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Bosch

Bosch

Review by Gary Hill

Bosch is an odd beast. The music is incredibly free-form and experimental. It’s not really my cup of tea to be honest. I’ve never been a huge fan of RIO. That said, there are points where this really gels. I’d guess that seeing these guys live would be an interesting experience. Just putting the disc on and letting it play in the backdrop would probably work better than sitting to seriously listen. All in all, if you are a fan of experimental, free form music, this should be right up your alley.

This review is available in book format (hardcover and paperback) in Music Street Journal: 2010  Volume 1 at lulu.com/strangesound.

Track by Track Review
Dreaming of Daybreak
All kinds of percussion opens this. It keeps building upward. It starts rocking with some rather fusion-like sounds. As it works outward it turns heavily toward Rock in Opposition. It's fairly crazed and bizarre at times, but also drops back to mellower stuff at times.
Aspire All Around You
Some cool keyboards lead us out but it quickly works its way out to more RIO elements with spacey weirdness. This is very free form, but not really abrasive or jarring.
A Long Way From Home
Every bit as seemingly random and freeform, this one reminds me a bit of King Crimson at times. It features both wild melody and percussion. 
Savor the Fall
This is cool. Ambient elements move about in randomness as a distorted voice gives a dissertation. Then we get even more sound effects and weirdness. After a time it becomes apparent that some of those sound effects are a weird voice. At times percussion takes more of a center stage, but not for long. 
Been Out for Three Days
More seemingly random strangeness, this is perhaps closer to the opening piece than it is to the last one.  This is one of the shorter pieces here. 
Moving Machines
This is far quieter and somehow more melodic – even though it’s really random. There are elements that sound like chirping birds. I’d have to say that this one works better for me than a lot of the others.
Walkabout
Now this one is cool! It’s got a driving rhythm section and layers of weirdness rise gradually upward. It feels to me like a combination of King Crimson and Djam Karet. It’s definitely my favorite cut on show here. 
A Tornado Round
More chaotic, but yet mellow, this is spacey RIO weirdness.
Everything Begins
A spoken voice is the key ingredient here, but there are also rather ambient (yet still RIO-like) musical elements moving about in the mix. It’s strange, but also cool.
Bishops
In a lot of ways this doesn’t vary much from other music here in that it’s freeform RIO strangeness. Still, each piece has its own identity. It’s just hard to pin it down in terms of a solid description. Still, this rocks out pretty well and there are some almost surf music sounds at points.
Awakened by Touch
More RIO music, we get some King Crimson like music on this one. I can also make out some Djam Karet at times. 
Unfolding
This one’s far more stripped down and ambient with a lot of open space in its arrangement.
No Carnival Complete
More stripped down, this is also free-form RIO-styled weirdness.
 
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