GAZPACHO

This 4th release is a different story according to a significant number of raters/reviewers. For me personally it's quite a different matter only explainable by difference in taste I guess. When I play this album I indeed hear above average music but my dislike for Hogarth era Marillion combined with huge similarity between this Marillion and Gazpacho cause a low appreciation by me I'm afraid. The music is quite slow and with little energy, well let's just spell it out: pretty dull I'm afraid. I will be hurting some feelings with this statement I fear but again: I'm just a minority and it's just my opinion. This music makes me yawn a bit until ..... yes, indeed until last track Massive Illusion takes its turn. Suddenly it's a total different ball game for me. What a fantastic song this is. The violin is absolutely stunning and mesmerizing.

I wish this album would have contained more special songs like this one (ok, the opening track Dream of Stone has a bit of violin as well but only for a minute) and then I would have joined the long line up of 4 star raters without hesitation. As it is, this one song can't save the album for me. But it does save it from a deadly 2 star conclusion I had in mind after the first 4 songs and lifts the album to three stars for my taste. Like I said, Marillion (Hogarth) fans who don't know Gazpacho yet should certainly check this album out. Perhaps Radiohead and Pineapple Thief fans could do that too. But if you like your music spicy and energetic, leave it.

Once Desert Flight kicked in I was certain that I was in for a real treat! The track didn't sound anything like material from Night, so did that mean that Gazpacho tried to take an easy way out by going for follow-up approach nr.2? To my surprise the rest of the album didn't contain another up-tempo track but what I got instead was equally surprising.

The Walk part I with its beautiful melody basically took my breath away from the first time I heard it. This type of strong melodic content was missing entirely on the previous release and to be honest it was one of the things I wasn't expecting from Gazpacho. With the introduction of The Walk: Part II the album finally shifted into familiar territory but somehow these compositions aren't as memorable.

The title track starts out rather shaky with an unimpressive part I but definitely redeems itself towards parts II & III which ends with a real bang. The concluding track Winter Is Never is a return to the new territory that was explored on The Walk part I and offers a good conclusion to the album's theme.

I expected the atmospheric middle section of Tick Tock to grow on me as much as their previous album did after a few spins but this time it nearly took me double the effort to get the material to a somewhat satisfying level. To be honest I'm still uncertain about my feelings towards the Tick Tock-suite but it's certain that the result here aren't of the top notch quality.

This album basically works when the band tries something different while the more familiar work is below the level of what they have achieved previously. It's an unusual combination that I surprisingly enough rank at the same level as Night. There is a definite progress but at the cost of the overall quality.

***** star songs: Desert Flight (7:39) The Walk: Part I (8:03)

**** star songs: The Walk: Part II (5:39) Tick Tock: Part II (9:39) Tick Tock: Part III (5:30) Winter Is Never (4:55)

*** star songs: Tick Tock: Part I (7:17)

Since I was really into Radiohead at the time I basically wrote off the band as another one of Radiohead clones without giving them a proper chance. That decision might have worked for Gazpacho's first three albums but once they started getting the most positive reviews in their semi-professional careers with the release of Night I stopped being stubborn and decided to enter their domain.

What I heard on this release was a much more matured band and although the Radiohead influences were still present Gazpacho had now an identity of their own! I could trace a few influences from the Norwegian music scene, especially bands like Motorpsycho, which spiced up their flavor and made the band a front runner of the scene.

Dream of Stone is an atmospheric opener that initially felt like it had a few more secrets to reveal upon repeated listens but that was unfortunately not so. A pity but the praise is still non-the-less justified considering the band's definite signs of growth. Upside Down on the other hand did manage to improve over time and is in my opinion the definite highlight in terms of the consistency offered during it's 10 minutes running time.

Overall it didn't take long for Night to grow on me and I'm basically of the same opinion of it as I was after 4-5 times I heard it. The sheer beauty of development these compositions undergo is well worth the time investment. Still I think that Gazpacho has a lot of undiscovered potential left in them so it will be interesting to follow them toward their ultimate career highlight!

