ANTI-MATTER POETRY

t is the moniker used by German composer an multi-instrumentalist Thomas Thielen when he is creating music on his own. He released his first solo album on Swiss label Galileo Records back in 2002, which was followed up by a second production four years later. "Anti-Matter Poetry" is his third effort, and was released by US label Progrock Records in 2010.

"Anti-Matter Poetry" may not be a creation that will inspire those in search of the new Yes or Genesis, but if you appreciate an artist using and utilizing modern stylistic details and taking cues from the current scene and applying them in an art rock setting this latest effort from German one man band t should be right up your alley. A fine and at times breathtaking album within this specific musical universe.

A very interesting and different --almost retro-80s--production whose music pleasantly updates and enriches some of the more sophisticated technologically-driven 'pop prog' from the Continent the 80s (PETER SCHILLING, KRAFTWERK, NENA, FALCO come immediately to mind. The DAVID BOWIE/PETER MURPHY-like voice and vocal presentation also does much to add to the charm of this music, but, on its own, this well-crafted and performed CD is a very nice find. The first three songs are all outstanding with "Phamtom Pain Scars" (10/10) expertly weaving so many racing instrumental melodies behind (or perhaps, in front of) the least- Bowie-sounding vocal on the album that I feel I'm hearing the counterpoint of a symphony or big band. The mood-setting opener "The Wasted Lands" (9/10) has many PINK FLOYD qualities to it--TV samples, lead guitar, mood. "Hairdressers Symphony" (9/10) is definitely straight out of the 1980s PETER MURPHY catalog--musically and vocally. Love the domineering low end of this song! The fourth song, "I Saved the World" (7/10) again sounds like the way PETER MURPHY could almost go ambient, but ends up sounding most like a good MOBY song. Song five, the almost fifteen minute "The Rear View Mirror Suite" covers a lot of prog territory using a lot of very subtle instrumentation and musics. The sixth and last song on this 65 minute journey keeps up the very high compositional, melodic, and performance standard of the rest though also hovers mostly in the side of more delicate music, as do the last two. Overall, a very, very enjoyable journey that never failed to keep my attention and which draws me back in as soon as I hear a few chords of any of its songs. Definitely a musican to watch--though no one whould be disappointed if they start here. Excellent addition to any prog lover's music collection--especially if you're into 'progress' in the world of melodic progressive music.

This 2010 album from Thomas Thielen is the third under the 't' monicker, while some may also remember him as the leader of Scythe. It took four years to write, perform and record this album and it isn't surprising as this is a 100% solo effort with t providing all of the vocals and instrumentation. What makes this such an outstanding effort is that this just doesn't sound like a solo album at all. There are none of the issues that can often appear with being in the studio with no sounding board or outside interaction, instead what we have is a polished and extremely dynamic album that engages the listener from the first note to the very last. I can remember hearing his previous album (the 2006 'Voices') and while I enjoyed playing it, I didn't come away with the same feeling that I do for this one.

This may not be Genesis-style retro prog, but brings together Porcupine Tree and Radiohead in a style that is truly progressive. At times challenging, always compelling, this is quite an album. This isn't prog that fits within a safe preconceived idea but instead is pushing boundaries so that the listener never knows what to expect next. The vocals are also very strong and melodic, with the focus being on proper songs ' just stretched and moving in different directions as opposed to meandering meaninglessly with loads of instrumental overplay just for the sake of it. Overall this is an album that those with open minds will enjoy a great deal. www.progrockrecords.com