GLASS KITES II

Beautifully composed, performed, and recorded atmospheric prog--of which I am reminded of the great 2016 Tony Patterson album, Equations of Meaning--one of my favorite albums of that year and one of my five or ten favorite Neo Prog albums of all-time. There's a little feel of Mice on Stilts and Midlake here as well.

1. "Intro (Soviet)" (3:26) a soft-jazzy prog instrumental that sounds as if it could have come out of the late 1970s--like something off of a Crusaders/Joe Sample or Narada Michael Walden album of that time. Very melodic and engaging; gets its "hooks" into you. (8.75/10)

2. "In the Night" (4:21) a MIDLAKE-sounding song with MICE ON STILTS singing and feel to it. Very pleasant and soothing. (9/10)

3. "Leviathan" (8:58) Very much in the vein of BROTHER APE's 2010 masterpiece, A Rare Moment of Insight: fast paced, drum-driven, and yet very melodic and atmospheric. The synth-driven interlude from 4:30 to 5:45 is wonderful--almost BUGGLES-like! And it continues into the next section. Great stuff! Truly BROTHER APE territory. The final two minutes reminds me of a cross between Ryuichi Sakamoto's synth pop of the 80s and 90s and some of Johannes Luley's stuff. Absolutely awesome second half! (17.75/20)

4. "Ideologue" (2:47) "toy" piano sound (heavily treated) over water sounds with orchestral chords and "cello" in support. Beautiful. I could listen to a whole album of stuff like this! Synthetic strings synth play for the final minute. (9.25/10)

5. "Discworld / Projector" (10:38) heart-wrenching chords torn straight out of TONY PATTERSON's 2016 masterpiece, Equations of Meaning. The singing brings a whole different timbre to it--very pleasant. Great playful instrumental interplay beneath the calm, soothing vocal. Amazing dichotomy of presentations--that really work! GREAT first 3:35! Not so much a fan of the TOTO "Hold the Line"-like bouncing piano motif after 3:35. Fortunately, it is muted a bit with the chorus bridge at 4:50, but then it comes back. My least favorite section of the album. Instrumental soli in the seventh and eighth minutes bring it back some dignity, then flanged nylon-string strummed guitar and voice samples with new chord progression bring it back into range of likability--still not great though. Builds and builds as it reaches the tenth minute--culminating in some great electric guitar soloing over some nice drumming. Too bad the whole song couldn't have been as strong as that opening 3:35. (17.5/20)

Total Time 30:10

Short. But so pleasant to listen to. And there's so much interesting instrumental intricacy to pay attention to over repeated and future listens.

B+/4.5 stars; a wonderful addition to any prog lover's music collection.