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░ ██ ██ Artist: Cosmograf ██ ██
▓ █░░ ■█ Album: The Man Left in Space █■ ░░█
■ █▓▀ █ Year: 2013 █ ▀▓█ ░
█ ▓ Rel. Date: 2015-10-10 ▓ █
▒ ▒ Genre: Progressive Rock ▒ ▒
█▄ ░ Label: self-released ░ ▄█
░ █▄ ░ Source: CD ░ ▄█
░ █▓ Type: Album ▓█ ░
▓ █ Quality: VBR, 44.1kHz, Joint Stereo █ ░ ▓
▓ █ █ ░ ▓
▄ ■ ■ ▓ ■
░█ █░ ▀
█ I'm such a sucker for sci-fi concepts. There have █
█ been great ones this year thus far; such as █
█ Hibernal, Cynthesis, and Sound of Contact. All █
█ three of those artists have produced masterpieces, █
█ in my opinion. I think I can add Cosmograf to that █
█ list, too. This multi- instrumentalist from the UK █
█ has quite an affinity for concept albums, and his █
█ new album might be the most in-depth concept yet. █
█ Robin Armstrong, the name behind Cosmograf, plays █
█ every instrument on "The Man Left in Space", █
█ though he does have some special guests help out, █
█ too. He also produces and mixes his work. If that █
█ weren't impressive enough, he has also written █
█ quite an incredible story here. "The Man Left in █
█ Space" is about the aspiration, success, and █
█ achievement that men pursue at all costs. It is █
█ also about the failures and the ultimate futility █
█ of all of this. Interestingly, we've seen this █
█ concept a few times in the last couple years, and █
█ that's okay. I think it is a sign of our times as █
█ financial, environmental, and physical ruin seem █
█ to be larger then we can handle. Now, the album █
█ centers on these themes, but it discusses them █
█ through an analogy: A doomed space mission that is █
█ meant to save mankind. The man character, Sam, █
█ experiences a range of emotions and stages; such █
█ as isolation, failure, fear, unhappiness, and █
█ eventually nothingness. His conversations with the █
█ ship's A.I. are heartbreaking and profound; and █
█ honestly remind me slightly of Master Chief and █
█ Cortana. I was really impressed by all of this. █
█ As for the music, Cosmograf is somewhat hard to █
█ peg. This band is usually labeled as neo- prog, █
█ but I hear Deep Purple, King Crimson, and maybe █
█ even some more contemporary bands in here, too. █
█ The mix is slightly eclectic, and so this album █
█ takes a few listens to appreciate fully. It's a █
█ real grower. Particularly, there is some great █
█ drumming and guitar work, both of them being █
█ powerfully presented. The synth is incredible as █
█ well, and this entire album seems to hum similarly █
█ to Pink Floyd's Welcome to the Machine. It feels █
█ alive, and this adds to the effect of the █
█ storyline. █
█ Cosmograf is a band that hadn't been on my radar. █
█ After this incredible album, I will be following █
█ the band indefinitely. If Armstrong can continue █
█ to create incredible concepts along with spirited █
█ and atmospheric music, he has got a fan for life █
█ in me. █
█ █
█ --- █
█ █
█ This is my first introduction to █
█ multi-instrumentalist Robin Armstrong's musical █
█ vehicle Cosmograf, as I almost took the plunge █
█ with the previous 2011 album due to various █
█ interesting reviews of 'When Age Has Done Its █
█ Duty'. Finally, this just-released work simply █
█ winked at me lewdly with its expressive artwork █
█ and, well, I fell for its alluring charm, sucker █
█ that I am! It was one of those slow burners, █
█ needing quite a few spins before making any kind █
█ of justified opinion, not that its anything █
█ overtly complex but just trying to find the █
█ balance between quaint British pastoral musings █
█ and some drop-heavy anchor riffs that pound and █
█ bludgeon, strange space communications and █
█ instrumental forays. The theme espoused is sort of █
█ Apollo 13-ish, with winks at 2001 A Space Odyssey █
█ and a dash of Bowie's Major Tom, The Man Left in █
█ Space takes a rather typical prog concept of some █
█ poor astronaut who was inconveniently forgotten in █
█ the depths of void. In the end, I enjoyed this █
█ piece of space prog a fair amount, stunned by the █
█ incredible talent of Mr. Armstrong (talk about a █
█ portentous name for a spacewalk!) on display, █
█ though he is quite ably assisted by some of █
█ British Neo-prog's finest guns , led by two Big █
█ Big Train members (They are the prog sweethearts █
