This 2015 album was the fifth from multi-instrumentalist Thomas Thielen under that name, and as always, he provided all the music, lyrics, vocals, performances and arrangements (although he did let someone else master it). Although there are seven separate songs, they are arranged into three chapters entitled ‘Anisotropic Dances’, ‘The Politics of Entropy’ and ‘The Art Of Double Binding’, and as always this never comes across as the work of a solo musician but rather of a band that is very tight and organised. Thomas likes to mess with a listener, going off on tangents, repeating melodies, only to twist and turn into new directions, providing harmonies and then throwing vocal stylings into the mix.
I normally enjoy his work, but there is something about this album that I found difficult to really fall in love with. Yes, it’s very clever, incredibly well-played and produced, but is it something that I would listen to for pleasure and enjoyment? The answer to that just must be “no”: I recognise how much work has gone into it, but this isn’t an album I can get excited about at all. I know that many others will disagree with me, and I have seen plenty of reviews claiming this as a masterpiece, but it’s not for me.
