FOUR

More than 10 years have passed now since the conception of Temple of Switches, a band whose music is actually new to me, and I am glad my ears found it. I know they have released four studio albums so far, being 'Four' their newest and the one I am reviewing.

What this band led by mastermind Tenk Van Dool offer is a great mixture of prog, jazz, rock and even a bit of electronic music. It can be heard in the first track, entitled 'Welcome', which is an adventurous opening that take us through a diversity of sounds and emotions. 'Your Fly is Down' has vocals for the first time, and we can appreciate that besides being great musicians, they add a kind of humoristic sound to their already interesting music, which is great. I love the raw bass sound here and all those small but constant changes they dare to make in a short 3-minute track. There are moments where guitar take over, then keyboards say "I'm in charge", and then all gather together to continue the journey as a whole.

'The Wind' has the beautiful addition of Amanda Lehman in vocals, her charming style is wonderfully complemented first by some soft bass lines and then by addictive piano notes that add more textures. The drums are great, David White actually does a great job during the whole album, with some figures and sounds that can be better appreciated while listening with good headphones. This might be one of my favorite songs from this album.

A short mid-eastern trip can be found with 'Pareidolia', a low tempo track that one can enjoy while listening with eyes closed. It is trippy indeed, spacey atmospheres created by synths while bass and percussion guide us. It is striking how the songs sound really different from one to another, but for some reason, we can perceive the essence of Temple of Switches, instead of thinking there is a different band every 4 minutes. So yeah, a completely different sound appears in the amazing 'Dale's Neglected Song', which is quite an adventure: fast and skilled drums (it's his song, I think), bass, guitar and keyboards joining that vertiginous journey and giving the listener a rush of adrenaline and prog rock. Awesome!

'Human Zoo' is a nice track that has a let's say more traditional sound, I mean, it does not has the changes in time and mood than the previous tracks, it has more a soft rock sound, which is not bad at all, but to my ears, not the most attractive track of the album in spite of its more adventurous final minute. Important to say it also has nice male vocals, though. Next is 'Llamada a San Cristobal (Chepos Song), which has an interesting blend of jazz and ambient music. I love the fretless bass here, the gently sound of the guitar and the diversity of atmospheres created by keyboards.

The longest track is 'The Unfurling' whose 10 minutes display the creativity that lives inside Van Dool's mind, and that fortunately can be put into paper and then, into music. It is a good example of what a progressive rock song is, ambitious, challenging, great, and in moments even unpredictable. I love its different changes in time and mood, and the always accurate addition of keyboards.

'Freeway' is the one closer to rock and roll, you can feel its power and energy, taking elements from 70s and 80s bands without a doubt. It is catchy and you might even get ready for a small rockin' dance. 'Go Champion' continues with the rock feeling, however here is a bit heavier, like a combination of Black Sabbath and T. Rex, so as you can imagine, the 70s essence is present here.

The album finishes with 'Lemongrass and Thyme' which has a melancholic essence, even a lullaby-like and tender sound. So Temple of Switches gave us those constant changes during the whole album, most of them capable of surprising and involving us. And yeah, just like any album, I have my favorites and a couple tracks whose spark didn't hit me. Anyways, it is great to know so talented low-profile people creating music, so I am happy to write about it a little bit and put my grain of sand.

Enjoy it!