1. Who are they?
The message from this Turkish band is, “The power of psychedelia lies behind its ability to let you take a trip to your innerself, through experiencing new ways, discover hidden areas in your mind and feel the pleasure of illumination coming through music that's gently stroking your soul (Source; Siddhartha’s MySpace, 2010).
2. Review:
A Trip to Innerself – You will swear you are listening to a new Pink Floyd or David Gilmour album as this one opens. From the sound effects at the beginning to those lazy long guitar chords and heavy bass lines. The sax – like sounds and keys thundering all around the soundscape truly build a strong inner space for the power of this music. The heavy guitar sounds like the opening of Shine On You Crazy Diamond, Echoes, or any number of Floyd – Gilmouresque openers. Then some chanting comes in to fill the air. The eerie effect of Animals seems to take over at the midway point, from the earlier awe and wonder that opened the piece. A nice nod to one of the powers of space prog, Pink Floyd. A cool almost pipe organ effect from synths and some Middle Eastern rhythms towards the end of the piece add Siddhartha’s signature to what could easy be a replica of many of Pink Floyd’s best instrumentals. “The access code to innerself…accepted.”
The Explorer – This one picks up where the last one left off with more echoes of Pink Floyd. It seems this band wants to join the many others in their genre hoping to fill the void left by the lack of recording from the mighty Floyd. The familiar Gilmouresque opening continues on this track and only takes on a different sound when the lead vocalist begins to add his voice and lyrics to the mix. “I’m looking for a place to hide away.” The guitar efforts pick up and I am reminded of some of the rhythms Dave Matthews uses during his jams, set to that loud Gilmour inspired lead. As the song develops they leave behind the Gilmour sound for more of a Middle Eastern tempo as the speed picks up in unison.
Desert – Slow acoustic matched with exquisite electric. Great start and this time the vocals take a more prominent role. A vocal driven song supported so well with the acoustic and electric lead. The best song and most definitive song on the album up till now. Excellent rhythm and instrumentation. This one is only 3:34, and I wish it was longer.
Baroque – Nice solo electric lead opening to this song that just shines so bright. Yes it is an instrumental that does sound very baroque. Wonderful dreamy, relaxing guitar and drum presence with some synths added for variety. The almost harpsichord sounds add wonderful Doors – like presence to the piece. The drums are timed to go off just right. Another favorite.
Nervous Breakdown – Cool synth and guitar sound effects to open this one. The otherworldly echo effects, like Floyd, are wonderful. Brings back so many memories and really creates a cool inner sanctum. The solo electric enters with support of cool wind – synth effects adding to the drama and feeling of the piece. The feeling you may have after finally relaxing from a nervous breakdown coupled with the build up to a new one. The guitar begins to speed up as the pace of the piece begins to rocket forward. Very cool guitar and synth effects throughout coupled with excellently placed drum beats. Very relaxing and at the same time demanding your concentration. The piece finishes with some incredible guitar work.
Beyond Destiny – Most original opening on the album so far. Cool funky guitar and circus style synths creating a very majestic beginning. Then the synths, heavy bass and guitars take a more ominous pitch. Vocals are then added to the mix, but at times the sound is so quiet it’s hard to tell what is being said. The music dominates the soundscape almost drowning out the vocals.
Distant City – This one opens with thunder and rain. Then more Gilmouresque guitar with vocals filling in the empty spaces. Excellent music, but so similar it doesn’t distinguish itself from the original. Beautiful uplifting synths and solo lead guitar supported well with drums. The piano – like sounds really add volume as the song winds its way to a close. That ever-present Gilmour – like guitar is wonderful in every way. “I gave you all my love”, set to beautiful piano – like sounds.
Black – The closer and a deep darker sounding song set to echoing vocals and chants, supported by synths and sound effects. Female vocals add to the lyrics and soundscape, “paint it black boy that’s the color of night.” Sound effects and then the piano meanderings begin with improvisation. It sounds wonderful and original. Lurching guitar effects join in creating and adding effect. A solid song full of effects and relaxing beats as the sax sounds re-enter the soundscape. Dreamy, spacey music that is just perfect to relax to in the evening or early morning. The song trails off and seems to end, but don’t turn off your CD player yet. It comes back with some wonderful spacey synth vibes and sounds that are wonderful, before the lead guitar opens, delivering some more cool signature licks to invite you back for more on the next album.
Rating: 8/10 – This is a very good sounding album. Excellent musicianship. However, it does not feature enough originality. There are so many similarities to what they have done here and what I have heard from Pink Floyd over the years. They do a great job as a Pink Floyd cover band, without duplicating their sound. However, there is no question in my mind that they were trying to create a Wishing You Were Here Part II. But did we need one? That is the question you the listener have to answer.
Some of the songs are very original and create a unique signature for the band. They seem to have wanted to capture the Pink Floyd fans and then introduce them to new flavors at the end of this and hopefully into the next album.
Reviewed by Prof on July 30th, 2010