█ 'du jour' as of 2013), guitarist Greg Spawton and █
█ drummer extraordinaire Nick D'Virgilio, ably aided █
█ by bassist Steve Dunn as well as respected axemen █
█ Matt Stevens, Lee Abraham and Simon Rogers, among █
█ others. Armstrong seems to handle all the spacy █
█ keys with remarkable flair and atmosphere. █
█ After some brief and obligatory NASA talk █
█ introductions, the lift-off mood is kicked █
█ brutally forward with the opener 'Aspire, Achieve' █
█ that combines power and serenity throughout its █
█ brooding 10 minutes +. While a very good song, █
█ it's not really indicative of the mood to follow. █
█ The core of the album start with a couple of █
█ instrumental tracks that are particularly intense █
█ and brilliantly executed, the drums crisp and the █
█ keyboards evocative. The guitarists provide some █
█ harder-edged Gilmourisms that again are the █
█ hallmarks of this style, seductively up-front and █
█ center. The whimsical 'The Good Earth behind Me' █
█ is a lush highlight, a crafty space poem all █
█ dollied up with some dense synthesized frills and █
█ a scouring guitar wail that soars beyond the █
█ universes. When the beefy beat kicks in, we are in █
█ celestial heaven! 'The Vacuum I Fly Through' █
█ simply continues the echoing spatial theme, █
█ somewhere between classic Floyd and its German █
█ cousin RPWL, travelling nicely into dreamland with █
█ Matt Stevens giving his instrument a jolly █
█ workout. 'This Naked Endeavour' is █
█ keyboard-oriented, with assorted voice samplings, █
█ electric piano and massed synths, before the █
█ pleasant Robin Armstrong vocals kick in. He is not █
█ a genius 'lungist' but he gets the job done. 'We █
█ Disconnect' has a little opening 'HAL' feel, a █
█ musical Kubrick emanation that instills some █
█ ominous feelings of doom, expertly highlighted by █
█ the rollicking bass/guitar klang. A nifty little █
█ guitar solo shows off some slippery tendencies, █
█ comatose lyrics that wink and nod at Steve █
█ Wilson's fascination for pharmaceutical █
█ medication, nice rocket stuff indeed. 'Beautiful █
█ Treadmill' continues the cottony mood but amps up █
█ the power chords quite a bit, preventing any █
█ possibility of fading into unconsciousness. The █
█ tortuous voices are leading the fray, deeply █
█ troubling. This is where the listener gets a sense █
█ of enjoyment in delving into the 'trip'. The final █
█ 2 tracks are both 9 minute+ epics that establish █
█ the overall credentials of quality for this █
█ intriguing release. The title track is without █
█ question the icing on the cake, a stellar piece of █
█ cosmic consequence, complete with the Bowie-esque █
█ tone of Robin's voice. The main theme is █
█ unreservedly marvellous, featuring rippling organ, █
█ bruising bass rumbling, some seductive acoustic █
█ guitar phrasings and a shockingly attractive axe █
█ solo. The electric guitar workout is extensive, █
█ emotive, tremulous and desperate. The shimmer of █
█ electric sounds and the siren's pleading voice has █
█ a deep sense of finality. It has 'classic' stamped █
█ all over it! How can this be possibly topped? █
█ Well, the finale 'When the Air Runs Out' has all █
█ the promises of a choking moment of a final gasp, █
█ when the brain is deprived of vital oxygen and the █
█ mind starts hallucinating, deep into the farthest █
█ reaches of the cosmos. French-accented command █
█ control space talk, sounding like Truffaut in █
█ 'Close Encounters', introduces the freak-out █
█ blaring alarms as well as the desperation of a █
█ mission gone horribly wrong! Lyrically, the mood █
█ gets exciting, evoking all the lunatics and █
█ madmen, heroes and artists, footballers and actors █
█ whose minds were blown away by a bullet or a █
█ bottle. Sam doesn't respond, 'Please respond Sam' █
█ intones the voice. A bizarre psychiatric voice █
█ ends this presentation as if some laboratory █
█ autopsy. █
▓ ▓
▒ ▒
░ 1. How Did I Get Here? 2:00 ░
░ 2. Aspire, Achieve 10:05 ░
░ 3. The Good Earth Behind Me 4:11 ░
░ 4. The Vacuum That I Fly Through 4:49 ░
░ 5. This Naked Endeavour 4:35 ░
░ 6. We Disconnect 5:33 ░
░ 7. Beautiful Treadmill 4:59 ░
░ 8. The Man Left in Space 9:36 ░
░ 9. When the Air Runs Out 9:37 ░
░ 55:25 ░
░ ▒ ▒
▓ █ ░ ▓ ░
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