LUNATIC SOUL

In my opinion the best release from Mariusz Duda, it appears in my CD player far more than the other Lunatic Soul albums and indeed those from Riverside. With respect to the so called white album and 'Impressions', this album seems somewhat more urgent and also exhibits more coherence; while songs such as 'Asoulum' and 'Wanderings' were impressive in their own right, the white album suffered from a lack of flow from one track to the next.

The music on Lunatic Soul is almost solely the work of Duda having written and played virtually all of the instruments, and unlike the crushing riffs utilized in Riverside's music, this album is quiet and atmospheric. However despite this, and the predominantly short song lengths, the music can be powerful and emotive at times and hypnotic at others. Lyrically the album is intriguing too, exploring into the realms of what could happen after death. Track by Track;

1. Prebirth/The New Beggining - Do a good job of setting the scene for what is to come; they showcase the variety of instruments, and a haunting atmosphere is created by Duda's vocals on the latter track. They sit more in the hypnotic category than the powerful one, but are very pleasant on the ears.

2.Out on a Limb - A bit more urgent. Brilliant opening vocals lead into a faster passage of percussion and crunchy bass playing, before a pacy yet very melodic climax. Even has a crying woman in the midsection for emotional impact. Production really sounds good here, though it 's pretty much perfect throughout the album. 3. Summerland - One of the the three real big hitters on the album. Really beautiful song all round, nice piano melody and a strangely catchy chorus. This song in more lyrically populated than the previous songs, and the subject matter certainly gives you something to think about! Pretty damn good outro; Duda knows how to end songs!

4.Lunatic soul - Another big hitter. A very stylistic song, hypnotic keyboards keyboards swirl around throughout, accompanied by some rather nice drumming. With the vocals too, it kinda makes you feel as if you are floating. Great use of electronics, as on the previous track.

5. Where the Darkness is Deepest - Bit of a interlude, lots of random sounds that work together in somehow. Pulled along by a pulsating electric bass line joined by piano and some rather scary keyboard work.

6. Near Life Experience - Another Instrumental, but has somewhat more power than the previous number. Thing that stands out here is the quality of the bass playing and the general interplay between the instruments. Despite having little sense of direction the song just works so well.

7. Adrift - Small slow acoustic song with good lyrics. The tracks on this album often flow into each other, and this works to great effect here. The E-bow (played by Maciej Meller - not Duda!) really makes this song though.

8. The Final Truth - One of my favourite tracks of all time. Opens with just Duda's singing with a really fitting Hammond Organ backdrop and a simple beat. Lyrics are the best on the album here. Just past the halfway mark though, things start to liven up with some awesome speedy drumming and amazing keyboards. Then the vocals pick up the pace. This is the climax of the album. Seriously good track.

9. Waiting for the Dawn - Much in the way that 'Pebirth' led you in to the album this takes you out of it. Soothing keys, Flutes, and what ever a Quzheng create a lush instrumental landscape before an electronic drum noise thing sobers you up!

This is not usually my sort of music, but this album is really quite something (That's why it is the subject of my first ever review!). It is unique and has real emotional power. Buy it, make sure nothing is going on and just get lost in the music.