac, references to shamans and reaching the other side. I thought the message conveyed substantial doubt about reaching beyond the surface, so in effect the music- as superbly as it was performed and recorded- became a mere shimmering surface as well.

In Sum

A very strong effort, that for me at least, left me longing for some real meat, some true passion, some actual musical transcendence.

Rating: 3 Supernatural Shimmers

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