EYE OF THE SOUNDSCAPE

It was about a year ago that vocalist Mariusz Duda had a meeting with the band and presented the idea of doing an Electronic album. Electronic music is nothing new to the band if you've checked out some of the bonus tracks that RIVERSIDE have used over the years. And even Mariusz's solo project LUNATIC SOUL is heavily Electronic at times. Anyway the band's response was nothing but positive towards this idea and the late guitarist Piotr Grudzinski who passed away from natural causes last February texted Mariusz with these words "I really can't wait for this release, I have always had a dream for RIVERSIDE to release such an album". This of course is dedicated to the late guitarist with these words from the band "This is our last journey together so we dedicate this album to you, Brother. In our hearts you will stay forever." And so we have the last performance from this amazing guitarist as he and the band created several new tracks in studio at the beginning of 2016 while also using many of those bonus tracks that date back to 2007. Duda described the experience of recording and composing this album as "We were working with smiles on our faces, genuinely excited, knowing that this time it wasn't just a bonus disc or an addition to something bigger but a fully fledged, independant release with that kind of music, full of space, trance, melodies and electronics".

I'm not a huge Electronic fan but I have a deep appreciation for this sub-genre and love listening to soundscape music while driving or biking especially. At first I didn't think there was much guitar on here but there's plenty. Duda does sing but often it sounds like he's in the distance, obviously the emphasis is on the instrumental work here and his voice is like another instrument as he also uses vocal melodies to great affect. We get two discs worth just over a hundred minutes of music. While some of these song titles might be familiar they really have changed these songs completely to the point of not even recognizing them.

Our journey begins with "Where The River Flows" and man the atmosphere is incredible early on. Drums just before 2 minutes then the guitar joins in. An electronic beat arrives before 4 minutes and suddenly this is electronic music all the way. Catchy too. It settles right down 7 1/2 minutes in as the guitar is strummed with little else going on. Some distant vocals after 9 minutes, keys too to the end. "Shine" was the first track to get an official video from the band. Electronics to start then some heaviness before a minute, guitar too. So much going on with all these sounds including drums, lots of depth here. "Rapid Eye Movement" features spacey and drifting music with some experimental sounds that come and go. An electronic beat kicks in after 3 minutes then the guitar starts to cry out. So good! It starts to settle back after 7 1/2 minutes and check out the bass 9 minutes in. It starts to pick back up as the drums join in and we get some vocal melodies before 12 minutes.

"Night Session Part One" sounds really good as we get this melancholic vibe and it's very spacey. Lots of atmosphere and it's sparse sounding until an electronic beat joins in at 2 1/2 minutes then eventually guitar as well. I really like this one. It starts to calm right down after 8 1/2 minutes. "Night Sessions Part Two" is interesting as we get sax on this track changing the flavour somewhat. Percussion too as the sax comes and goes then guitar before 3 minutes. Vocal melodies follow as it slowly builds. The sax is back around 5 1/2 minutes then it's sax only before 7 minutes with lots of atmosphere. Spacey winds a minute later. This is quite ambient.

Disc two begins with "Sleepwalkers" which might be my favourite of the bunch. Sounds echo and ping as almost spoken vocals then guitar join in as it builds, an electronic beat as well. "Rainbow Trip" is spacey with a beat, bass, keys and more. It's building and check out the guitar starting before 5 minutes. "Heavenland" is another killer track which is very spacey with vocal melodies that come and go. So much atmosphere around 2 minutes as the soundscape almost vibrates.

"Return" again is filled with atmosphere as experimental sounds come and go. A beat around 2 minutes followed by guitar but man that atmosphere! It turns louder before 5 1/2 minutes. "Aether" is like the previous two tracks with the atmosphere and I like the bass as cymbals join in. A beat then electronics arrive and eventually they will dominate. Cool track. "Machines" opens with keys before these beats take over. "Promise" features some beautiful acoustic guitar, emotional stuff for me(RIP Piotr) with all that atmosphere too. "Eye Of The Soundscape" ends it and this is one sparse and ambient piece. Very spacey with sparse sounds that will come and go over the 11 1/2 minutes.

