This is particularly cool. It is a Dutch review of Erik Norlander's recent records, translated into English for us by the man himself...
The term bombast usually has an ugly connotation. These people have never
heard keyboardist Erik Norlander play. With "The Galactic Collective," the
American's pyrotechnics are upon us. But they are always tasteful and pay close
attention to the melodic line. And speaking of bombast: the music comes on two
CD / DVD sets in both studio and live versions.
Let's start with the studio version on two CDs. Songs like Neurosaur,
Fanfare For Absent Friends and Garden Of The Moon remind us of the euphoric
motifs from the golden book of Keith Emerson - a feast of recognition. This is a
great audio example of Norlander's inspiration. You will also hear references to
Pink Floyd.
But Norlander - known for Rocket Scientists and Lana Lane - has developed
his own particular style. His best moments are ultimately the use of his Moog
synthesizers. Norlander plays six (four Minimoogs, a Modular Moog Minimoog
Voyager and 1967), becoming the undisputed executor of the will of the late Dr.
Bob Moog.
At the head of such an impressive cockpit, he sucks the listener into the
deep space. "To boldly go where no keyboard player has gone before." But the
Hammond organ, he also rocks solidly, as in Astrology Prelude.
Norlander combines flawless technique with the expressiveness of a composer
who knows exactly where he's going. And he succeeds in this band format so that
this record does not lapse into new age but really rocks. Thus the toms sound of
drummer Nick LePar dark and deep as space itself. And the various guitar solos
are like trips outside the space capsule. And all this is backed up by the
pumping bass of Mark Matthews. Should NASA ever need an intergalactic rock sound
to make contact with extraterrestrial life, then Norlander is their obvious
choice.
This collection represents his instrumental songs back catalog, but adds
new, rich arrangements far. Norlander himself considers them as the final
edition. You hear his earlier work gloriously reverberate, whether they are
songs from his solo albums (Arrival, Neurosaur, Trantor Station), the band of
his wife, Lana Lane (Astrology Prelude, Garden Of The Moon) or his own band
Rocket Scientists.
The Dark Water is an epic tour de force, which mixes themes from the thread
running through the Rocket Scientists releases. Space: 1999 is obviously not
just picked from the "Oblivion Days" album, but it is primarily a tribute to
rock guitars propped on the famous soundtrack of the legendary TV series with
Martin Landau. After The Revolution (from the last RS-album 'Revolution Road')
is Norlander's most complete composition with lovely synth arpeggios and
choirs.
To see this galactic music visualized, Norlander also adds a DVD of
recording sessions in the studio. We see a band that - despite the static
environment - delivers dynamic performances which are explained by Norlander
when speaks to an unseen interviewer. What he says creates an added value: the
viewer will understand the genesis and evolution of each track. The composer
guides you through his diverse discography convincingly. Moreover, for the synth
freak, a guided tour of the many keyboards is added as a bonus
feature.
To see this virtuoso musician on stage, grab the second DVD / CD set "Live
in Gettysburg." The tracklist and lineup are broadly in line with the studio
album, but now with Lana Lane in a prominent guest vocalist role. The concert
recording dates from RoSFest 2011 in Pennsylvania, and is introduced by Michelle
Moog-Koussa of The Bob Moog Foundation. She confirms that Norlander is a
phenomenal musician that all prog fans should celebrate. So in this sense, he
does not even have to wait for Rick Wakeman to retire.
Christoph
Lintermans, www.damusic.be
(Belgium)
No comments:
Post a Comment