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░ ██ ██ Artist: Nick Magnus ██ ██
▓ █░░ ■█ Album: N'monix █■ ░░█
■ █▓▀ █ Year: 2014 █ ▀▓█ ░
█ ▓ Rel. Date: 2014-11-02 ▓ █
▒ ▒ Genre: Progressive Rock ▒ ▒
█▄ ░ Label: Esoteric Antenna Records / Cherry Red ░ ▄█
░ █▄ ░ Source: CD ░ ▄█
░ █▓ Type: Album ▓█ ░
▓ █ Quality: VBR, 44.1kHz, Joint Stereo █ ░ ▓
▓ █ █ ░ ▓
▄ ■ ■ ▓ ■
░█ █░ ▀
█ The instruments mentioned in this review are wrong █
█ or at least not precise, with few exceptions: █
█ Though they sound like the real thing most of them █
█ are only digital reproductions. Sometimes you can █
█ hear it if you listen very carefully, but most of █
█ the time you will not realize it. █
█ █
█ 01 û Time (06:23) █
█ Screeching electric guitars for a start û is this █
█ really a keyboarder's solo album? After Children █
█ Of Another God this does not surprise me with Nick █
█ Magnus. All keyboard fans may rest assured that █
█ there are enough organ an mellotron sounds to be █
█ heard on this CD û but there are also lots of █
█ guitars and bass, urging forwards or adding █
█ melodies. Very accomplished, very rocky, the mark █
█ of Nick's musical talent and experience. The song █
█ is about time and how äall time creates, time will █
█ devourô. Tony Patterson of ReGenesis provides █
█ vocals. After another scream off electric guitars █
█ the song ends suddenly. █
█ █
█ 02 û Memory (05:24) █
█ Cut. Slow hard percussion becomes the leading █
█ element before it, too,fades. Strings are left, █
█ and a melody begins that is picked up by Kate █
█ Faber's clear soprano. This could be music from █
█ The Lord Of The Rings. Great atmosphere and fine █
█ arrangement. The hard percussion from the █
█ beginning returns and leads into the monumental █
█ closing part: A choir of many voices (or whatever) █
█ takes over the final verse. The element of time is █
█ expressed cleverly by a ticking clock that █
█ accentuates the rhythm. █
█ The song is about memory, time's sister. █
█ Personally, I would have preferred a timbre like █
█ Dawn Upshaw's over Kate's voice. You can get a █
█ first impression here: Nick Magnus & Kate Faber im █
█ Studio █
█ █
█ 03 û Kombat Kid (06:28) █
█ The next song is a bit quieter, too, at least at █
█ first. The brighter mood reminds the reviewer of █
█ Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, perhaps because of the █
█ ethereal strings and the gleaming solo trumpet. █
█ The strings then begin a march, the drums join in, █
█ brass plays ominous fanfares. Everything is █
█ arranged very well, one does not realize the █
█ sounds are artificial. Suddenly a rock transition █
█ indicates that the core of this song is different █
█ û a rock ballad sung by Tony Patterson. In between █
█ there are brief interludes, syncopes, rhythm █
█ changes, later quieter passages and mellotron █
█ sounds. It all ends with a fine sound collage. █
█ This is the stuff prog fans expect. █
█ The topic is how a child is dependent on a bloody █
█ video game. █
█ █
█ 04 û Headcase (03:49) █
█ Written around a funky e-piano this is a song █
█ well-suited for AOR. It would not seem out of █
█ place on a Toto album, complete with a synthesizer █
█ solo. Nick himself sings and a good job he does. █
█ The line ôOld people from Texas eat spidersö, █
█ which is frequently repeated, is a mnemonic device █
█ for medical school students to remember the bones █
█ of the skull. █
█ █
█ 05 û Eminent Victorians (07:01) █
█ Hand organ leads us into this song that presents █
█ celebrities of the Victorian era as a cabinet of █
█ curiosities. The lyrics then move on to unpleasant █
█ details of that age such as child labour. Peter █
█ Hicks, former singer for Steve Hackett, sings █
█ here. His voice sometimes sounds a bit like Rodger █
█ HodgsonÆs (of Supertramp). █
█ The first guitar solo (after some three minutes) █
█ is played by Nick. Starting at 05:36 Steve Hackett █
█ proceeds to play one of the best solos the █
█ reviewer has heard in recent years. █
█ Though one could go on and on about the song I █
█ will keep it short and sweet here, for Nick has █
█ put online an impressive and impressively funny █
█ video so that I can spare the vain efforts to █
█ grasp this song: Nick Magnus û Eminent Victorians █
█ █
█ 06 û Broken (08:05) █
█ A change of scenery. Vocals with very sympathetic █
█ instruments lead into a sensitive slow ballad that █
█ could be amongst the best of George MichaelÆs. █
█ Beautiful and sad, it grows slowly. Tim Bowness █
