RANDOM ACTS OF BEAUTY

Beauty, such a relative word, often used to describe harmonic sounds, bright colors and glossy smoothness. I guess many people might find the woman on the sleeve beautiful, or might even like the entire artwork. I don't. For me beauty lies in truth and authenticity, either in a laughing wrinkle or in eyes red-brimmed with tears, but certainly not in castle clichés or other fake romanticism fronted by Barbie dolls.

Luckily the album starts out more pleasing then the artwork. Masquerade is safe, formulaic and old-school, but it's well written and professionally executed. Ideal background music for a proggy Valentine's Day. Andy Latimer guests on guitar and vocals, and after the drearily cheesy piano intro his magic touch shows how simple and pure his emotive playing still is, even amidst the synth bombast that almost drowns him out. His weary old voice at the end is the best part of the album.

The remainder of the album doesn't reach this level anymore. Chambermaid is an unlucky mix of insecure vocals with tedious drumming and bombastic orchestrations, even if it isn't a bad song at heart. From here on it's a steep fall downwards and when the band tries to rock such as on Storming the Castle things get even worse, offering nothing but old-school rock clichés with a synthetic production so pompous and amateurish that it kills of all possible qualities of the instruments. No, plastic doesn't rock; it never did and never will.

This album isn't "random", it's totally cliché and predictable. It also doesn't "act" but remains stale, inert and dull. And it doesn't offer "beauty", it's plastic and plastic never has been beautiful. In other words this album is close to a complete disappointment. Avoid, only Latimer and Justin's guitars saved this one from one star forgetfulness.