THE HUNGRY HEART

An artist that is new to me despite the fact that they've been around for over ten years. This is their third full studio album release--one that has been receiving quite a little attention. So, I had to check it out!

CD 1 (41:28) 1. "The Hungry Heart" (4:51) very seductive introductory song! I love the unusual synth-wash chords used. (9.5/10)

2. "The Golden Siren" (5:30) drum machine track opens with a few reverberating guitar notes over which raspy male voice whisper-talks his thoughts. After 90 seconds more instrumentation and drums are added while voice continues talking. Then a chorus is injected into the music with some surprisingly high-pitched voices singing some rather saccharine lines about "she's everywhere I go, my golden shay". Reminds me of the music & style that the British band tinyfish made with their album releases in the Naughties. (8.5/10)

3. "Hunger" (7:20) rather cheesy and simple. Kind of like an Chroma Key or Alan Parsons Project song with some Peter Gabriel elements. (12.5/15)

4. "Our Desert" (4:08) gently picked acoustic guitar chords set up a gentle folkie vocal. This stark soundscape lasts until 1:40 when some water sounds and ghost-like background "distant" vocal sounds begin to creep in with a pulsing frequency. (8/10)

5. "One Day" (4:40) opens with a force reminding me of Bruce Swoord/The Pineapple Thief and more recent Steven Wilson songs. A decent song despite questionable sound engineering choices. (8.5/10)

6. "Burning House" (6:57) the first really proggy sounding song since the tease of the opener--it's the complex multi- rhythms of the drums that do it. The opening 2:50 remind me of something from Peter Gabriel's Passion soundtrack. The next couple of piano and sax-dominated minutes are very much like something more modern-- maybe, again, Steven Wilson or Kevin Moore. A very engaging and satisfying song--and an instrumental! Perhaps the best on the song. Hearing this, I definitely think this band has potential. (14.5/15)

7. "Colors" (5:18) an excellent melodic crossover tune in the vein of LIFESIGNS or MYSTERY. (9/10)

8. "Asylum" (2:44) acoustic guitar, simple vocal, piano later. Very pretty, memorable song. (4.75/5)

CD 2 (24:02) 1. "Where We Belong" (2:47) opens with ANATHEMA chords from one of my all-time favorite Anathema songs, "Endless Ways," before going more lounge-jazz piano. Pretty. Nice use of ancillary spacey synth & guitar noises. (4.5/5)

2. "Dissolution" (21:15) Three minutes a hand-held recorder monologue from an Australian male voice expressing his morning feeling of being unsettled and his successive exploration of the basis for those feelings. This is all accompanied by the melodic, uptempo play of a somewhat-jazzy solo piano and, eventually, side voices, strings, and synths. Drums, bass, and orchestral instruments jump in in the second and third minutes as the singer enters to offer a more generalized perspective of the same disconcertment and general disenchantment with today's state of "civilization." Quite a piano-jazz-inflected musical journey. I really like the STEVE REICH-like piano and tuned percussion section that begins at the end of the eighth minute. At 9:25 the vocalist and piano recapitulate the Anathema "hold on" theme from the previous song. Nice guitar and strings work in the 12th minute. Then there is a dramatic shift into a bare-bones xylophone solo that reminds me of 1970s Gary Burton or Rainer Brüninghaus' work with Eberhard Weber. Solo electric jazz guitar takes over in the 16th minute. This is so 1970s! (Which I LOVE!) But then, because of these familiar themes, riffs, and sounds, it causes me to almost lose some of my enjoyment: I can't help but wonder if it is, in fact, original, or copied. A little Thomas Thelen sneaks into the 19th minute before Philipp returns to the "hold on" theme for the chorus in the 20th. Nice blend of rock and orchestra in the final 90 seconds. An absolutely enjoyable jazz-pop epic. (36/40)

Total Time 65:30

Though an overall very enjoyable listening experience, I wouldn't consider this a masterpiece as a whole; there are several excellent songs, however. The syncopated beat patterns of the drummer do the most to give the music a progginess, otherwise the melodies and vocals are definitely more mainstream in their melodic sensibilities and treatments.

B+/4.5 stars; a near-masterpiece of Crossover prog; an excellent addition to any prog lover's music collection.