MESSAGES FROM AFAR: SECOND NATURE

With this newest release, Messages From Afar: Second Nature, Antony continues his recent excursions into expanding on previous releases with a new one that draws off the original with flavors from the past and explorations into something new. He has already done so most recently with His Dragon Island and Birds releases, and now he continues doing so here with his Messages from Afar efforts. First there was his Karfagen 2017 Messages from Afar: First Contact, and secondly his 2018 Sunchild Messages from Afar: The Division and Illusion of Time, and now this third one for our listening pleasure.

By far and large, the direct correlations between this release and the previous two tend to be fairly minimal, which is fine as it gives us a new palette of music to take in. That being said, the opening track on Second Nature is definitely a sister track to the opening one on the First Contact album and also a continuation of the fade out of the last track of that album as well. Beyond that it becomes divergent pretty quickly. First contact, which is highly recommended by the way, was primarily instrumental, and guitar driven against Antony's keywork. This newest effort tends to be more symphonic, keys forward, jazzy, with some pastoral touches, but that's not to say the guitars don't have their moments at the forefront.

As always, another great album cover that creates anticipation for the music to follow. So, some brief thoughts on the tracks.

1 Ride Your Dreams (3:41) As mentioned, this sister song to First Contact is immediately recognizable and feels like an old friend, but this is a mellower and shorter version. Just like its predecessor, it has an undeniable Pink Floyd vibe that is most enjoyable. Sometimes Antony does Pink Floyd better than they themselves did in their later years. A great start. 9/10

2 Fantasion (7:26) This is a creative instrumental piece with the synths forward and nice guitar interplay throughout. Has moments that are quite symphonic, but weaves jazzy expressions in and out. Very nice! Easily could have been an extension of the first track and been combined into a single 11 minute piece. 9/10

3 November Blue (4:34) Instrumental change of pace with a definite Jazz vibe including some brass and tasteful Metheny like soft guitar play. Mellow and laid back. Not a lot of sonic variety here, but a pleasant listen nonetheless. 8/10

4 Bond of Love (7:02) This is a star track full of surprises. Starts off acoustic with a beautiful female vocal. Seems that it will be a ballad but no, heavy guitar work cuts across and takes us in a whole different direction. Nice guitar workout with Antony's keys always close by. Closes out with a repetition of the opening lyric. As much as I liked Antony's previous Passage to the Forest of Mysterious, one of the things I lamented was the lack of the female vocals in that album. Happy to see that corrected here. 10/10

5 Agora By Night (4:32) An acoustic guitar instrumental, this feels like a piece extracted from the just mentioned Passage to the Forest of Mysterious. From about the 2:30 point takes on a Vangelis type atmosphere. A lovely piece. 9/10

6 Daybreak (3:48) Another instrumental, opening with piano this time, jazz oriented but for the first half initially more avant-garde than the previous jazzy track. About the second half, brass is incorporated and the track becomes more conventional. Some decent restrained guitar work towards the end adds a nice dimension. Not bad, but not my particular cup of tea either. 7/10

7 Bright Little Star (3:56) The most accessible track this time around. This has an optimistic lyric that is quite engaging. Again, an interesting mix of soft symphonic with some jazz undertones. At about 2:30 there is really enjoyable but short guitar escalation that I always look forward to. Nice artsy video available to view with this. 8/10

8 Searching for Mr. Kite (11:05) Longest track on this album, a big instrumental that upon each listen you pick up subtle different nuances. Just a great guitar and synth workout with reoccurring and building themes. There is a carnival atmosphere near the middle that is a bit unexpected but works well. There is a video in a similar artsy format available for this track as well. Antony saved one of the best for nearly last. 9/10

9 Second Nature (2:26) Antony saved the title track, the shortest one, for last. In doing so, he decided to close out the album with something a bit pastoral after the bombast of the previous piece. This one features piano, that for me, brings up a Genesis type feel, but gets expanded upon as it proceeds to its conclusion. A tasteful and elegant way to close the proceedings. 9/10

In conclusion, another most enjoyable offering from Antony and his fellow musicians. Unlike his previous effort, Passage to the Forest Mysterious, which seemed to at least loosely be a concept album, that is not the case here. The tracks seem to be stand alone efforts with quite a bit of different flavors and atmospheres, but it all works together quite nicely. I have to say that I have grown to have a lot of affection for Antony's offerings and they seem to just keep getting a little better each time. Another solid 4 star offering worth investigating.