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██▌ Artist...: Lonely Robot ░▐██▌
░▐██ Album....: Feelings Are Good ░██▌░
▓▐██ Year.....: 2020 ▓▐██▓
▓▐██ Rel.Date.: 2020-10-25 ░▐██▓
▐██ Genre....: Progressive Rock ██▌░
░ ██▌ Label....: Inside Out Music / Sony Music ██▌
▐██ Source...: CD ▐██
░▐██▌ Type.....: Album ▐██▌░
▓▄████ Quality..: VBR, 44.1kHz, Joint Stereo ████▌░
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1. Feelings Are Good 1:16
2. Into the Lo-Fi 4:16
3. Spiders 5:04
4. Crystalline 5:16
5. Life is a Sine Wave 6:33
6. Armour for My Heart 5:17
7. Suburbia 5:03
8. The Silent Life 5:04
9. Keeping People as Pets 5:20
10. Army of One 6:23
11. Grief is the Price of Love 1:25
12. The Silent Life (Orchestral Version) 5:04
13. Crystalline (Orchestral Version) 5:18
------
61:19
This was newsworthy beyond the normal æoh wow, one of my favorite bands
are coming out with a new album!æ way, because Under Stars ended the
Astronaut Trilogy of albums the project was built on. Mitchell didnÆt
lay the band to rest for good with that album, but it was uncertain
where they would go, if anywhere. My simplest elevator pitch for Lonely
Robot is that itÆs for people who love their prog rock sincere, clean,
and emotional, without a ton of pomp in the presentation. You may think
a conceptual band like this that market(ed) and structure(d) their music
behind the infinite expanse of space would be ratheràpompous, but itÆs
all in the execution, and frankly, this bandÆs execution is quite tame
by modern prog standards.
The sci-fi part is likely self-explanatory given the previous records,
but why a movie, or why PG-rated? In the best way possible, Lonely Robot
are non-threatening û a little acerbic at times, but exploratory,
whimsical, and resplendent, just like the sky views weÆre often treated
to from our little floating rock. In short, they make me feel like a kid
again.
With the story of Lonely Robot behind us, Mitchell û purported to still
have a æpersonal lyrical axe to grindæ û grounded himself and focused on
the things that matter to us humans. Much of this album has to do with
feelings (go figure) and unmasking them, daring to feel, daring to
share. The off-putting album art is just that for a reason, as
heavy-handed as it may be. Perhaps we need to evaluate how often we
allow people to see into our eyes and feel our intentions, or how often
we speak our truth to others instead of hiding it all. ThereÆs
definitely something to be said for being vulnerable, which allows
others to show empathy toward us and build a connection.
Maybe the easiest entry to the album is the one Mitchell gave us
himself: lead single ôLife Is A Sine Waveö. For those that arenÆt
engineers, physicists, or havenÆt gotten destroyed by math in a long
time like me, IÆll remind you that a sine wave is an oscillating curve
that shapes itself with peaks and valleys û highs and lows, just like
life indeed has. ItÆs here that you hear the shimmering synths that seem
to melt away any anxiety. You hear bold bass; bass thatÆs comfortable
holding down the rhythm fort with the drums, but still stands on its own
regardless. Guitars arenÆt action-packed with eccentric, progressive
riffing and angular, pretzel-fingered fretwork; itÆs all melodic and
pervasive in a sensual way. Who knows, maybe this music will be the
thing to peel the tape off your own eyes and mouth.
Lonely Robot are versatile, though, and while ôLife Is A Sine Waveö is
the lower-middle of the road tonally for the band, they harbor a good
mix of tempos. ôInto The Lo-Fiö is quite upbeat for instance, Mitchell
having some fun with vocal processing during verses and backing vocals.
The refrain of ærewindæ hints toward a longing for how things use to be
in the past, when things seemed to be more real and simpler for our
singer. ôSpidersö is a bit more dense with swirling synths, a deeper
bass punch, and more fiery guitars and vocals. ItÆs also a bit more
sinister in tone than most other songs, but higher-tempo nonetheless.
Still, I think the band sound best when they really slow things down and
write a lovely ballad. ôCrystallineö sounds somber with a piano-led
melody and some real reflective lyrics:
æThe seasons may come
And they sure as hell go
But you canÆt change the course of a heart
So IÆm covered in shame
And take all of your blame
And IÆm turning this pain into artæ
Later thereÆs a line that says æeverything feels crystallineæ, a
reference to how things may be clearer to you û crystally so û in
retrospect, after the pain subsides or after youÆre able to process it
in your own way. ItÆs one of the most emotional songs Lonely Robot have
written, and itÆs truly affective to me and anyone else who has had
bridges burned in your wake. ôThe Silent Lifeö rides similar waves with
a lighter orchestral, heartrending feel like ôCrystallineö, as does
ôGrief Is The Price Of Loveö, which is our acoustic closer.
Emotions, love, expression: itÆs all fair game, if a tad trite for a
prog rock band. The thing is, Mitchell and his collaborators (namely
Craig Blundell on drums, who also works in Frost* as well as with greats
like Steve Hackett and Steven Wilson) are so adept at making you feel,
nearly any topic will do. Years ago, many of us fell for an astronaut
whose story had some parallels you could relate to, so this isnÆt
exactly new territory. The different framing and lack of a more concrete
concept has pushed the band into newer territory though, showing they
can soar on, making new stories for us to sing to, and more statements
to ponder.
Lonely Robot are doing what they do best, but now unrestrained and
uninhibited. ItÆs highly approachable prog rock you can even trick your
parents into liking (and honestly, they may take to some of the
messaging more than my own generation would). Regardless, thereÆs
something here for many music fans, and while they havenÆt changed a bit
to me, they still feel reborn and perhaps reinvigorated to take on
something contradictorily bigger than space: earth. Good luck, boys û
this planet has been a fixer-upper for centuries.
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