ARCHITECTS OF TIME

Ben Rusch is a German multi-instrumentalist and a rather prolific recording artist, churning out album after album filled with pleasant melodic folky rock. This album, "Architects of Time," is no different. Each of the 12 tracks has a nice heartfelt personality to them, with great musicianship and feeling. However, I feel like each song has something missing. Each song, however pretty and melodically rich, seems to have little inspiration. The first few tracks of the album are really nice, but once all 12 tracks roll out of the speakers, they start to run a little dry. Overall, however, the album is full of very nice songs, and is no doubt a good album.

Out of Time is a short instrumental track with some great piano work and some nice guitar backing. With a nice new age kind of feel, the song displays a very pleasant melodic atmosphere, with ambient synth string effects nicely complimenting the piano work. Overall, the song is nothing special, but starts the album off on a nice happy note.

Robin Hood is Currently Unavailable is even shorter than Out of Time, and has a similar formula to the previous track. The piano work is again really beautiful, utilizing some really nice arpeggio-like riffing up and down the keyboard. The vocal melodies are nice and make nice harmonies with the piano. Overall, the song is again nothing remarkable, but has some really nice piano work to its name.

Architects of Time is a slower and more compassionate song. Instituting some nice viola work, the song has a nice jovial personality to it. Although many of the same themes are used again and again in the verses, each theme does have a very nice feeling to it, albeit redundant. Overall, the song offers little variation from a pretty verse-chorus-verse formula, but still has some pretty melodic work.

Where the Wild Things Are has some more strong melodies, as well as some strong lyrical work. The nice guitar and piano work compliment the quiet atmospheres backing them well. The song, although quite consistent in its thematic structure, is a pleasant show of Rusch's mastery over melody.

Double Helix has a nice sweeping manner of the progression of the track. With some nice gallop like rhythmic backings, the steady tempo and consistent rolling of the piano work make this a pleasant, but still unremarkable song. With nice atmospheric guitar work, Rusch throws in a slight post-rock feel, adding a nice dynamic to his music.

Adam and Eve has one the more traditional art pop/rock feel of the songs, opening with a nice piano riff and some traditional percussive rhythms. As with many of the other songs, the piano work is by far the strongest feature of this song. The lyrics are also a high point, with some really nice lines. Overall, the song is pleasant and melodic, but is very similar to most of the other songs on the album.

In a Thousand Years is a short guitar/viola duo, with some pleasant melodies. The song is nothing special as songs on this album go, with little more but consistent viola and guitar chords making up the track.

The Though of You Is New has some more pleasant piano riffing and some nice rhythmic work, but at thins point in the album it sounds all the same. The melodic and piano work, although really nice, seems uninspired with 7 songs almost identical to it backing it.

Hand Me a Jet Pack is one of the more creative songs on the album, with a nice folk-y feel to it and some nice mischievous sounding vocal melodies. Although the song opens as a nice variation to the rest of the album's style, some of the song does return to that jovial melodic feel seen on all the rest of the album.

Where to Put That Foot is another nice melodic piece, although it follows a similar formula to most of the other songs on the album. The piano work is again nice and melodic, and the vocal melodies are again quite nice. Overall, the song offers little new feeling to the album, although the melodies are still nice.

Covering Cold Feet With Warm Blankets is another quiet and heartfelt song. With pleasant acoustic guitar riffing and some nice piano chords behind it, and some compassionate vocals. The lyrics are again really nice, with some more really great lines. Overall, the song is pleasant, but not much else.

Time to Go is a pleasant ender, with a slow piano riff and nice viola backings. Although nothing special comes out of it, it ends the album on a pleasant melancholy note, with some traditional Ben Rusch melodic work.

ALBUM OVERALL: Architects of Time is nice. That's really all there is to say. All 12 tracks have some really pleasant melodies and nice piano work. Each track, although having its own little personality with great piano musicianship, seems to sound just like the next and the previous, each following an almost identical formula. To listen to each track individually and not in succession would be nice, but listening all the way through starts to get stale and uninspired. Pleasant and melodic art pop/rock make for a very pleasant album, but not much else. 3 stars.

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