STROMATOLITE

Excellent Neo Prog bordering on symphonic jazz fusion from these Japanese virtuosi. The violin is such a glorious instrument!

1. "Cosmic Velocity" (4:33) I violin lover's dream! A top three song for me--right out of the blocks!(9/10)

2. "Consensus" (6:33) great music, horrible vocal and lyrics! Luckily, it gets better as it gets deeper into the song. (8.25/10)

3. "Lullaby" (4:34) reminds me of "Book of Saturdays" from KC. Not a great vocal but wonderful neo-baroque music throughout. Another top three song. (8.75/10)

4. "Algo_Rhythm.C" (5:22) not as full or finished as the previous songs; more Neo Prog-like. (8/10)

5. "Caprice" (violin solo) (1:32) Wow! (5/5)

6. "Spiral Motion" (6:04) great rondo-like start--makes you hunger for the rest--but then it goes awry with cheesy distorted guitar strums and pipe organ. Once the violin has rejoined, it gets better, but still very flawed--a lot of too-simple play from the support instruments--organ and violin are doing all the work. Bombastic full organ sequence helps; a new motif is established within which a veritable Robert Fripp guitar solo plays. Then violin. Wow! What a difference that second half makes. Still, flawed by the embarrassingly simplistic foundation. (8.25/10)

7. "Dahlia" (6:47) another more aggressive, angular guitar-driven King Crimson-like intro which shifts rather suddenly (and unexpectedly) into a more melodic vocal section. The vocal here works in a David Sylvian kind of way. The instrumental section in the middle is amazing--with Fripp-like guitar and amazing synth and violin soli. Even the a cappella vocal bridge works. Combination Yes and KC. Probably my favorite song on the album. (13.75/15)

8. "Pangea" (5:05) MIKE OLDFIELD-like with its medieval-sounding banked horns--it sounds like some kind of a processional at a castle. Even the incidentals enhance the Oldfield flavor. I love the presence/contributions of the Stick. (8.5/10)

9. "Organ Small Works No. 4" (pipe organ solo) (3:28) good but I've heard better. (TPE & Anna von Hausswolff). (7.5/10)

10. "Constellation" (9:54) opens as if it came from YES' 90125--organ, searing guitar soling, Moog and synth strings banks, and even Steve Howe mimicry. Here, however, the keyboard sounds do feel too aged/outdated. Once again the arrival of the vocals notes a diminishment of the quality of the music. Still, a very competent and ambitious imitation of the prog masters' 1980s mantle--even down to the famous Yes harmony vocals. (16/20)

Total Time 53:52

#7. "Dahlia" is not on all releases of Stromatolite. On some releases the album ends with: "Lunatic Game" (4:48) a very ELP-like song--even down to the Greg Lake-like vocal. (7.75/10)

The music and musicianship throughout this album just feels so effortless, so second nature to these performers.

B/four stars; a mixed bag of products, some stellar and virtuosic, some amazingly simple, unfinished, and contrived. Highly recommended for your own assessments.