BLACK AND RED

Drum Programming isn't horrible. When used in the right context it can be just as entertaining to listen to as with real drums. Many great electronic albums have memorable beats. The only time drum programming fails is when it attempts to replicate or replace real drums. As is the case with this album.

Fransisco is sick on the keys. There is no doubt to that. Two of a Kind being a perfect example of his badness. This man is definitely a force behind his instrument.

This music is ambient and album will definitely be played on my next road trip. However there isn't really anything memorable about this. Nothing really sets it apart. It could fit to be music for a good anime movie. The eastern twing part on Piano St N1 is interesting. In fact te two Piano Suites are the highlight of this album. Three stars for good keyboard work but overall this is just an average album.

Orcheste Celesti is a one man band from Italy. This is the second album from this combo.

It starts very beautiful with a couple of RPI compositions. Both the title track and the following track Abstraction From Reality is superb. The hopes of a good album takes of like a rocket towards the sky. The rocket comes down to earth in a rather chaotic fashion though after some more minutes.

After the two RPI tracks, the album heads onto....... well, everywhere. Jazz, some prog metal pastisjes, avant-garde, electronica, new age. You find it all here. Which is crossover prog. But quality is absent and most off the album ends up as background noise to whatever I do. There is nothing here which makes me drop the things I am doing and listen to the album instead. That goes for everything past the first ten minutes. I am sorry, but this is not for me.

2.5 stars