DOMINION

Uber-talented multi-instrumentalist Ryan Stephenson is back after his very well received and highly acclaimed Canterbury-lite styled debut album of 2020. This one is a bit more sophisticated and imitative while drawing a few more distinctive styles into his purvey of musical vision (and execution).

1. "Amor Fati" (2:10) an exact and perfect duplication of the Hatfield & THE NORTH style for all those two-minute ear worms--even down to the quirky anti-rock construction, wordless vocals of two female vocalists (The Northettes 2.0!) and instrumental sounds. Brilliant! (5/5)

2. "You (10:57) Vocals! Really fine, melodic ones, at that. It's as if Dave Stewart joined 10CC instead of Bruford. A great composition as well as a very engaging and enjoyable song. (19.5/20)

3. "Bushnell Keeler" (5:07) The sound is still based in the Canterbury familiarity, the composition is a bit more straightforward and simple (not unlike much of the music on Zopp's debut album). I like the addition/use of the thick wall of horns and flute to bring/carry the melody lines. But, like so many of Dave Newhouse's compositions of the past ten years, this one feels under-developed and kind of one-dimensional--like a bunch of instruments and their highly- specified sounds just trying to get to an end point; the music feels like it's merely a means to and end. (8.75/10)

4. "Uppmärksamhet" (3:14) a song that takes its sweet time in defining itself much less a direction. It's more like an exercise or étude in creating a mood--a feeling of waiting, of Limbo. (8.5/10)

5. "Reality Tunnels" (4:11) rock-driven Canterbury sounds that attempt to cross over into the Hugh Banton/Van Der Graaf Generator realm of heavy prog (complete with Hugh's famous Hammond riff from "The Sleepwalkers"). It's quite successful at adopting that VDGG sound yet somehow it falls short in capturing the menace and gloom that Peter Hammill & Co. delivered. I think this is due to the fact that the music continues to remain mired in a palette of instruments and chords that comes from Ryan's Canterbury allegiances; it's as if the two styles (VDGG gloom and happy-go-lucky Canterbury-ness) are in conflict with one another. This conflict never seems to resolve itself and, to me, feels unsettling and deceitful. (8.75/10)

6. "Wetiko Approaching" (2:00) an interesting little dittie created out of a tonal étude--similar to the way Richard Sinclair and Dave Stewart used to work out interesting pieces from some of Dave's mathematical melodical explorations. (4.5/5)

7. "Toxicity" (14:22) opens with a clear attempt to fit into Gentle Giant's shoes. Not bad except that Ryan's Trevor Horn voice is not near enough to that of Derek Shulman. Still, this is a skillfully conveyed prog song of worthiness to stand on its own if we just let go of comparisons to the old masters. I love the Phill Miller-like guitar in the fifth minute. The BUGGLES-like lyrics and singing are actually quite enjoyable (and, of course, nostalgic) if a bit incongruous with some of the music. In the end it feels like a direction that a band of prog artists like ASIA could have taken had they wanted to retain their prog mantle and not travel so desperately into the radio-friendly pop realms. It does feel nice to hear someone finally giving props to Trevor Horn/Buggles (and maybe a little to Andy Partridge) with their vocal performance. In my opinion, they are both artists who are definitely worthy of more adulation and imitation. All in all, this is actually quite an enjoyable romp through some very pleasant soundscapes. While I'm not sure this would qualify as an "epic", it is definitely an excellent adventure that Ryan has taken us on. (27.5/30)

Total Time 42:01

Like countrymates ANTIQUE SEEKING NUNS (who turned into SANGUINE HUM), I guess Ryan just wasn't content to stay in the Canterbury lane, he had to branch out into other forms and styles of progressive rock music--which is fine-- especially considering the quality of the results! All fine melodic prog songs that continue to ring out nostalgic sound. The Dave Stewart keyboard sounds are all still here on this album, it's mainly some of the forms and flows that differ from the revered Canterbury styles of the 1970s. While I was not a fan of the simplistic "watered down" instrumental Canterbury-inspired music of Ryan's debut as Zopp, I am won over by this wonderfully mature and masterful collection of songs.

A-/five stars; a minor masterpiece of Canterbury-based nostalgic prog rock and an excellent addition to any prog lover's music collection. If Ryan continues in the future to develop and explore as he has to make this album, I will become an avid follower/admirer.