GIANT SKY

1. "The Further We Go the Deeper It Gets (Parts 1-6)" (12:04) One damned fine prog epic--very Pink Floyd like with a more modern pop/psych-electronica sound palette. Great use of female vocals (Myrtoula Røe and Charlotte Stave) and extra percussion. As pleasant as the first third is, the instrumental middle section is pure prog heaven. The final third starts with quite a shift in musical style and sound palette: moving more into the realm of techno-pop or even 1970/80s New Age keyboard/computer sequencing, over which Myrtoula and Charlotte sing. When the vocals get flanged and the bass line drops down and thickens, the ride just gets better--like the best Tangerine Dream jam from their Thief-era music. Awesome! One of my favorite prog epics of 2021. (24/25)

2. "Broken Stone" (9:45) mellow, simple, pretty, with Popcorn computer percussives and female b vox. Really doesn't do much--even in the ARCADE FIRE-like final two and a half minutes. (16.75/20)

3. "Interlude (I Don't Know What You Think of Me but It's Wrong)" (1:31) nice classical-sounding flute and practice/dance hall piano duet. (4.25/5)

4. "No Cancelling This" (5:47) opens using a sequenced Berlin School foundation beneath Erlend Viken ("Eav")'s emotion-packed vocal. In fact, I question whether or not he sings with more passion than expected ? or warranted? The section in which the drums pound away is a bit clumsy--overly flanged and feeling somehow mistimed. The flute and plucked strings/piano section is pretty--and continues nicely to embellish the melody and mood of the previous sections. (8.5/10)

5. "Out of Swords" (8:42) delicate acoustic guitar folk start. This one reminds me of England's GRAVENHURST--the music of the late, great vocalist/songwriter Nick Talbot. Though this song is unarguably gorgeous, the Gravenhurst comparisons are too stark: they conjure up too much pain and sadness for the loss of the late genius' amazing talents. (His 2012 album The Ghost in Daylight is one of my 10 favorite Indie-Folk albums of the 2010s.) Still, the conveyance of empathetic heartbreak and sorrow is masterful and appreciated. I like the theatric production of the final two minutes with the DAMON WAITKUS-like effected vocals and glockenspiel play. (18.5/20)

6. "The Further We Go the Deeper It Gets (Part 7)" (2:54) apparently this is an addendum to the album's opening song. Very spacey with vocalist Marine Skanche's heavily treated vocalise. Could come from a Vangelis or Tangerine Dream soundtrack album. The Berlin School-like rhythms (for the next song) even start in the last minute, adding to this TD effect. (4.75/5) 7. "Breaking Patterns" (7:55) with vocals and guitars revealing themselves within the foundation of the bleed-over from the previous song, there's a lot of MOTORPSYCHO (and Arcade Fire) in this song (the more delicate, acoustic side to those two bands). At 1:45 we launch into the full spectrum of the music as drums and electronic power chords join in with the flute becoming the lead. The vocals that then take over are quite impassioned yet frail of voice--not unlike the lead singer for Arcade Fire, Win Butler. Over the next few minutes I hear strains of Arcade Fire, Tangerine Dream, Mike + The Mechanics ("In the Living Years"), Motorpsycho, Genesis (bass pedal sounds/hits), and even something in the sound engineering that feels like King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard. Cool acoustic guitar outro! (An homage to David Bowie?) Nice tune. (13.5/15)

Total Time 48:38

I have to admit to liking this Indie-Prog Pop album quite a little--my reactions are more like how I like Arcade Fire than King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard--the two bands that come to mind the most when I listen to this. I also am surprised by how much I like the fairly-isolated and pure-sounding flute on this album--and by how electro-pop the instrument/sound choices are. Very refreshing! Also, I really like Erlend's humility and sensitivity: they feel totally geniune and beautifully human.

A-/five stars; a minor masterpiece; a refreshing album of crossover prog that I highly recommend for any and all prog lovers.

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