A VALID PATH

The most appropriate word needed to describe my feeling after listening to this album is "disappointment". The only dilemma is whether give it one or two stars. Why? Well, from the very start of it, to the very end, I was asking myself is it really an Alan Parsons album or some DJ dance tribute record. I understand that artist has all freedom to make record as he wish, and that my part in it is to like it or not (equal to buy it or not). And I absolutely don't like it. But artists must be aware that armies of fans and followers that support them deserve at least an information is some record made up to standards of that artist or not. Does it look like previous records or not. Maybe "A valid Path" should be "A wrong Path" or "A suspicious Path". Or "A dead end Path". Just to make them think of buying it or not. On record with vulgar or offensive parts, a sticky label PG or something similar is on it. It would be fair play to stick a label on this record that says "music not similar to artist's previous issues".

What? The music review? OK, just a few words more. First of all, I can't use word music to express sound present on this record. Why? Well, music is something made by humans. And it sure isn't music when someone push a button that start creating some sound and after several minutes push it again to stop it. On this one, someone was pushing a lot of buttons, or was clicking a lot with a mouse. The instrument "programming" stands beside four "musicians". Some 30 years ago same artist made fine record titled "I Robot", inspired by Isaac Asimov's SF novels, and now it seems that time has come when someone wants to make a robots of us. But oh no, not of me. I want to use brain, as part of my personality, even when listening to the music, and that is the organ not necessary needed for records like this. Maybe one day when someone puts a chip in my head, sensitive to audio stimulants similar to these, and press the "enjoy" button, that will make me feel happy, maybe that day. But no, that'll be the day! "Progressive music" earned its name exactly because it incorporate intellectual effort to create it, adopt it and understand it. That is the point. And I don't want it to be taken from me.

What? The music review? There is not much that could be said. For someone a simple contemporary dance clubbing electronic experience, for me the HULK (Horrible UnListenable Kaos). Even "covers" and "reworks" of old songs made them annihilated. Only moments I liked that sounded decent are tracks 5 and 6, with interesting water drops sound effects used as a rhythm. Unfortunately, that's all. If it was artist's intention to show us where music is going, and to raise fist and yell against it, OK, I would understand. But I think that wasn't the case. One star. One lonely star.