Duda has had a rough year with the passing of his great friend and band mate Piotr and he also lost his father who passed away late in the spring this year, plus he was dealing with some other personal stuff. I hope for nothing but positive vibes towards this awesome band. They said they will hire a guitarist as they need one, they will not replace what cannot be replaced. Piotr was one of a kind.

Two things: Riverside's now legendary 'hard' style has always been made crunchier by the numerous references to psychedelia (hence the initial Floydian tendencies), so it was not all that surprising that they would push out a 'brighter', album with "Love, Fear and the Time Machine". But with all that Lunatic Soul sensation, it was bound to happen, a glorious monolith of pure soundscape as the title likes to imply, that defies words both as a tribute to a fallen comrade who was ecstatic about the idea but also was involved in the various demos and mixes that comprise this stunner. Piotr Grudzinski was a guitar marvel, dying way too young ,an incredibly sad event for family, friends and fans to bear and to even fathom. This release is dedicated to the talent, the friendship and love for music that Piotr relished as a musician.

Second Thing: The Poles have, behind the initial hard-drinking and proud bluster, a profoundly romantic heart, deeply sensitive and therefore seductive, always exploring sensorial pleasure as a source for inspiration. Maybe that is why Poles and Hungarians get along so well, 'drinking together and fighting together', goes the saying. Not coincidentally, that tradition is still very strong in musical terms, prog has always been quite fertile in both countries. There has always been an underlying sense of feeling in even their early material and all the way through even the crunchier ones, a profound sadness of spirit that may force the mind to become stronger and braver.

Side1: Let's go for a little trip, shall we? From "Where the River flows" , the suave and meditative sounds are definitely led by Michal Lapaj's artistic keyboards, now front and centre, though , it must be said again, there is a LOT of incredible guitar playing on every track, laid back one moment and acerbic the next, weaving and contorting as if on a mission. Mariusz Duda has always been an underrated bassist when in fact he is a killer, as displayed throughout this pulsating affair. Two CDs worth and over 102 minutes, this is a whopper, especially when the booming bass comes in to cause some ruckus! He will also sing, actually more like wail, using his voice as another instrument to focus on and etching dreamy thoughts and images into the brain. Trippy!

"Shine" starts out more experimental, almost like Yello meeting Tangerine Dream, with some The Cure-like guitar slashes thrown in for good measure. Then the groove becomes bossy yet suave, the seductive side coming out again, the bass burping along like a happily drunken sailor, still in full command of his body and mind. Outright masterpiece up next with epic "Rapid Eye Movement", a remake of a previously published and released piece. Here it gets a much slower retooling, more ambient and obscure at first, winds howling in the background, with patiently gliding sustained guitar licks slipping through the haze. They take their sweet time to bloom this into a full-blown space adventure, bouncy sequencers first, curvy percussives, and then the rapturous bass carves a clear path forward, a cosmic ride of the highest pedigree, a sublime guitar solo crowns this further with regal ceremony. A tremendously exhilarating voyage this is, with amazing interventions by all and an overall cosmic mood that recalls "You"-era Gong! The bubbly synths are very Tim Blake! There is a calming down section that only seeks to reboot the whole symphony of sounds, a clearly Saharan mini-theme, followed by a typical Floydian chugging guitar intro while the bass resumes its dance with even a stellar solo to boot before clamping down on the fever pitch. Binary, propulsive, radiant yet determined, this is sheer panacea, a world class trophy of modern prog! Ghostly and beautiful. For those of you who prefer a more experimental style, especially electronically, the 2 part "Night Session", will provide over 22 minutes of soundscapes that would fit nicely in the TDream, Schulze, and company school of electronic music. Fascinating repeating rhythms, a twangy guitar that recalls some Bond flick, adding pounding drums and an imagined purpose that seduces everyone in a different manner. Part1 is adrenaline-charged, a tempestuous obsession that keeps the effect ongoing, driven and relentless. There is no sense of imminent end, just headlong trippy psychedelia that roams and wanders, more space jam than rigid composition. It's too weird and engaging for background music, so the attention span must be intensified in order to enjoy these explorations to the fullest. Part 2 goes in a completely unexpected realm, handing over the stage to a saxophone player who will let his muse fly, blowing long and furiously.

