MOROCCAN ROLL

Brand X

Jazz Rock/Fusion

4.08 | 307 ratings

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Rune2000
Special Collaborator
Honorary Collaborator

After the excellent debut album it felt like an obvious choice to follow up that great experience by expanding my collection with their sophomore release from Brand X.

This was a bit of a let down compared to the debut, mostly due to Phil Collins long composition Why Should I Lend You Mine... which drags on for too long. The album has a much mellower feel to it and the band just doesn't bite as much as their did previously. It's not until the end of the first side that we get a really energetic performance. Still once Hate Zone hits the speakers almost everything feels forgiven and the band reloads themselves for another round with the short atmospheric piece titled Collapsar.

Overall I liked the idea of having a few shorter compositions (1-2 min) mixed in with the lengthier tracks since they work as traditions through the journey. Disco Suicide is the definite stand out track and marks my favorite performance out of the bunch. This 8 minute composition shifts gears quite a few times maintaining a smooth and organic flow for everytime Brand X goes through the motions.

Even though the album does come close to obtaining an excellent rating from me, I feel that it would be unfair to Unorthodox Behaviour if I rank this performance just as highly. The few highlights featured here are even more memorable than the once on the debut album but I lack a flow that even the shorter transition tracks can't create. It's almost as if the band couldn't decide where they wanted to take their music and the end result suffers a little because of that.

***** star songs: Collapsar (1:35) Disco Suicide (7:55)

**** star songs: Sun In The Night (4:25) ...Maybe I'll Lend You Mine After All (2:10) Hate Zone (4:41) Orbits (1:38) Malaga Virgin (8:28) Macrocosm (7:24)

*** star songs: Why Should I Lend You Mine (When You've Broken Yours Off Already) (11:16)

Total rating: 3,96

Rune2000 | 3/5 | 2009-12-12

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