FRAGMENTROPY

I have been intrigued by the music of Thomas Thielen since I first purchased his excellent album, Anti-Matter Poetry back in 2010. His music has gotten more complex, more enigmatic, and, unfortunately, more inaccessible to me since that time. His album themes are quite complex and imaginative, conceptually speaking, perhaps a bit too cerebral for me. Or perhaps his music is too dependent on his lyrics--which I am not one to necessarily tune into. What has confounded me about this album and his last, Psychoanorexia, is how foreign his melodic and harmonic sensibilities are to me. Listening to T for me is a bit like listening to Schoenberg or Stravinsky or Bartok: the structures and flow are confusing and not engaging. In fact, I rarely feel connected or familiar with ANY melody, rhythmic flow, or chordal harmony during any of his songs! And yet I am fascinated by them! I KNOW they are well thought out, well composed, and, of course, very personal. Perhaps that is where Thomas' growth is yet to come: connecting his mental and musical genius with a larger audience (at least, larger than himself). I know there are many others who love Thomas' music and rate him very highly for it. I rate him highly for his skill and production value. I would have trouble rating his music higher than four stars until I can connect with it, remember it, feel compelled to return to it. Not since "Phantom Pain Scars" have I felt this way (though "The Irrelevant Love Song" and the first part of The Cure-ish "The Aftermath of Silence" were pretty good, too). It was upon my fourth or fifth run through Fragmentropy that I was finally able to put some words to my frustration with "getting INTO" Thomas fine work. Also, I think that his vocals are often muddied by the way they are mixed into the thick of his often busy and multi-directional instrumental tracks. Still this is an amazing set of compositions that will probably bring a lot of joy and interest to a lot of progressive rock lovers. Check it out for yourself to find out if T clicks for you!