THE CURE

Manning

Eclectic Prog

3.69 | 39 ratings

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toroddfuglesteg

Excellent development !

While the debut album was in the singer/songwriter mould, Manning ditches his first name and goes as a band. The result is less Bob Dylan and more Genesis. The opening track Domicile removes all doubts. This is sophisticated symphonic prog. A superb ten minutes long song which winds itself through some themes. A slight VDGG connection with the saxophone does not hurt the song. Manning got himself another winner in that song ! The rest of the material is the staple diet of folk prog, symphonic prog and eastern music.

The songs are never dull. Although not everything here is gold-dust, the songs comes across as refined and intelligent design. Although being a concept album, the songs are very varied in style. From the darkened depts of A Strange Place to the slighter happier... actually, the rest of the songs. This is indeed a moody, dark album. More than his first album and his last two albums (which at the time of writing is my only reference points). The style is always epic with some references to great bands like Doors, Strawbs, Beatles and Moody Blues. The elleven minutes long Songs Of Faith is an epic tribute to the Apollo 13 space mission. It is a very moving and excellent epic song. The seventeen minutes long title track has some electronica I do not care too much about. But most of that song actually works, I have to admit. Mostly everything on this album works and it is one of the few albums I will enjoy in the coming months, years and decades.

This is an excellent album which should put Manning up there among the best prog rock artists. As simple as that.

4.25 stars

toroddfuglesteg | 4/5 | 2009-6-18

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