20 YEARS - ALIVE AND WELL

Roz Vitalis' focus on being largely a live band as of late is something I've been growing increasingly fond of the more I've delved into their material. Their rich, detailed sound palettes combined with the crystal clear sound really does often make the songs sound as if they could have been recorded in studio, but it always has that sense of spontaneity and live musicality that makes each release of theirs different sounding, even if the same base compositions are often used in multiple different places, they each manage to define themselves as something wholly unique and worth hearing, with this whole dynamic of the band feeling especially applicable to this one. Given the nature of this album essentially being a long celebration of the band's past, it makes sense that the album representing this would be as triumphant and clean as it was, with most of these tracks simply sounding like the best versions available in a lot of regards, especially if you're looking for an atmosphere that's a bit more on the uplifting side. This is also really one of those albums that I find quite difficult to talk about simply due to the fact that this does feel more like a big celebration of the band's music, redefining elements of their past work rather than crafting anything all too new in itself.

The individual tracks might be a bit difficult to tell apart, but it never felt as if the album's point was really to focus on the individual experience of any individual song, with them instead flowing altogether in harmony to craft a single, much longer experience that doubles down on the atmospheric qualities of their music, all of which makes a decent bit of sense given the fact that this is yet another live album from them. While there might not be a ton I am able to say about this album, if there's only one Roz Vitalis album that you end up listening to, make it this one, as it feels like the best realised version of their sound so far, and is such a gorgeous take on their music in general, especially this version of Daybreaking. A must listen for fans of densely layered, yet beautiful music, as this still manages to strike that lovely balance of being so delicate and gorgeous while also having a seemingly endless amount of depth to it once you begin to dig that bit deeper.