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- Listening recommendations: Jupiter, Allure
Impressions
I didn't think I'd
wake up this morning and write a review for new age-tinged
instrumental pop, but here I am listening to Pontius Order again, and
their “Nothing but keyboards and synthesizers” LP Full Circle with my head swimming in clouds. There does not seem to be a specific
pattern or theme across the album, the title isn't an indicator of
what to expect either. I suppose 'heavenly' or 'the heavens' might do,
but the second half of the record negates that in both structure and
tempo almost entirely. “Jupiter” starts thing off in complete new
age mode: a single operatic lyric (“Oh” or “Ah”, it's hard to
tell which) repeated for the entire track, all over a simple
keyboard motif. You'd think you might need a light show or a
planetarium to get the most out of this album, and I can't deny that
might actually be a rather cool experience, but things do get less spacey
and more groove-oriented as time goes on, so stick with it. And the next track,
“Morpheus” is an R&B instrumental with a few spacey keyboard
lines sprinkled throughout. Pontius Order might as well hang 'slow
jam' on your door when this track is playing. All-in-all, this record
stands more as a testament to the versatility of a talented musician
and keyboard (and maybe plucking a guitar string or two on “Angela”)
than it does as an artistic statement. Oh how those keys can create
wonderful noise, with a clean production helping in that department
quite nicely. The different keyboard tracks overlay perfectly, never
crowding each other out (good thing to because there's a lot of them, and they stretch out to eternity). Sure it may sound completely synthetic,
wholly inorganic, but New Age always carries the cold twinge of
technology with it, even if it's in small doses here, so I can't fault it for that. Oh, and one last
thing, all that glitters really is gold as far “Allure” is
concerned, and I'm inclined to agree. And after giving Full Circle
a spin, I'm sure you will too.
Side note - if
you've played the indie game “Sequence” and enjoyed the
soundtrack, this record is right up your alley.
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