QUALIA

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SYRINX continue to play dark atmospheric music that is very detailed and intricate. Once again the acoustic guitar leads the way supported by some great drum and bass work. I swear there's mellotron on here as well as a variety of keyboards.This is all-instrumental by the way. Same lineup as what was on the debut which includes the Maurin brothers from NIL and early THORK.

"Liber Nonacris" is the almost 20 minute opening track. I hesitate to describe each song as I usually do because there is so much going on and the songs are never standing still but constantly evolving. Again dark and atmospheric describes their sound well with the acoustic guitar being ever-present. It sounds like mellotron 2 minutes in with synths to follow. I like when it kicks in fairly heavily after 11 minutes as bass throbs and mellotron storms in while drums pound. Great section.The calm sections are just as good though. Floods of mellotron after 16 minutes. Nice. A full sound with drums 18 minutes in. Some electric guitar too which wasn't on the debut.

"Acheiropoites" is haunting to start as flute comes in. A fuller sound after 3 1/2 minutes with drums and bass. It builds to an intense sound 6 minutes in. Fantastic ! A calm returns 8 minutes in. "Le Grand Dieu Pan" is heavy to open with organ. A haunting calm follows. Piano then takes over followed by cello at 2 minutes. It becomes brighter 3 minutes in and the tempo picks up. It settels with flute before 5 minutes. Guitar takes over before 6 1/2 minutes. I like when the organ returns, synths follow. Great sound (dark & heavy) when it kicks back in 11 1/2 minutes in. "Le Vingt-Et- Unieme Cercle" sounds so good. The kind of song to drift away in. Mellotron 3 minutes in followed by a heavier sound. Gorgeous track. It builds to an explosive sound after 5 minutes.

Tough to pick a favourite between the first two albums but for me "Reification" is still the better one. I would highly recommend you get them both though.This is just amazing music to listen to in the dark with headphones on.

Qualia is the second album from French band Syrinx. It's a truly beautiful and complex album, the kind that demands your attention and demands you to just sit back and listen to their compelling mix of Jazz and Prog.

All four compositions are instrumental and it doesn't get any better than the almost twenty minute opener Liber Nonacris. The band play brilliantly, Benjamin Croizy's keyboards used much of the time (though he has his moments in the limelight) to provide sweeping backdrops for Samuel Maurin's fluent, liquid bass playing and Philippe Maullet's dynamic drumming. The lead is taken in the main by David Maurin's busy acoustic guitar playing; yes no electric guitar here. He really is a fantastic player. The album alternates between sublime beauty and moments of musical tension and explosive power to make for an overall captivating sound. The production is excellent with lots of space in the mix, each player having ample opportunity to shine.

I haven't discussed individual tracks as this is an album to listen and to take in as whole and some of the best instrumental music I have heard in years. The only question is whether it's better than their 2003 debut, Reification. Buy them both and make up your own mind. Brilliant stuff, nothing less than 5 stars will do!

A great work "Qualia" is ? I absolutely enjoy this sophomore release by Syrinx, and I wish I had known it at the time so I could vote for it the 2009 Top lists. All I can do in the present days, in retrospect, is praise it with all my heart. This French ensemble was quite a big surprise a few years back with their debut effort "Reification", exploring a sort of progressive experimental rock that combined mystic atmospheres and dense, semi-creepy moods; in 2008, "Qualia" retook this interesting trend and instilled a renewed energy into it. As usual, the band's sonic framework is built upon the articulation pondered among the harmonies/leads performed on a much featured acoustic guitar and the driving force driven on by the rhythm section, while the keyboard inputs rigorously fill abundant spaces all over the place. 'Liber Nonacris' opens up the album with agile atmospheres, but eventually, at the 3 minute mark, the sonic development turns to slightly denser grounds. From the onward, the piece evolves in an amazing set of varied themes, abundant yet not overwhelmingly overdone. There are moments in which the keyboard orchestrations assume the leading role in the melodic developments; there is also a mysterious passage in which the bass guitar's interventions get a bigger exposure, in this way adding some stamina to the overall sound. The use of synthesized choral ornaments and emulated mellotron helps to reinforce the recurrent mesmeric ambience. 'Acheiropoietes' features soprano sax in the first passage, which assumes an air of distinction through the unhidden sense of mystery that prevails. The colorfulness portrayed in the subsequent development states a landscape of tension that ends up released during the track's closing section. 'Le Grand Dieu Pan' brings a grayish ambience, properly focused on autumnal textures. The solo piano passage bears a nostalgic beauty, conveniently balanced with the agile section that follows immediately, eventually leading to a majestic display of moderate bombast. Once again, the bass guitar manages to make itself noticed among the whole equilibrated architecture. 'Le Vingt-Et-Unieme Cercle' occupies the album's last 5 ¾ minutes. It is evidently more serene than any of the other preceding tracks, but the overall feel is totally consistent with the spirit of outworld mystery that has assumed control of the musical arrangements in the whole album. The climatic ending may bring some 70s Pulsar memories to some. Well, this was "Qualia", a superb album by one of the best French prog ensembles currently around.