DIRGE

The two albums released by Mr. Sirius are superb: the most accomplished on of both is, IMHO; their sophomore release "Dirge", which I am going to review right now. This effort solidifies the musical proposal that had been developed in the previous album ? a collage where pastoral prog folk, symphonic prog and jazz-rock alternate and complement each other in a common kaleidoscopic spectrum. Miyatake's taste for bucolic acoustic explorations had already been present in his ventures as a member of previous bands Pageant and Pazzo Fanfano Di Musica, and so, now that this is his project, Mr. Sirius explores this line of work further within the context of an eclectic approach to progressive rock. The final result is excellent due mostly to the powerful doses of compositional imagination displayed in the repertoire, but there is also an undeniable charisma in the group of performers involved (especially the lead guitarist, the drummer, and of course, the female vocalist). The double prologue 'Fanfare ? Legal Dance' starts with 50 seconds of pastoral delight, not unlike Ant Phillips' "The Geese & The Ghost", but then comes a sudden eruption of ballsy prog-jazz a-la Kenso meets Ain Soph (that should be the 'Legal Dance' portion), a dynamic exhibition of awesome musicality fluidly sustained by the rhythm duo while the lead guitar draws white hot colors in the air. After this spectacular entry, expectations are naturally high for the remaining tracks, and let me warm you that they will not disappoint. 'Love Incomplete' is a warm piece where the melodic richness rules supreme: eerie reflective moments, lush symphonic atmospheres and solid shades of jazzy sophistication meld in a varied musical unity that reflects a certain uniqueness: for those who ever dreamed there would be a hybrid of classic Renaissance and "Apocalypse"- era Mahavishnu, pay attention to the last 2 ½ minutes and enjoy the reality of what you had been dreaming for so long. 'A Land Dirge' takes our minds straightforwardly to pastures green in valleys where shepherds used to fill their days with recorders, lutes and romantic chants: more concisely, this piece shows Miyatake's acoustic side quite directly, with an instrumentation that sounds like a duet of nylon guitars by Ant Phillips and Steve Hacket plus guest flutist John Hackett. Its 3+ minute span feels a bit too short for me, but it's a great instrumental piece unconditionally. Later on, 'A Sea Dirge' will continue on this contemplative vain, but in this case the classical guitars are replaced by synth orchestrations that provide a cinematographic mood in their solemn layers. Between these two snippets of soft reflectiveness is the robust 'Super Joker', which brings back the jazz- prog thing and takes it up to a new peak of bombast and electricity. This piece is so well crafted hat even in those moments in which the guitar solos run wild, the sense of melody does not loose an inch of its form and structure. No doubt that this band is impeccably tasteful in whichever sort of musical mood I intends to focus on at the moment. The suite entitled 'The Nile For A While' is a magnificent tour- de-force, a track hat pretty much incarnates the definition of progressive rock (better than 1,000 words). The introductory section consists of a percussive tribal celebration, full of telluric joy and exotic ambiences, being ultimately succeeded by a storm wind effect after its fade-out, and then comes a Kenso moment (yet another one), accomplished with polished skill and energetic sensibility. When the first sung section arrives, the jazz factor is bit diminished in favor of the pastoral thing, but now the band is more related to Focus territory than to Phillips'. The second suction portion is much rockier, while remaining true to the patterns of progressive sophistication. A few second after the 15 minute mark, a dramatic shift reveals an ethereal demonstration of melancholic serenity: almost new-agey at first, this new mood gradually increases through a perfectly calculated crescendo where things begin to sound more pompous (without getting overdone). When we get o the 18 minute mark, it becomes evident that the section we have just described was really a threshold to the motif that will occupy the suite's last 3+ minutes: this one takes the preceding mood as an impulse toward an impressive set of musical colors that leads to a splendid climax. Bravo!, bravo! The album's end is provided by the closer 'Requiem', which in some ways states a refurbishment of the cinematographic ambience of 'A Sea Dirge', only with an increased epic undertone. So, all in all, the legacy of Mr. Sirius reveals itself as a pinnacle of the progressive scene that was developed in Japan between the early 80s and early 90s.