AKACIS

1. Domas (Thoughts)
Clearly influenced by Kansas, that's a very-very good thing! The titles and lyrics are in Latvian, so I translated the titles using multiple platforms, just to have an idea. That first song is rather simplistic for a crossover prog song for the first 3,5 minutes, but the last 1 minute is rewarding, with a fast-paced keyboard solo accompanied by violin. Good!

2. Vēja Vanags (Wind Hawk)
A folk rock ballad in the style of Styx for the first 2 minutes. It then changes to a very tasteful fast instrumental section for another minute, it breaks into an atmospheric silent part for another minute, and it reprises the folk rock ballad from the beginning. A very good song, one that Styx would be proud of!

3. Tā Lieta (That Thing)
Instrumental track with a very strong bass line that reminds me of Martin Turner's (Wishbone Ash) dynamics. It could easily belong to one of the first two Pavlov's Dog albums, due to its upbeat nature and the minimal but distinct flute parts.

4. ?oreiz būsi tu (This Time It Will Be You)
What a strange song! Seems to be influenced by Latvian folk, the rhythms are definitely East-European. It's only two minutes long, so it rather acts as an intro for the next song. The first minute is a folk ballad, the second minute is faster and has strong jazz vibes.

5. Mājās braucot (Driving Home)
At six minutes, it's the second lengthier song of the album. This time they sound like a Caribbean ethnic band, those guys are limitless! A very fun pop song, extremely danceable, very nice keyboard and acoustic guitar work. Not prog but very enjoyable!

6. Mani Sauc Pasaule (My Name Is The World)
Strong Kansas vibes once more, a heavy rocker with melodic chorus straight from the Leftoverture/Point of Know Return days of Kansas. The production is not great, but as a piece it might be my favorite thus far!

7. Ar Ko? (With What?)
An instrumental inspired by the works of Yes and King Crimson, with time/signature changes and all. A very good track to demonstrate the band's technique, and at the same time short enough for the less familiar listener to not get tired.

8. Tracis (Brawl)
What? They are playing bluegrass??? Haha those guys play everything they know! This instrumental sounds like an improvised bluegrass version of Gioacchino Rossini's famous classical composition "William Tell Overture Finale", equally interesting and unexpected! This is definitely one of the most extraordinary records I've ever listened to!

9. Asara (Tear)
At more than seven minutes long, they saved the lengthiest song for last. The song begins as a piano ballad, with quiet melodic vocals and violin. After almost three minutes, the whole band joins and the song becomes more rich. And then... nothing more. I was expecting something dramatic to happen at this point, but no. It's just a melodic ballad that sounds nice, but it doesn't offer something special. It's a pity since thus far they were full of surprises, and I was expecting an epic finale.

RATING:
Average vocals, average production, but very good ideas and phenomenal variety! Songs 2 and 6 are really great, if the lyrics were in English this record would be far more popular! 3.5 stars from me, a record that any crossover prog fan should give a listen! I can't give half a star here in ProgArchives, so I will go with 3 stars and not 4 since I can't rate the lyrics.