KINETIC

After delivering three very different releases in 2015 and rounding out that year with the sublime ambient meditation `Harmonic Currents' (fans of Steve Hillage's seminal `Rainbow Dome Musick' are going to want to look into that one), Gregory Kyryluk's Alpha Wave Movement returns in 2016 with `Kinetic', and it should come as no surprise to learn with that title that it's a more lively, energetic work full of movement. Favouring mostly more compact and up-tempo pieces, constant rhythmic elements give the album a constant forward momentum, making it a nice change of approach for the intelligent prog-electronic artist.

Both the title-track opener `Kinetic' and `Dark Meridian' remind of the Eighties and modern Tangerine Dream albums with their breezy repeating themes and strident synth soloing, the former pumping with a vibrant dance beat and the magical latter glistening with chiming electronics. `Machine Mambo' would fit nicely alongside the later Ozric Tentacles discs with its pairing of exotic percussion programming and slinking electronic bass behind joyful synth embraces, and `D.E.I', the longest cut on the disc at over twelve minutes, unveils stretching ambient canvasses over rippling sequencer trickles and dancing keyboard quivers that carefully move in and out of the most subtle of grooves.

`Anoraxis' and `Synergistic Highway' both unexpectedly bristle with a near-synth pop playfulness, the former taking off with a lifting symphonic finale and the latter dazzling with ravishing synth leads and purring beats that again hold a sleek Eighties vibe. The elegant and evocative `Ecoutez' weeps with whimsical longing that calls to mind the more swooning moments of Vangelis, and closer `Metronomy'- teems with life, also the most stirring and dramatic piece of the disc.

Gregory may have delivered more subtle and thoughtful works in the past (the above mentioned `Harmonic Currents' and `Architexture of Silence' instantly come to mind and are highly recommended), but it's still weightier than some earlier AWM albums such as `Horizons' and `Terra', and here his music sounds full of life, confident and even frequently uplifting! It's a nice surface break after the hypnotic extended ambience of the previous disc, something that works perfectly as a refreshing background listen or an effortlessly cool and melodic prog-electronic disc that mostly favours modern styles over vintage era hero worship. Those electronic listeners who prefer more direct and focused atmospheric compositions instead of aimless and vague explorations will greatly enjoy this latest Alpha Wave Movement work, and it proves to be a very addictive and a welcome surprise from Mr Kyryluk.

Four stars.