THE LEAP

As is often the case these days, Victor contacted me through FB and asked if I would be interested in hearing his new album. Seeing as how I have a personal policy of always reviewing anything when an artist contacts me directly, it was an easy answer, so now I am listening to what is an intriguing and interesting album. This is the fourth album from Ukrainian multi-instrumentalist Victor Go and comprises eight songs with vocals and three without. It is probably the vocal treatment which is probably going to get the most criticism from some as they have obviously been quite heavily treated. I do not know if this is due to Victor having poor vocals or is because he is looking for a deliberate sound. I think it is probably due to the latter as opposed to the former, and they are not an issue for me as it is so obvious ? very different today to many of today's (non-prog) "singers" who use auto-tune as they are unable to hit a note and are generally in the charts due to the way they look/dance and studio trickery as opposed to any innate musical ability.

This is a solid crossover album, mixing progressive rock and more commercial sounds, and while in many ways it owes much to the Nineties' Neo Prog scene, there is also much here which is somehow reminiscent of Camel. I particularly like the use of fretless bass and the sliding in for some of the notes, as that provides some wonderful warmth against the multi-layered keyboards and guitars. The use of acoustic guitar here and there is also a nice touch, as is synthesised violin, and numbers such as "Pilot: Dream" are delicate and fresh. There is not a great deal of breadth and depth to the album, but it is certainly an enjoyable release, containing different elements which mean that while not indispensable it is also something that should not be dispensed with on first hearing as the more it is played the more there is to be obtained from it.