GREY ORIGIN

Keyboard texturist and compositional genius Alessendro Di Benedetti--of MAD CRAYON and SAMURAI OF PROG fame--is back with yet another collection of solo songs--this time of songs that have not been offered to/coopted by other bands. Alé's intentions are to just let all of his creative juices flow and be witnessed, sans prog definition or wildly complex constructs or time signatures.

1. "En Trance" (3:20) part BILL EVANS part JONN SERRIE, then turning more sinister before finishing with a 21st Century Ryuichi SAKAMOTO/FENNESZ touch. Beautiful soundtrack music. (9.25/10)

2. "The Machinery" (10:44) VANGELIS Fender Rhodes but then female fretless bass, vocalise, and odd percussive noises join in before everything turns modern downtempo/trip hop in the fifth minute. Like the Blade Runner soundtrack, there is quite a beautiful though unsettling mood being set here. The bass play gets quite exciting in the final third. Nice journey. Thanks, Alessandro. (18.25/20)

3. "Brain Sausage" (4:16) eerie "radio" noises open this one before a smooth jazz keyboard foundation is laid out with bass, rim shots & hi-hat, bass, and keys matching pace and melody in a jazzy weave. Then, at the end of the second minute there is a "reset" pause before all instruments settle into a more cohesive background landscape to support the airy female vocalise and quiet electric piano tinkling. Nice. (9/10)

4. "Gymnoectomie" (6:29) For the first minute, this sounds like a Satie piece turned sideways and inside out. Then, at 1:15, there is a barrage of industrial sounds woven together, preceding a racing track. Not what one would expect (but perhaps exactly what Eric Satie would have done with 21st Cent. technology). The cello and Irene Pappas-like alto female vocalise are wonderful. (9/10)

5. "Le Docteur" (4:13) opening with some Robin Guthrie-like guitar-based textures, a rhythm section and Vangelis- like Fender Rhodes play join in and establish a slowed down French film soundtrack. The interlude in the middle sounds like something from a creepy Danny Elfman soundtrack. The fullness of the final 45 seconds sounds a bit like some slowed down Tangerine Dream. (8.75/10)

6. "Cavie" (6:22) more odd combinations of sounds open this one before steady drums, spacious piano chords and muted rhythm guitar strumming support a nice fretless bass display. Drums and guitar shift into stronger dynamics before an empty Fender Rhodes solo in the third minute spaces everything out. When everybody rejoins its now an electric guitar who commands the lead, not the fretless bass. Fullness is achieved around 3:45, but it's not quite as satisfying as the stuff that came before. (I prefer Alessandro's fretless bass to guest Rafael Pacha's guitar.) The final 1:15 moves back into eery and spacious motifs. I really liked the drum work on this one! (8.5/10)

7. "Special Waste" (10:03) very nuanced, often exciting, multi-dimensional soundtrack music. Sometimes its relazing, pleasing, soothing, sometimes its smooth STEELY DAN-like and other times it slides into the tension of the suspense/horror genre. (17.75/20)

8. "L'Assistant" (2:52) weird noises open this one before Son of Vangelis, master of l'orchestre faux, takes over. (5/5)

9. "The Plague" (3:57) perhaps Alessandro's music has a little influence coming from the Ghost in the Machine-era Police as that's what the drums, subtle keyboard and guitar textures of this song feel like to me. Then there feels like a little nod to either Peter Gabriel, Dead Can Dance, or Enigma. (8.5/10)

10. "Ex It" (2:43) slightly out of tune and treated piano solo played in a kind of LYLE MAYS/PAT METHENY way. (Think "In Her Family".) Gorgeous. (5/5)

Total Time 54:59

This all would make outstanding (and memorable) soundtrack music--especially for more cerebral or mysterious/eerie content. Alessandro definitely makes music that his more enjoyable/pleasurable to listen to than 98% of the other artists I hear out there.

B+/4.5 stars; a minor masterpiece of proggy instrumental soundtrack music.