ARCHITECT OF LIGHT

And so it is now up to date with 'Architect Of Light' which was released earlier this year. It is dedicated to "whatever it was that saved my life on February 4th 2002" ? this is something that I can relate to as tomorrow is the fourth anniversary of my motorbike accident, and Steve's dedication is concerning a car accident he suffered on that date. There are a few albums I have reviewed in this issue that appear to be what the artist has been building to for a period of time, and that is the case with this one. It is ten years since Steve started releasing cassettes, and on this album he not only has Ken providing vocals but also now has a drummer in Christopher Knight. There are a couple of guest musicians on the album providing diverse elements on some tracks, and Steve himself also provides some stunning flute along with his other instruments.

With three of the five songs over sixteen minutes long, this is an album that is bringing together a multitude of styles that are at the same time different yet belonging. It is an album of complexity, yet also simplicity, bringing Floydian styles in with Camel and mixing them up with a solid dose of new prog that it is very much music that is relevant for today. Again it is mostly instrumental, but Ken very much plays his part.

Originally appeared in Feedback #69, Aug 02