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░ ██ ██ Artist: Frequency Drift ██ ██
▓ █░░ ■█ Album: Last █■ ░░█
■ █▓▀ █ Year: 2016 █ ▀▓█ ░
█ ▓ Rel. Date: 2016-07-03 ▓ █
▒ ▒ Genre: Progressive Rock ▒ ▒
█▄ ░ Label: Gentle Art Of Music ░ ▄█
░ █▄ ░ Source: CD ░ ▄█
░ █▓ Type: Album ▓█ ░
▓ █ Quality: VBR, 44.1kHz, Joint Stereo █ ░ ▓
▓ █ █ ░ ▓
▄ ■ ■ ▓ ■
░█ █░ ▀
█ German band FREQUENCY DRIFT has been around in one █
█ form or another ever since 2006, and launched █
█ their career as recording artists with the CD █
█ "Personal Effects I" in 2008. Since then the band █
█ has been releasing new material on a regular █
█ basis, with seven studio albums to their name at █
█ the time of writing. "Last" is the most recent of █
█ those, and was issued by the German label Gentle █
█ Art of Music in 2016. █
█ The rich, atmospheric music of Frequency Drift is █
█ one that remains as compelling as I've always █
█ found it. On this occasion perhaps a bit more █
█ uniform in sound and style than on at least some █
█ of the previous excursions by the band, but still █
█ undeniably made in a manner rather particular to █
█ this band. If cinematic progressive rock verging █
█ on metal on a few occasions sounds like music you █
█ might enjoy, and you find the moods conjured by █
█ '70s Pink Floyd to be generally appealing, I █
█ suspect this is a CD you might find appealing as █
█ well. █
█ █
█ -- █
█ █
█ While latest lead vocalist MELANIE MAU has the █
█ most ANNIE HASLAM-lilke voice yet used in a █
█ Frequency Drift album, Andreas HACK's project █
█ continues to flourish with whomever he decides to █
█ put in the role of vocalist. For my own personal █
█ preferences, this is my favorite FD album since █
█ 2011's Ghosts.... The prominence of harpist █
█ NERISSA SCHWARTZ's electric harp is one big plus █
█ for this album--especially for those songs that I █
█ like the best. I'm still not contented with the █
█ drum sounds--they sound too electronic or █
█ programmed for my ears. █
█ Unfortunately, every time I've listened to this █
█ album (over a dozen times) I've found the first █
█ two songs ["Traces" (7:08) (7/10) and "Diary" █
█ (5:31) (7/10)] driving me away. (I have run away █
█ several times, saying that I'll come back to it █
█ later.) They jsut sound old and tired--like I've █
█ heard them before and they offer nothing new, only █
█ old Frequency Drift sounds and dynamics. With 3. █
█ "Merry" (5:08), however, the Andreas-Melanie █
█ collaboration shows off a strong kinship to Annie █
█ HASLAM-led RENAISSANCE (9/10) █
█ 4. "Shade" (5:52)opens as an angelic █
█ voice-and-harp folk duet in the verses but becomes █
█ eerie, almost discordant, with bowed double bass █
█ and, after the two minute mark, with modulating █
█ synth notes. In the fourth minute things amp up █
█ with tuned percussion and electric bass, but then █
█ just as suddenly settle back into the gentle harp █
█ and piano music that started us off. The final 90 █
█ seconds start off slowly before finally getting █
█ into an engaging groove (based upon the beautiful █
█ melody lines of the opening two minutes.) I can't █
█ help but wish that Melanie's voice were present in █
█ the finale instead of flute. (9/10) █
█ 5. "Treasured" (8:25) is better than the first two █
█ songs. The electric guitar work in the second half █
█ is awesome. (8/10) █
█ 6. "Last Photo" (7:59) Melanie's vocal lines feel █
█ like they're struggling to find a melody line that █
█ she likes. The instrumental parts are good, █
█ though. (8/10) █
█ 7. "Hidden" (5:34) has a nice, fresh sound to its █
█ opening--the instrumental sounds. Melanie's vocal █
█ sounds a bit too folk-classical for this song; █
█ there is a strong disconnect between the mood and █
█ feel that the instrumental music is presenting █
█ with that of the vocal. Still, it's a decent █
█ song--different enough for Andreas' history to █
█ make it interesting. (Perhaps it's the CURE-like █
█ bass synth chords.) The acoustic accompaniment to █
█ Melanie's voice that is used in the final 90 █
█ seconds is the way this song would have worked █
█ best. (8/10) 8. "Asleep" (8:31) is another odd █
█ song that forces Melanie's vocal talent to █
█ struggle to stay in a key, in an established █
█ melody. The stops and starts make it feel as if █
█ this song keeps stopping and starting over! Odd █
█ and unsettling. In the fifth minute--after the █
█ third or fourth re-start--Melanie finally hits her █
█ sweet zone and pulls of an amazing vocal--but █
█ then, at 5:15, you power up and make her drop █
█ down-way down. Oddly enough, it works. This time. █
█ And the metal instrumental section that follows is █
█ pretty good, too. (9/10) █
█ Andreas, in my opinion, it is when your music is █
█ the most simplified, in its most acoustic "folk" █
█ or "classical" orientation, that it works █
█ best--for me as a listener and for your extremely █
█ talented vocalists. The wide and dramatic dynamic █
█ shifts are, I think, too much. Still, a solid four █
█ star album; a great addition to any prog lover's █
█ album collection. █
▓ ▓
▒ ▒
░ 1. Traces 7:08 ░
░ 2. Diary 5:30 ░
░ 3. Merry 5:07 ░
░ 4. Shade 5:52 ░
░ 5. Treasured 8:24 ░
░ 6. Last Photo 7:58 ░
░ 7. Hidden 5:33 ░
░ 8. Asleep 8:30 ░
░ 54:02 ░
░ ▒ ▒
▓ █ ░ ▓ ░
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