THE PARIS SYMPHONY

Fans of ELP rejoice. This Russian trio, Little Tragedies, has crafted a very fine album rooted strongly in the tradition of they that created a "Karn Evil 9." The keyboards have the greatest presence, sometimes recreating harsh string melodies, but the bass and drums do more than merely provide a steady backbone. As musicians, they are excellent, executing several complicated passages, sometimes one directly after the other. As composers, they are questionable. The big downside of the album is the scarcity of musical themes that anchor the performances, which range from rigidly structured works to seemingly improvised jams. That said, this album is highly recommended to those craving symphonic progressive rock music in the purest sense- classical-sounding pieces interpreted through rock instrumentation.

"Notre Dame de Paris" Bright cathedral organ begins this pompous ride. It does not adequately prepare the listener for the bombastic bomb of sound that follows- barrages of drums, synthesizer, and bass. The only respite permitted was in the beginning- everything else about this piece is harsh, frantic, and unrelenting synthesizer magic.

"Montemartre" Further church organ ensues, but stops abruptly to allow for a dark jazz rock excursion- something completely unexpected. The latter part of the piece is laden with overwhelming synthesizer leads, which are quite astringent at times.

"Hotel des Invalides" After an eerily childlike introduction, warlike music begins, boasting drums and dark strings. Lively bass dances in, but generally speaking, the atmosphere remains thick and menacing. Were it not for the instrumentation, I might mistakenly believe I was hearing a lost Igor Stravinsky piece.

"Napoleon" Perhaps the most difficult of all the pieces to follow, this one begins with a long, soaring synthesizer note, which screams over heavy chords, and soon a volley of keyboard notes crash in from all directions. Stark drumming interrupts the piece, but is soon joined by strings. It is all over the place- I can't really say that I enjoy the constant dissonance and intensity, but I refuse to go so far as to condemn this work as uncreative. The squealing synthesizer lead is rather annoying, however.

"Jardin Du Luxembourg" Bass and strings open this rather brief piece before ominous organ and drums join it.

"Arc de Triomphe" Airy, almost windy keyboards usher in a screeching, malevolent synthesizer lead- what I imagine the wretched denizens of perdition would sound like if momentarily set loose from their prison. When the piece proper begins, it possesses a fuller sound, yet that wailing lead guides the listener through the cacophonic journey to a radiant conclusion.

"Moonlight People" More delicate fare arises here on this transitorily ethereal track, which has only keyboard instrumentation- a simply beautiful, almost nostalgia-inducing affair.

"Romantic Walz" Percussive organ is joined by percussion to create a flighty piece that is chock full of runs and solid bass work. Wailing synthesizer enlists in the fray, sometimes feeling out of place. The build toward the end is magnificent, even if the lead instrument must spoil it.

"Relayer" As with much of the rest of the music, the constant torrent of keyboard runs can be wearisome to endure, and this problem drastically worsens in several places here. Incidentally, some of their most amazing work can be found here though- it's just a matter of bearing with the deluge to enjoy the gems.