DELUSION SQUARED

A sophisticated concept-album with an intricate story. In the great tradition of sci-fi epic stories, this new band delivers an inventive plot about a girl being raised in a protected, high-tech closed world, only to rebel and then starting to get into troubles. The originality is that her rebellion involves being pregnant! Which seems to be forbidden in this future society where only artificial intelligences can decide on copying copyrighted material, apparently including human genome ... This is in my opinion a clever way to denounce the current copyright abuses we hear about.

Musically, I have to agree with Classic Rock Magazine writing about a "toure de force". The music and arrangements are very clever, and the female singer's voice is a pure marvel, especially on calm, intimate moments where she is disarmingly enchanting. There are many samples included, some of which are from famous people, such as astrophysician Stephen Hawking and environmental activist Severn Cullis-Suzuki (from her very famous speech at UNO when she was twelve). They are well woven into the music, and actually bring something to the whole story, since they provide a different view from the one of the heroin. My favourite morsels include the second part of track 2 "In my Time of Dying" (nothing to do with the Led Zep one), and track 7 "By the Lake part II" which delivers very subtle vibes. Tracks 9 and 11 are also very good, albeit more conventional.

The music is delivered in four "chapters" named Remembrance, Delusion, Enlightenment, Legacy. The capitals R-D-E-L seem to form the word "ordeal"... Band member's Steven Francis has talked in an interview about several easter eggs waiting to be discovered, I think this is one of them :-)