One of the problems with a lot of moody neo-prog is that there’s not enough variation from track to track. That’s been a problem to a degree in the past with Lunatic Soul, the solo project of Riverside lead vocalist Mariusz Duda. Well, this disc goes for the instrumental concept (meaning the only vocals other than on the two bonus tracks are non-lyrical) and a focus more toward new-age sounds. That makes the problem even more pronounced than usual. That said, this is a good album to just put in and have playing the background. It’s also great for taking one track at a time. When you pay close attention and spin the whole set in order, though, it really starts to feel like one very long and not very dynamic piece of music. Still, this certainly lands further on the “good” side of the equation than the opposite end.

This review is available in book format (hardcover and paperback) in Music Street Journal: 2011  Volume 6 at lulu.com/strangesound.

The first few minutes of this piece are very mellow with various atmospheric soundscapes emerging to take it in different directions. Around the four minute mark, though, it moves out to more dramatic ballad-like song structures. It still remains essentially instrumental (there are some non-lyrical vocals early) but does feel more like a “song” as it continues.