INDIAN SUMMER

Reine Fiske is a genius. He plays guitar unlike anyone I've ever heard--on a par with maestro Jeff Beck and the late and, sadly, much obscured blues axeman, Roy Buchanan. Fiske and Beck are similar in the way that the two create astoundingly beautiful and totally unexpected soundscapes with the same implement that all other musicians who claim to play guitar use. The answer to the riddle: What makes them so different? must be that Reine Fiske and Jeff Beck must be gods--or, at the very least, not of the same Earth/human substance as all other guitarists. Seriously: Check out this player. He is a player of a totally different ilk. Indian Summer is my favorite Landberk album, despite some odd familiarity--especially in the vocals (at times I hear striking similarities to ICEHOUSE, THE CHURCH, INXS, and DAVID SYLVIAN). This album shows maturity and, yes, autonimity; they've really come into their own sound. It started with the end of One Man Tells Another--the brilliant "Tell." Indian Summer starts out by hooking you in with the catchy "Humanize" (8/10) but then lags a bit with the next two songs: slightly monotonous, Icehouse/Church-like. "I Wish I Had a Boat" (8/10) picks it back up again in a very David Sylvian-sounding 'avant- ambient'-like way. "Dustgod" (9/10) combines the earlier Icehouse/Church sound and feel with the Sylvian-ness in a brilliant way. "Dreamdance" (9/10) shows off some absolutely amazing guitar playing/styling (all songs on which genius Reine Fiske participates are worth a closer listen, but this one puts his uniquity right in your face). Then comes my favorite, the eight-minute gem called "Why Do I Still Sleep?" with its masterfully delicate guitar stoking and the surprise female vocalist pleading the song title to us at the end. Yeah, with all the crap going on in the world, why do I still sleep? Or, as Jonathan Wilson put it only this yeart, Can we really party today? The finale, the delicate Pat Metheny/New Chatauqua-like title song (6/10) is frankly a bit of a let down. While not a 5 star masterpiece of prog music, this is an excellent album that I highly recommend. And don't forget Reine Fiske's other projects: Morte Macabre, the first Päatos album (Timeloss), Dungen, and The Amazing. They're all worth checking out.