SURVIVAL GAMES

In true Northern European fashion, Polish group ALBION's eponymous album was actually their second, the first being this demo cassette "Survival Games". To add to the confusion, the intersection set of the two albums is larger than the symmetric difference, for those who took set theory while less than a quarter century ago or have a very good memory for their age. So while "Albion" was essentially meant to replace "Survival Games", it's still useful to look back to where it all began. My review is based on the remastered version of the songs released in 2006 as "Remake". It turns out that ALBION is well worth the possible confusion all of this may cause.

While influenced by STEVE HACKETT's solo works as well as HACKETT-era GENESIS and early neo prog, ALBION, like contemporaries COLLAGE and ANNALIST, succeed in crafting their own identity through an equitable alchemy of soaring synthesizers, lead guitars, and a transparent focus on melody. Vocalist Anna Batko, in her STEVIE NICKS meets TRACEY HITCHINGS persona, is as integral to their artistry as the instrumentalists, but yet they are not so much a female-fronted band as a band that happens to comprise a female singer. This subtle distinction is part of what makes them so effortlessly authentic.

While the chicken or egg argument could apply vis a vis comparisons with COLLAGE and Jerzy Antczak with Mirek Gil, it does appear that ALBION influenced COLLAGE successor SATELLITE, nebulously via that group's second album title "Evening Games" but even more by the dark atmosphere that permeates many of the pieces, and the brooding introduction to the wonderful "Collapse" seems like a blueprint for the dark apprehension of that later work. The title cut and "Mad Look" are also thrilling. In fact, other the poppy "You" and the static "Scarecrow" - which sounds like an early BARCLAY JAMES HARVEST outtake from around the time they could no longer work with an orchestra and hadn't figured out how to work without an orchestra - this is remarkably consistent. It's not quite a master class though; I don't think the compositions quite ascend to that level. The most progressive and intricate number here is the closer "Gogoltha" in which Paweł Konieczny wrests the mike when needed and acoustic guitar, bass and percussion nudge a most deserving inaugural release to its climax.

While only collectors may be motivated to seek out this historic demo given the closing of the loop that has been assured by subsequent releases, "Survival Games" exudes a brio lacking even in veteran bands. ALBION has taken this philosophy to heart for 25 years.