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Moonlapse

Conscious

Review by Gary Hill

This instrumental album is cool. There is a range to it, but a lot of if it lands in the vicinity of Tangerine Dream, really. I kind of expected more of a space rock sound given the name of the act, but this is no disappointment for sure.

This review is available in book format (hardcover and paperback) in Music Street Journal: 2015  Volume 6 at lulu.com/strangesound.

Track by Track Review
Ever

There are some cool musical moments here. This combines progressive rock, space rock and more into a killer jam.

A New Legend
I love the keyboard jamming that opens this. It’s fast paced and potent. The piece works through a number of shifts and changes in a mainstream instrumental prog arrangement. Around the three minute mark it drops to a mellow movement. The mellower concepts continue as the piece evolves.
Inheritance
This comes in with mellow symphonic styled keyboards. It builds out to another melodic prog instrumental jam. There is some space rock in this, too. It makes me think of Tangerine Dream, but the whole disc does, really. There are some unusual changes built into this, though, working into some world music territory at times. The sonic tapestries here are quite pretty. There is a cool excursion into something like psychedelic Hawaiian music at one point.
Primeval Nature
Although there are no real changes here, this is another potent instrumental soundscape. There is a drop to an intricate section that feels tied to old world music. Some unusual timing emerges later in a section that feels rather computerized in some ways. It still resolves to more melodic progressive rock from there.
Our Vision
There is almost a creepy element to this piece. It’s got energy and drive, though. It also has some great melodies. A section based in Spanish music emerges later in the piece and takes in some dramatic directions. We’re taken into some fusion territory as this continues. A mellower movement emerges beyond that. That movement grows in some great ways, while still keeping its beauty intact to eventually end the piece.
Our Awakening

Starting rather mellow and lush, this grows gradually. This moves out to something between progressive rock, electronic music and space. Still, it has hints of world music. It drops back to a mellower, percussive movement to continue. It grows as it continues, working through more powered up movements and then dropping back again. Some of this gets almost mysterious. A slower section mid-track heralds one of the most dramatic and powerful driving movements of the piece. It gets to more mainstream prog sounds after that. They revisit various things as this continues with variants emerging. This piece is over tne minutes in length, making it quite epic.

Ancestral Spirit
There is a cool groove to this piece. It has a real soulful element. That is merged with fusion and electronic music to create something quite intriguing. It shifts and grows as we’re taken along this ride. I like the melodic guitar soloing on this thing. We get some cool jazz jamming later, too. Mellower music takes us into pretty territory later.
Conscious
The electronic styled space jamming here is energized and pretty as this starts. It works toward a symphonic styled section beyond that opening. It works back out into the electronic territory with some odd music. Even though it’s oddly pulsating, it somehow works. Weird little jabs of sound emerge in the next section, bringing an intriguing musical texture to the piece. Around the five minute mark it drops to a mellow, rather symphonic sounding movement. It feels a bit like soundtrack music. It builds back out to electronic music from there to continue. That eventually ends the penultimate track.
The Distant Past
A keyboard segment with some lush overlayers opens this cut. It grows outward from there as other instruments join. They work this through for a time. Then it drops back. We’re brought back to more powered up music as the jamming continues. Around the four and a half minute mark it drops back to a piano led segment that’s quite pretty. That movement, with some great piano soloing, holds the piece until its end around the six minute mark.
 
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