THE INVISIBLE LINE

Sunchild is the latest musical project from Antony Kalugin who has also released albums under the names Karfagen and Hoggwash. The Invisible Line is the second album under the Sunchild banner, the first being the rather ambitious double cd The Gnomon released in 2008. Kalugin comes from the Ukraine, his accent distinguishable in his vocals though he does sing in English.

Although Kalugin is the principle writer, he's aided by Will Mackie who has a hand in or writes most of the lyrics. Kalugin as well as being lead vocalist also plays keyboards and has brought in a host of talented Ukranian musicians and vocalists which gives the project a band feel. Wind instruments such as oboe, sax, flute and bassoon add an extra dimension to the sound.

The eleven varied compositions often venture into symphonic territory, often in a mellow vein though more powerful moments such as the title track, The Invisible Line part 1 are present. It appears again as part 2 to close the album but this time a much mellower ballad affair until picking up pace mid song, bearing no resemblance to part 1. There's a strong emphasis on melody and some fine instrumental sections. The best of these feature in Amalgama and Line In The Sand; at fourteen and a half minutes long having plenty of space for tastefully restrained rather than bombastic musical workouts but as already said, an emphasis on melody keeps the listener engaged.

Overall an excellent album and while there's little to set the pulse racing on a musical level, it's such a tastefully played and well crafted record with an emphasis on song writing I can strongly recommend it.