The whole of Side 2 is pure bliss in prog regalia, each composition blending into the next one, effortlessly. The resplendent "Rainbow Trip" is an obsessive affair that has an obvious "the Bogus Man" (Roxy Music) vibe, what with the vocal 'tchik-tchickah' noises that you can't help grooving tout de suite! The hypnotic arrangement does this style great justice, as it just fumes by like a race car, hands on the wheel. Celestial? Wanna walk on clouds? You won't be obscured by any, because the sheer sonic fluffiness is bewildering. That is the appropriately titled "Heavenland" and basks in a soporific glee. The magnificent "Return" is bitingly ambient again, sliced by long and sustained guitar chords, a pulse and pitter- patter synth pings, a warm breeze back to restful reality, at rest and at peace. Again, one cannot help feeling the emotion of Piotr's unending eloquence, impressively ingrained for evermore. Another key highlight cut is the magnetic "Aether", a nearly 9 minute incursion into seductive but experimental moods, Duda stroking his bass with loopy moves, slowly erecting the sinuous and reptilian groove that takes this composition to shimmering heights, always bubbling and ominous. Boom boom! A lovely TDream flight takes it further into the stratosphere, insistent sequencers flaunting their feverish fire and blazing new horizons. Trippy indeed and refreshingly addictive, as I have listened to this quite a few times, so enthralled was I by the smile it flashed on my face. The improbable "Machines" is like Kraftwerk but in a much more organic style that has, as far as I know, few clones. So originality both in substance and musicality comes bubbling to the fore, illuminating a new but comfortable path , a sonic bath with plenty of math , clicking along like a smooth and efficient TGV bullet, a glittering ride straight into the 'Pleasuredome'. The heart-stopping sweetness of "Promise" adds not only serene respite but also loads of class, a delicately chiseled acoustic whirl into pastoral universes of unreserved beauty. The title track finale has lots of density too, certainly enough to take the slow road to nirvana , ambient beyond ambient, always with a purpose and a need, screwing deeply into the mind, releasing untold images and colours, shapes and sizes, smiles and passion.

A stubborn and demanding eulogy, unmistakably honest and profound, with all the pain that goes with losing a loved one. A labor of adoration, no atomic-sized hint of greed or disdain, so one can state for the record, that Riverside has a triumvirate of reasons for being proud of their career, their life as musicians and humans and this gem of a recording. It has everything that encapsulates the spirit, the vision and the poetry of progressive rock. Riverside has arrived artistically but will they resume their upward spiralling career? No one knows yet. And if it becomes the "John Bonham is dead, goodbye Zep syndrome", oh well. They leave on a perfect note. Strange how tragedy works, you can never predict the outcome, either salvation or despondence. Yes, it's mellow, just like life or impending death, you might as well be happy and enjoy the best that you can, the pleasures of existence. It's such a damn battle for the rest of us, every day. Spectacular and real music. RIP

5 angels

Warning: Eye of the Soundscape is not a regular Riverside album!

Is a compilation of long improvisations and some shorter instrumental tracks from different sessions released as bonus tracks in special editions through the years, specially the Rapid Eye Movement, Shrine of New Generation Slaves and Love, Fear and The Time Machine ones, in addition of a pair of unreleased tracks.

Nevertheless, if you are a fan of the band you will be delighted to recognize some melodies and rhythms from the main albums, and if you are new to Riverside you will find the most ambient, psychedelic and instrumental side of the band, with influences which move between Pink Floyd, Eloy, Porcupine Tree and Tangerine Dream.

The result is a very stimulating album perfect to be used as background music, but also splendid as a careful and dedicated listening!

Best Tracks: I especially like the first CD, but the shorter tracks of the second are also very interesting.

Conclusion: Eye of The Soundscape is a wonderful compilation of special edition bonus tracks and some unreleased songs but with a coherent and unique identity. It shows the incredibly good instrumental side of the band which links Riverside to the Mariusz Duda solo project called Lunatic Soul.

It was also a posthumous homage to the sadly disappeared guitarist Piotr Grudzinski and in will delight the fans of the band, but also psychedelic-space-ambiental prog lovers. Strongly recommended!

My rating: ****