BUMERANG

"Bumerang" offers a very slight return to form for NOVALIS in that at least the accent is on instrumentals, and indeed 3 of the best tracks are free of the entrenched pop song culture of the day. But don't expect another "Augenblicke" or even "Neumond", because most of the high points are simply likable, no more.

"Uber Stock und Stein", "Wien", and "Espresso" are all driving dance tunes with catchy guitar themes. While they might not have been much out of place on the floor of a disco in 1984, they do convey some aspect of the group's remaining talent if not their convictions. Admittedly, this impression is relative to the sickeningly lite-jazz ballads that suffuse the rest of the disk like so much high fructose corn syrup drizzled on baklava. Only "Nimm meine Hand" is noteworthy with its haunting melody and saxes. It's a song that puts me into a similar mood to the great "Fingertips" by CAMEL, from the same year. The sole upbeat vocal track is "Horoskop", and I can't help reveling in its feel-good hooks, but beware that it hovers rather below the detectable limit on your prog o meter.

It's amazing that NOVALIS was even still around in 1984, albeit slicing away at their legacy more than adding to it. By now it was clear that nothing, not even a boomerang, could reinstate NOVALIS anywhere close to its point of origin.