INVISIBLE CONNECTIONS

I find it odd that Vangelis chose to do some minimalist electronica for his debut on the premium classical label Deutsche Grammophon. It seems counter-intuitive. Rambling percussion, tremulous flights of single tones, soft rumbling drones, are what you will find here. In one way, it is reminiscent of Beaubourg, but then again, has Vangelis ever really repeated himself with a recording? At the very least, the sound quality is superb, especially the cymbals. There is no music in the traditional sense here, but only soundscapes. The first and title track is the best out of the three. It is also the longest. It begins in a promising way, with an understated rhythm pattern with an electronic wah kind of tone. Knowing the composer, this would seem to be an introduction presaging some orchestral flourish or crescendo, but the piece doesn't go there. It doesn't go anywhere. In some ways this rhythm serves as both a background and the music itself. It meanders in an unfocused but not unpleasant way. The tones remain electronic in nature. Nothing definite comes forth until the last few minutes when a few high trebly notes rise up, waking the listener up to the fact that not a whole lot has been going on for quite some time. The listener has been brought into this minimal world and we are now reminded that there is more to existence than this. Vangelis has walked a fine line here to make something so electronic, so minimal, so ambient, that the listener can engage in the sound or not and still have much the same experience.

The next two pieces are of similar nature. Atom Blaster is more upfront in its syncopated minimal patterning but it is not as absorbing as Invisible Connections. Thermo Vision is almost as long as the title track, but I can never remember exactly what happens in it, because nothing really does.

To be honest, I am not sure what to make of it all. The album is neither here nor there. It is neither pleasant nor unpleasant. It is like a Zen koan: What is the sound of one synthesizer before it creates any sound? It is merely there, but there is simply not that much "there" there. The space between the sounds is what is important here, but quite frankly, I don't find that space very interesting. Though intriguing in its own way, I cannot say I really enjoy this album. What I like about Vangelis' music is the richness of the orchestrations, the subtlety of the textures, the delicacy, the grandeur, and the beauty of the melodies. Invisible Connections has none of that. In fact, it doesn't have much of anything. Yet, it is still intriguing. . .