Brother Ape has evolved over the years and in 2010 they released their fifth album entitled A Rare Moment Of Insight. It continues stylistically from the previous album, Turbulence, while having a fresh feel to the music. The line-up hasn’t changed since their first album and remains a trio. There’s some similarities on this album, to Radiohead, Oceansize and the non metallic side of Porcupine Tree but the end result is a very original sounding album.
The songs range from 5 to 9 minutes, which to me are the perfect length because it doesn’t require the listener to set aside a lot of time. There are several songs on this album that I feel best describe the “Brother Ape” sound” starting with the opening track “Juggernaut Now” (7:26) which has some frantic jazz-like drumming.
Another example is “Chrysalis” (5:34) slows things down at the beginning and has similar drumming as the first track. In the softer parts, the music has a dreamy quality to it. This is one of my favorites off the album. Another favorite is the mellow based “Seabound” (6:03),because it shows that the band doesn’t always have to be in overdrive.
But the epic of the album, “Echoes Of Madness” (9:06) really shows off their ‘sound’ in the best way possible. The band seems to let loose everything that they have, here. This is another one of my favorites of the album and from the band.
Ending off the album in the complete opposite of the opening, “In A Rare Moment” (3:32) is a acoustic guitar based instrumental that is very beautifully played. This album is really the best the band has done so far and if you‘re a fan of the bands last two albums, it‘s only natural to purchase a copy of In A Rare Moment Of Insight ASAP! Highly recommended is my verdict!.
Reviewed by Ron Fuchs on March 5th, 2011
