This 2010 album from Thomas Thielen is the third under the ‘t’ monicker, while some may also remember him as the leader of Scythe. It took four years to write, perform and record this album and it isn’t surprising as this is a 100% solo effort with t providing all of the vocals and instrumentation. What makes this such an outstanding effort is that this just doesn’t sound like a solo album at all. There are none of the issues that can often appear with being in the studio with no sounding board or outside interaction, instead what we have is a polished and extremely dynamic album that engages the listener from the first note to the very last. I can remember hearing his previous album (the 2006 ‘Voices’) and while I enjoyed playing it, I didn’t come away with the same feeling that I do for this one.
This may not be Genesis-style retro prog, but brings together Porcupine Tree and Radiohead in a style that is truly progressive. At times challenging, always compelling, this is quite an album. This isn’t prog that fits within a safe preconceived idea but instead is pushing boundaries so that the listener never knows what to expect next. The vocals are also very strong and melodic, with the focus being on proper songs – just stretched and moving in different directions as opposed to meandering meaninglessly with loads of instrumental overplay just for the sake of it. Overall this is an album that those with open minds will enjoy a great deal.
www.progrockrecords.com
