SMALLTAPE

"The heart is our hidden center, beyond the grasp of our reason and of others;...The heart is the place of decision, deeper than our psychic drives. It is the place of truth, where we choose life or death." -Philip Kosloski

"Go on and feed your heart/So you'll become one who you are." -"DIssolution"

In this, the third full-length album released by smalltape, German multi-instrumentalist/composer/sound designer Philipp Nespital and fellow musicians explore the deep realms of soul, heart, purpose, meaning, and madness.

They do this by developing symphonic and crossover progressive rock compositions into powerful gems of shimmering sound and landscapes of bleakness and beauty, artistically woven together in this tapestry of despair, loneliness, and passion.

Hearts Can Be Broken

Oh yes, indeed they can. Here, in the title track to open the album, and throughout this challenging conceptually linked music, we meet the agonized protagonist and his imaginary- yet too real- lover, set to rich keyboards, orchestrations, tortured poetic ruminations in spoken voice, male/female octave singing, wailing saxophone, rumbling bass, and pretty authentic but I think programmed drumming.

There are cinematic shadings along with soaring guitar solos, and extraordinary continuing red-line as our protagonist enters the spiritual desert, seeking without finding wholeness or healing or purpose.

Hearts Need Love

"Colors", track 7, suggests via dark synths and pounding drums, that the heart consumed by hate can scarcely tend the earth and to the vulnerable people of the earth.

"Let's show them colors they can't see/ Let us paint the grey cold streets/ Let's share a love that they don't feel/ Let's be all that they can't be"-

So sings the hopeful chorus, yet another of the many melodic sections threaded throughout this album. And always, the curious contrast between the highly polished and cultured musicianship and composition, and the bleak, dark ruminations of the hungry heart.

Perhaps the Heart Must Surrender

"Dissolution", the finale of this opus, spells out most completely the spiritual and musical journey set before us. Opening with distant, removed spoken word, the protagonist is unable to decipher the pulsing, throbbing sound that distorts the average, run-of-the-mill 'ordinariness' of the day. Introspective piano chords that become increasingly busy, with an active bass line and a complex bass and drum pattern, lead to a singing, soaring sax line, and the protagonist saying, "The sound was inside of me/ And I had no idea how to deal with that".

Intensity in the instrumentation grows- as does the growing sense of madness, "Hold on, give me a break/ It's more than I can take"- and soaring lead guitar sings over majestic orchestration.

Which leads to the solemn, grand conclusion in the symphonic music and this line, "Go on and feed your heart/ So you'll become the one who you are".

Surrender to the rhythm, to the majesty, to the struggle, to the madness- so the heart can fully express its own wisdom.

A Lot to Absorb

There's a lot to absorb in the sixty-five minutes-plus opus, impeccably produced, often somber in tone, with only flashes of light here and there.

For me the arc of the concept doesn't always hold, yet is gripping and worthy still. "Colors" seems out of place, although a lovely piece. And it's hard to agree that the lonely, broken heart flirting with madness can heal by surrendering to itself.

That aside, this is a worthy addition to the progress rock canon.

My Rating

4 smoldering stars- not everyone is as absorbed by concept as I and the music is engrossing.

CD 1 (41:28) 1. "The Hungry Heart" (4:51) very seductive introductory song! I love the unusual synth-wash chords used. (9.5/10)

2. "The Golden Siren" (5:30) drum machine track opens with a few reverberating guitar notes over which raspy male voice whisper-talks his thoughts. After 90 seconds more instrumentation and drums are added while voice continues talking. Then a chorus is injected into the music with some surprisingly high-pitched voices singing some rather saccharine lines about "she's everywhere I go, my golden shay". Reminds me of the music & style that the British band tinyfish made with their album releases in the Naughties. (8.5/10)

3. "Hunger" (7:20) rather cheesy and simple. Kind of like an Chroma Key or Alan Parsons Project song with some Peter Gabriel elements. (12.5/15)

4. "Our Desert" (4:08) gently picked acoustic guitar chords set up a gentle folkie vocal. This stark soundscape lasts until 1:40 when some water sounds and ghost-like background "distant" vocal sounds begin to creep in with a pulsing frequency. (8/10)

5. "One Day" (4:40) opens with a force reminding me of Bruce Swoord/The Pineapple Thief and more recent Steven Wilson songs. A decent song despite questionable sound engineering choices. (8.5/10)

6. "Burning House" (6:57) the first really proggy sounding song since the tease of the opener--it's the complex multi- rhythms of the drums that do it. The opening 2:50 remind me of something from Peter Gabriel's Passion soundtrack. The next couple of piano and sax-dominated minutes are very much like something more modern-- maybe, again, Steven Wilson or Kevin Moore. A very engaging and satisfying song--and an instrumental! Perhaps the best on the song. Hearing this, I definitely think this band has potential. (14.5/15)

7. "Colors" (5:18) an excellent melodic crossover tune in the vein of LIFESIGNS or MYSTERY. (9/10)

8. "Asylum" (2:44) acoustic guitar, simple vocal, piano later. Very pretty, memorable song. (4.75/5)

CD 2 (24:02) 1. "Where We Belong" (2:47) opens with ANATHEMA chords from one of my all-time favorite Anathema songs, "Endless Ways," before going more lounge-jazz piano. Pretty. Nice use of ancillary spacey synth & guitar noises. (4.5/5)

2. "Dissolution" (21:15) Three minutes a hand-held recorder monologue from an Australian male voice expressing his morning feeling of being unsettled and his successive exploration of the basis for those feelings. This is all accompanied by the melodic, uptempo play of a somewhat-jazzy solo piano and, eventually, side voices, strings, and synths. Drums, bass, and orchestral instruments jump in in the second and third minutes as the singer enters to offer a more generalized perspective of the same disconcertment and general disenchantment with today's state of "civilization." Quite a piano-jazz-inflected musical journey. I really like the STEVE REICH-like piano and tuned percussion section that begins at the end of the eighth minute. At 9:25 the vocalist and piano recapitulate the Anathema "hold on" theme from the previous song. Nice guitar and strings work in the 12th minute. Then there is a dramatic shift into a bare-bones xylophone solo that reminds me of 1970s Gary Burton or Rainer Brüninghaus' work with Eberhard Weber. Solo electric jazz guitar takes over in the 16th minute. This is so 1970s! (Which I LOVE!) But then, because of these familiar themes, riffs, and sounds, it causes me to almost lose some of my enjoyment: I can't help but wonder if it is, in fact, original, or copied. A little Thomas Thelen sneaks into the 19th minute before Philipp returns to the "hold on" theme for the chorus in the 20th. Nice blend of rock and orchestra in the final 90 seconds. An absolutely enjoyable jazz-pop epic. (36/40)

Total Time 65:30

Though an overall very enjoyable listening experience, I wouldn't consider this a masterpiece as a whole; there are several excellent songs, however. The syncopated beat patterns of the drummer do the most to give the music a progginess, otherwise the melodies and vocals are definitely more mainstream in their melodic sensibilities and treatments.

B+/4.5 stars; a near-masterpiece of Crossover prog; an excellent addition to any prog lover's music collection.