█ (No-Man with Steve Wilson) sings very well. █
█ What is more, Rob Townsend (Steve Hackett band) █
█ plays a fabulous soprano saxophone solo that adds █
█ a touch of jazz to the song. Townsend also plays █
█ the flute here. After a second verse of weary █
█ lyrics it all seems over, but then there is a sort █
█ of guitar solo as a prelude to a second sax solo █
█ of Rob TownsendÆs that is as impressive as the █
█ first one. Steve Hackett can also beard in the █
█ background on this track. █
█ Here is an impression of the song: Nick Magnus & █
█ Rob Townsend █
█ █
█ 07 û Shadowland (02:51) █
█ Steve Hackett shows what he can do with an █
█ electric guitar. He is accompanied by some █
█ atmospheric choir sounds only, and that is all we █
█ want to say about the song here, because you can █
█ listen to it as a whole: Nick Magnus - Shadowland █
█ featuring Steve Hackett. █
█ █
█ 08 û Entropy (06:46) █
█ An electric piano comes in followed by synth █
█ chords a la Banks or Hackett û something to please █
█ every prog-head û the introduction to another █
█ ballad. All that can be has been, all that can be, █
█ will be. A kind of finale sung by James Reeves, █
█ unspectacular, contemplative, fine. The final █
█ æguitar soloÆ resembles the one Steve plays on █
█ Spectral Mornings. █
█ A spot of criticism: The lyrics are apt for a █
█ finale, and it is undoubtedly beautiful music. █
█ Still it seems to be one of the weaker songs on █
█ the album, which makes it not the best candidate █
█ for a CD ending. One solution could have been █
█ letting Steve play the guitar solo, perhaps? But █
█ that is a tiny detail. █
█ █
█ Is nÆmonix a prog album? No, it is not, at least █
█ not a pure one. It certainly goes down the prog █
█ road but it also takes the liberty of leaving it █
█ now and then. It may seem heterogenous, but it █
█ does not make it arbitrary. When you listen to █
█ NickÆs five solo album (which I finally can) you █
█ realize that it is all Nick. He is very versatile █
█ and refuses to be tied down or categorized. He █
█ loves prog rock as much as he enjoys the █
█ atmospheric and film scores. This album proves █
█ that he can do it all as a one-man show (according █
█ to the booklet he did ôkeyboards, synthesizers, █
█ occasional vocals, engineering, productionö; the █
█ compositions and arrangements are also his own). █
█ Besides, mixing up various styles is one █
█ characteristic of progressive rockà █
█ For my money it is very good, sophisticated music, █
█ and that is a lot today. Magnus has already shown █
█ on Children Of Another God that he is a good █
█ composer; as on the previous album he turns Dick █
█ FosterÆs lyrics into very fitting music. His █
█ arrangements and instrumentations are very clever; █
█ what is new and very well-done is the use of a █
█ virtual orchestra. Magnus is said to have worked █
█ on this album for two years. He has not taken the █
█ easy way. He pays careful attention to the details █
█ û just listen to how versatile and clever the uses █
█ the e-bass. █
█ All those who "suffered" from Tony BanksÆ later █
█ solo album may be relieved to read that you do not █
█ realize that Children Of Another God as well as █
█ nÆmonix have been written and performed mainly by █
█ one keyboarder only; nÆmonix is really a lively █
█ album. █
█ Is nÆmonix a concept album? We would not go so far █
█ as to say that, but there is a common topic to all █
█ the songs. One way or another, they are all about █
█ time and memory (and those words occur, █
█ incidentally, in the titles of the first two █
█ tracks). █
█ The booklet is not (as some productions do) █
█ playful, but well-structured and appealing to the █
█ eye. Each song has its own page with the lyrics, █
█ if there are any, and a matching image. There are █
█ also photos of all musicians as well as █
█ information and graphics about the topic. █
█ Everything is informative and clear. The art work █
█ for this album is much better than for the █
█ previous CD. █
█ We can only recommend this album. Some things will █
█ really speak to you, other songs take a few times █
█ to really click. Paying attention to the lyrics █
█ heightens the pleasurable experience. █
▓ ▓
▒ ▒
░ 1. Time 6:23 ░
░ 2. Memory 5:22 ░
░ 3. Kombat Kid 6:27 ░
░ 4. Headcase 3:49 ░
░ 5. Eminent Victorians 7:01 ░
░ 6. Broken 8:05 ░
░ 7. Shadowland 2:51 ░
░ 8. Entropy 6:50 ░
░ 46:48 ░
░ ▒ ▒
▓ █ ░ ▓ ░
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