STOPOVER - LIFE

Let's coin a new word: cuddle-prog. "Stopover-Life," the third album by the Polish band Moonrise, the group led by multi-instrumentalist Kamil Konieczniak, inspired me to do so. The tender, oh so beautiful sounds of the album absolutely deserve to be enjoyed between the sheets at least once.

The album features nine neo-prog-tinged compositions, each one as delightful as the next. Don't always expect explicit neo-prog. Aside from a few Jadis-like moments, you're mostly treated to a kind of soft music with a creamy, melodic prog twist. Konieczniak truly gives it his all in this regard. The music is layered on a foundation of deep bass and lush synthesizer sounds. However, it's worth noting that you'd be misleading yourself if you think of this foundation as dark. There's actually a lot of light shining through on this album.

Konieczniak adorns his music with beautiful acoustic guitar strokes, delightful keyboard themes, and sparkling piano notes. It's a well-prepared bed on which the other band members truly excel.

First and foremost is vocalist Marcin Jajkiewicz. With his pleasant voice, he brings a similar warmth to the music as Gary Chandler does with Jadis. He has a fairly ordinary voice, which he doesn't force with unnecessary embellishments. Jajkiewicz is, above all, a sincere vocalist, and he needs that credibility for the lyrics written by the previous singer (Lucasz Gall). The album deals with a broken relationship and starting over. "

Blind Faces is particularly beautiful, where Jajkiewicz does his utmost to capture all the emotions, and he succeeds brilliantly. In fact, he turns every track into an enjoyable listening experience.

What truly stole my heart is the elegant saxophone playing of Dariusz Rybka, which regularly appears throughout the songs. From his lovely runs in the atmospheric title track that opens the album, he demands attention. A clear theme like in Start Up Song is, of course, always welcome, although he is at his best in the solo of Guardian Angel. Rybka can easily be considered the cherry on top, and yes, he later went on to play with Millenium.

Another standout is guitarist Marcin Kruczek, who delivers one impressive solo after another. Think, again, of Gary Chandler's style. All of his contributions are noteworthy, especially his work in the thunderous Flying In Empty Lands, as well as Konieczniak's own contribution in the poignant Unravel Your Soul. The drumming by Grzegorz Bauer is also exceptionally tasteful. It all sounds superb.

This is a magnificent album, and it will undoubtedly have an impact.

Orginally posted on www.progenrock.com