***** star songs: Upside Down (9:41)

**** star songs: Dream Of Stone (17:00) Chequered Light Buildings (6:34) Valerie's Friend (6:29) Massive Illusion (13:37)

As such A Night at Loreley is a perfect companion to both Night and Tick Tock. The three tracks that come from the earlier albums When Earth Lets Go and Bravo, are very much in the style of the later albums in any case and work well here. In short this is a worthy release and comes recommended.

At the moment this is only available from the band directly and in in 2CD / 1DVD format. Lets hope it gets a wider release soon.

The album is 4 songs long, but the CD is split into 7 tracks - The Walk is split into 2 parts and Tick Tock into 3.

If one had heard their last outing, Night, the opening to Tick Tock might be a bit of a shocker. My first thoughts upon hearing it was that it sounded something like an indy rocker - driving guitars and drums interplay with the vocals. But this is just Gazpacho building atmosphere again, if in a different way than they did on the previous album. The album is about the attempted long distance flight by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry and his crash in the desert. As such, the harder rocking opening is likely his flight. After he crashes and starts wandering the desert, the album comes closer to the atmospheric sound that the band accomplished in Night.

I can't really say too much about this album without recapping my review of Night; the two both take a very similar approach to the music. In terms of atmosphere, Tick Tock is a bit more airy and spacey, and makes more use of middle-eastern sounding instruments (unfortunately, I am not an expert on instruments, but that is the feeling that I get from them). The spacey bit at the end of The Walk, part 1 could easily sound like a throwaway, but I quite enjoy it ... it really does give me a feel of walking in the desert.

Ultimately, I would say that Tick Tock is equally as good as Night. Another excellent album.

The music here is definitely atmospheric. Contrast is used to great effect (listen to the build up on "checkered light buildings" as a perfect example, where vocals and piano slowly build into an explosion of electric guitar, driving drums, and epic strings, which then has acoustic guitars and more strings added on top before the vocals return hauntingly). The band makes use of each of their instruments, but they are never just "there"; when an instrument is being played, it has something to say.

That being said, instead of being melodic, this music is atmospheric. And while some melodies will stick to the memory after listening, it is always the way that the music makes one feel that makes this album such a rousing success.

It is hard to tell one track from the next. They flow into each other completely naturally, without any feeling of being forced. And while certain themes remain only within certain tracks (such as the "How small is your life?" chorus in Valerie's Friend), each of them has enough different themes that you could imagine the tracks being broken down even smaller if you wanted to. But truthfully, I can't imagine the tracks on this album sounding as strong without the context of the album. It is the way that ideas flow into each other; the road of emotions that the band takes you on that give this album its cohesiveness.

The instrumental work on this album is excellent. It is never dull, and always works perfectly within the context of the music and the lyrics. The singing is also great, in a style that is perhaps somewhat similar to that of Radiohead, although I find that I prefer Gazpacho. The singer has a bit more strength and power behind his vocals, I think.

The album ends beautifully, with an almost classical feel to it (in fact, I had to listen to some classical music after hearing this album the first time to get it out of my system). I find myself wishing that it would go on a bit longer, because it is such a beautiful album, but unfortunately, all things must come to an end, and I am forced instead to hit "play" a second time.

And as experiences go it is a pretty charming one. Musically they come across as something of a blend between Hogarth-era Marillion and Radiohead in my ears - symphonic backdrops and tapestries on top of music at least partially with strong tinges of indie/alternative rock of the kind spearheaded by Radiohead and later followed up by acts such as Muse and to some extent Coldplay.

With space-tinged floating synths and sounds, Arabian inspired details on the composition The Walk and some neat inclusiojns of Norwegian folk music on the following excursion and title track Tick Tock these additional details provide good variety in style as well as sound. Final track Winter Is Never is more of a laid-back venture without truly distinct features, but serves it purpose well to end the album.

Lots of charm and atmosphere on this one, and while not quite at the highest level in my view it's a very strong effort, constantly flirting with superiority.

3(-) for other version of Bravo.

3(+), but I can't get myself to give more.