LET SEE THIN

A band of veteran Polish musicians return with their second prog album under the Let See Thin moniker--their first since the Pandemic.

1. "Story of My Life" (5:33) 1980s Roxy Music or early Simple Minds meets Steven Wilson. Great sound palette with an awesomely relentless rhythm track. (8.875/10)

2. "Divisions" (6:37) a pleasant enough start only gets better at 3:30 when the band pauses, slowly resets, and then slowly, deliberately builds a more satisfying motif--one that captures that same compelling relentlessness that the previous song benefitted from. Nice. (8.875/10)

3. "Sleeping on a Cloud" (6:46) a decent enough sound palette (which again reminds me of a 21st Century rendering of a Sparkle in the Rain-era Simple Minds song) just fails to deliver any hooks much less knock-out punches. (If the lyrics are the most important part of your offering here, I apologize for my obtuseness. (13.125/15)

4. "How" (4:50) more great modernized Simple Minds sounds, chords, and structures given enough 21st Century special effects and other tricks to make this song a rather enjoyable and even somewhat refreshing journey. Łukasz' voice is buried just perfectly within the thick walls of sound to make it palatable--the distracting effect of his accented pronunciation of the English notice hardly noticeable. Plus, they give the instrumental elements more attention (and volume) including an awesome heavily-reverbed piano beneath and in-between it all. (9/10)

5. "Would it Be?" (5:59) there's something about this song--it's heavy, modern Flock Of Seagulls sound palette, perhaps--that makes this song more engaging, interesting, and winning for me. The only weak part, in my opinion, is in the brief guitar solo in the middle of the fifth minute (the sound feels weak and ineffective in proportion to the power of the rest of the sonic field). I like the 'whisper-rap" thereafter and then the finale. I like the deep throb of the thick bass. (Is it doubled up by a synth--or MIDI-ed through a computer/synth to give it this sound?) The presence of the piano helps, as well. (9/10)

6. "Treadmill" (5:29) yet another song that feels as if it is rooted in the sounds and stylings of the 1980s techo/New Wave era of music but has been updated with heavy bass, heavy guitar semi-power chords, more broadly-amplified low-end of the drums, and a few more sound and engineering tricks and choices. The synths, however, are derived straight from sounds that emerged with the New Wave era. Again, the piano play helps a lot. Also the "bigger than life" drums--and great melodies (softer vocal delivery). (9.125/10)

7. "Sailors" (5:13) this updated 1980s tune doesn't quite make it all the way out of the 20th Century: too much Mark Hollis-like isolated piano chords and choppy-dance-like rhythmic features and a-Ha-like vocals (in the chorus)--more than a deep thrumming bass, hard-rock drums, and searing rock guitar can disguise. It's not bad; I was just hoping for more--like the last three. (8.75/10)

8. "Strange Neighbourhood" (3:51) with a spacious sonic field like this one Łukasz accented English pronunciation becomes a distraction for me. For me, this is similar in effect to when a choice of sound for a synth or electric guitar feels totally incongruous (or incompatible) with the rest of the instrumental sound palette. The song passes by and all I've been able to focus on is Łukasz' accent. (8.6667/10)

Total Time 44:18

Very solid, compelling music that is incredibly well-produced that suffers a bit from Łukasz Woszczyński accented English vocals. No disrespect intended, Łukasz: since my brain does not process spoken/sung words or lyrics (in any language) I just would have been happier to have heard you singing in your native tongue. Also, I have to beg difference of opinion with those who would assign this album to the NeoProg sub-genre: I see/hear more heavy prog, which, as we know, is more typical of the popular music produced in this 21st Century from a number of Polish artists (many of whom have also been designated with the NeoProg label

B/four stars; an excellent, eminently enjoyable album of interesting heavy progressive rock music. Check it out for yourselves: you may find yourself loving this. There's definitely consistently great atmosphere and mood here.

Let See Thin, a band that makes frontier rock with the sounds of 80's new wave. 8 tracks of almost 5 minutes each for an escape of melodic freshness.

"Herald" for a spacey, soaring intro, reminding me of that of Coma Rossi, quite conventional prog rock, forward vocals reminiscent of Damien Wilson, the rhythm rises suddenly intense and serious, the solo very technical, airy and with a dose of romantic spleen making the strings cry, very beautiful title finalized by a minimalist decrescendo. "For The Future" on a melodic prog rock track, focused on an omnipresent bass, you have to wait until the usual halfway point to get the prog variation that goes with it, the melody stretches out with some devastating solos on the guitar. "Time" on a synthetic basis (come on! Phil Collins must have been listened to there), a title which lacks depth but perhaps that is the aim, the final solo with very present drums sets the tone. "Change" continues on synth prog which reminds me of the creative side of The Cars; the voice is the main musical instrument and gives a pompous, grandiloquent air, the title then passes to a NASA phrasing leading to the eternal solo which each time saves the title a little by giving a lot of creative expressions. The clip could not be more expressive about the way we treat our planet. "Leave" extends and insists on the sound, the very obvious voice accompanied by the instruments placed overlooking the illuminated music. "To The Stars" still with this synthetic rhythm merging in fact prog rock and new wave, the voice here seems feminine, confusing a little, it changes, it looks like a condensed symphony, the sounds starting from the start but it is necessary open up to this fusion of genres. "Keep Calm" let's stay calm here, percussions still in the Collins style, the voice stands out, it's her who holds the album, expressive, airy, crystal clear, always Damien a little Jon Anderson when he raised his voice high; monolithic keyboard solo creating a latent sound. "Mist" and the last variation of the album on the most ambient track, melancholic and full of fervor; monolithic percussion, voice placed on top always in jerks, the keyboard with piano to make the air played even more expressive.

A Polish act LET SEE THIN are a promising Neo-symphonic project founded in 2018. "2Years 2Late" was released as their debut full-length creation at the yearend of 2020, that is stuffed with their powerful instrumental technique and strong intention to launch energetic progressive essence. This album features crossover-prog-ish catchy melodic streams seasoned with deep heavy rhythmic basis solidified by fundamental rock instruments - guitars, bass, and drums.

Every single track has well-favourable melody lines leaning towards 70s or 80s authentic rock scene. Some of their interludes are not so complicated as other units' stuffs but claim that they toss strictness and skillfulness via them. Sounds like they say their composition is not so difficult to digest but digestive for the audience, especially Crossover Progressive Rock fans. On the other hand, there is no eccentric texture nor obvious creativity in their overall creation. Guess their intensive purpose to grab wider generations' or audience's support could not let themselves create such an innovative soundscape nor diverse productivity.

Aside from progressiveness or sound innovation, their opus is quite vivacious and fascinating for the debut creation without suspicion. No idea where they will go from now on, but it's positive and pleasant we expect their future because of youthfulness. A good album indeed.