I
wasn’t sure what to expect and was in equal parts, surprised, interested and
somewhat astounded by the music escaping from the speakers. As a preamble to
the review, the music is instrumental prog rock, recalling the early 70’s
atmosphere with swirling Hammonds, a dash of wah-wah guitar, complex
arrangements and of course, the obligatory changing time signatures.
The Chronicles of Bubbledroid Collector’s
Edition, comprises 23 tracks, varying in playing time from the
ultra-short track 3, “Time Sun Intro” at only 43 seconds to the long track 16,
“Thanks” which clocks in at 8:44 minutes. There are 6 tracks which last for
less than 2 minutes and a further 5 which last less than 3 minutes and my
impression is that while some of these tracks do appear as complete, many seem
to be “works in progress” or ideas that have never fully evolved.
All
of the very short tracks, “Time Sun Intro,” “Shuffle Butts Slowdown,” “Groovy
Paste,” “Rough Landing”, “Plan 2,” and
“Lost At Sea Part 1” are, as all tracks are, heavily keyboard orientated and
all are very good. None of these tracks could be guilty for outstaying their
welcome and while one or two do seem too short they do appear as linking bits
of music as opposed to the main body of the album. It can be difficult to
separate these short tracks as they tend to merge into the longer tracks.
The
opening track to any album, I feel, is the most important as it always puts the
listener into a distinct area, and by that I mean that it is the equivalent of
meeting a person for the first time, when the first impression is the one that
will be the lasting impression. Track 1 on The
Chronicles of Bubbledroid is “Saturns Orbit” (5:59) and is immediately a
“scene setter” allowing Clay Green (guitars) and Edward Richard (everything
else except drums) to show what they can do. There is ample excellent guitar
work with both lead and bass, and the keyboards are simply stunning. This is an
opening track that makes you feel you have just opened a little treasure chest
of audio gems.
Some
tracks grabbed my interest slightly more than others, such as “Frog Boy” (2:13),
mainly due to The Nice-like keyboards and I have already featured “Time Sun”
(5:13) on my radio show with its very retro sound, catchy melody and “left
field” time patterns. “Sixty Eight” (2:16) has a very interesting Pink
Floydesque bass line which runs through the track allowing the keyboards and
guitars to build on that foundation. Track 15, “Return of Episode Xanadu”
(3:08) is another of the memorable tracks on first listen, with an almost
classical organ intro, quickly into a church organ, which then gives way to the
magnificent guitar melody by Clay, counterpointed by the subtle organ runs.
The
penultimate track, “Lost At Sea Part 2” (6:08) has superb acoustic guitar by
Clay which enters after sweeping keyboards by Edward, including harpsichord
passages, which then return towards the second half of the track before a time
change provides the basis of a more powerful driving track. Clay switches to
both electric and acoustic multi-tracked guitars and the sound is exquisite.
Once
the album is finished, you realize that you have just had a great deal of fun.
Track after track draws you in with its complex time signatures and the retro
sound, but because the album veers in many different directions, there is never
any chance of your interest waning. Some tracks, such as those already
mentioned, are immediate but more “gems” seem to appear with repeated listens.
Themes are repeated using different instrumentation and each track becomes a
variation on itself, which is superbly clever musicianship.
To
sum it all up, this album is not really a “cannot live without it” purchase but
I certainly feel that you will definitely miss out on an experience if you do
not at least hear this music. This is a very enjoyable album and this reviewer
is already looking forward to the next release by Clay Green’s Polysorbate
Masquerade Band as there is great potential on show with The Chronicles of
Bubbledroid (Collector’s edition).
4/5 Stars
Key
Tracks: Saturn’s Orbit, Time Sun, Return Of Episode Xanadu
Jim “The Ancient One” Lawson-MuzikReviews.com Staff
January 2, 2013
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