AIMLESS MARY

The third LP by this Norwegian band, they combine Pop hook with proggy Jazz Rock, but really only on occasion is it truly progressive, truly compositionally interesting. I was unsure about their second, Outside the Screen with which I started, but I figured I would give them a better chance (and I'm certainly somewhat trustworthy of our community's positivity) [even now...]. Even so, as mentioned below (and in the review for that album), their main M.O. is texture, and not composition: that's where you'll lose me 90% of the time.

Right off though, "Fear" starts out most strongly. The melody, in its softness, is so solid and the instrumentation is just flying forward at 100 mph. Hypnotic rhythm spurned on by the main guitar/bass riff met then with awesome organ, flying off the handle after minute 2. What an opener. It ends then with a beautiful, apparently (at times) glissando-style guitar solo. Something super familiar, super classic occurs on the next, "Why". It's a neo-psychedelia that, I suppose, reminds me somewhat of the bits of King Gizz I do know. Just a super cool Psych, mixed with hints of what feels to me like Roots Rock.

Next, "Soaring" starts off so very sweet, with electric piano interlocking with guitar and a melodic bassline. Around minute 3, there's this Progressive Electronic sort of shift, with thumping (yet low) synths and a rhythm that picks up from the nearly melancholic intro. This continues to crescendo and crescendo, building with organ and a light intensity from the drums, nearly all the way to the end. And the ending is of its own feel. It was a bit much, like the noisescape excesses of Krautrock that just aren't quite for me. "Shattered Into Memories" picks it up next, with more from their sweet, soft rhythm section. From the rolling basslines to the church-readied organ, this feels like innumerous callbacks to the early-70s. Then, in the middle, there are just some beautiful sonic choices from synths and guitar, the latter in a long jazzy solo (and an excellent one at that). It jams on for quite a bit and then there's another end with a progressive and wild ending. I'll take it!

Next, our title track, "Aimless Mary", picks things up from the previous bombast, soft and balladic. I feel like tracks like this (and what "Shattered" appeared to be) have me reflecting on Outside the Screen: it's some decent singer-songwriter matched with really excellent musicianship, but frankly I'm just not interested in that right now (and perhaps nor you) [Wow, the English language really is something, huh?]. Nor am I interested much in that ever, I suppose. Again though, the musicianship, as I reflected on with previous tracks, is there, and yet... the overall focus is just not gripping to me personally.

The Rootsy, classic feel returns on the soft "Half Awake" and then.... around minute 2, the organ (and bass?) comes in low, but with heft. Once again, like their aforementioned sophomore release, this is atmospheric music, music of texture, not necessarily of composition (though they've proved they have that, too). There's even less here for me than on "Aimless Mary"... Finally, we have "Imaginary Plane". The melodies are sweet and once again we're in the low and slow. An interesting form to end your album out with. But I'm not them. And I've certainly never stepped foot in Norway haha.

I think, like one of their contemporaries Krokofant, only some of their material really appeals to me at all. Whether or not they fit the bill of "Progressive Rock" is questionable to me, though it's clear they're capable.