EMNALÓC

Here is an artist that wholly deserves not only our interest but also our heartfelt admiration. Roland is a Swiss multi- instrumentalist who is now five albums deep into his career, masterfully adept on the guitar, bass and various electronic devices and keyboards. His style is quite eclectic in that his technique can go from one extreme to another, soft and pastoral guitar etchings to effusive and at times, explosive jazz-rock flicks of the wrist that would find a soft spot with fans of Robert Fripp, Mick Karn, David Torn, Markus Reuter, Allen Holdsworth, Herd of Instinct, Djam Karet, etc? Experimental, all instrumental and highly cinematographic soundscapes that conjure spectacles of aural sceneries that only the imagination can fuel. Within each expanded piece, there are brief placid ambiences, often with absolutely stunning bass playing (you got me there!), shifting into impossible guitar designs, decorated with unending exploration and passionate expression. He has enlisted once again the excellent Terl Bryant (Peter Murphy, Iona, John Paul Jones, Joanne Hogg, Rick Wakeman, among a hundred others) on drums and percussion, as well as David Cross (yeah, The Crimson guy) on violin, as well as trumpet player Luca Calabrese, Angelo Lebrato on acoustic guitar and Ondrej Glogar on the carnyx (an instrument used by the Celts of the Iron Age).

The first two tracks "Umiion" and "Assailen" are in the 7?9-minute range and really set the stage for the tone of what is to follow, or so one is led to believe! The first one swoons then rumbles, with constant variation and artistic meandering, Terl can do a mean Bruford, shuffling his percussive edge wherever needed, as Roland guitar shavings do as much visceral damage as possible, sputtering one moment, shimmering the next, then suddenly coiled like a hissing cobra. The bass travels nicely at the end. The second follows suit, the four-string monster still on its reptilian warpath, growling like a resolute beast, as the serpentine electric guitar begins its highwire routine, balancing with both distortion and fluidity, never veering off to far to the side. Terl keeps the relentless pace while the bass and the guitar never vacillate from the purpose of blowing your mind. Phew! What a talent!

Then, when you least expect it, the listener is transported to the hot Carioca beach, as the bossa nova infused "Sevamcao' takes hold, a refreshing tropical interlude from all the previous exaltations. Dancing Bikinis, swaying sand, tanned skin, and a football to boot around, only Luca's smooth trumpet caress to seduce you further.

The opposite atmosphere is offered on the rather more Nordic "Rithnal", a ten minute + megalodon of sound with a riveting Frippian guitar foray of sustained power notes, thunderous percussive blasts, and a sombre, darker, very icy cold feel. The ripping guitar really sounds more like a grinding axe (with an axe to grind, LOL), voluble, vigorous, and verbose. Roland even dares to momentarily slap down some simpler riffs, making them even more glamorous by the sheer audacity of including it in the maelstrom! I am pretty sure this will knock a few unprepared listeners to the canvas, searching for their dislocated jaw (yet strangely, still smiling!). A ridiculous track!

The next four tracks veer towards more subtle and contemplative musical explorations, certainly even more experimental and introspective. "Yndrun" is a towering manifesto of ambient shimmer, an ideal set up for an overt Asian mood with Luca's sensuous trumpet, a clicking cubic percussive backdrop, and some slippery bass lines. Think Mark Isham or David Sylvian as a possible influence, before Roland slices through the misty sonic fog and delivers a muted yet complex guitar incursion that soars, swerves and simmers. Relaxingly adventuresome. The three-part within one track "Letarladoth" remains well anchored within the contemplative mood for most of the time, a glimmering tapestry of smooth sounds that set once again the stage for an electric guitar surge of the highest quality, all restraint and feeling. The third part has the bass, drums and the fretboard coalescing into one final 'Uf Widerluege' (goodbye in Swiss German). On the quirkier "Berithlan", the undulating guitar phrasings would make the Crimson madman quite proud, as Roland massages, caresses, twists and occasionally even tortures his strings with seemingly little effort. The acoustic guitar acts as a perfect foil for the quixotic sounds emanating from the speakers, a truly humbling listening experience.

And now, we have arrived at the 'letzte haltestelle' (final station) , the enigmatic title track "Emnaloc" , which truly serves to embody within one 12 minute composition, all the rudiments that make this a seminal, I daresay , monumental work of art. Gleaming sounds and effects, dissonant percussion, savagely untamed electric guitar lines and that monstrously vacillating bass that keeps it all in check. The lead instrument is once again the much- maligned trumpet, that sunshiny brass apparatus that suggests both masculine grit and feminine seduction within one breath. The final axe exploration is the proverbial arrow going through the apple, that was firmly resting on the head of William Tell's son. 'Apfelsosse' anyone?

This should be on very prog fans, to-buy list, a tremendous listening experience for the discerning instrumental prog fanatic. I looked up all the song titles for some clues and it seems that these are all Kobaian-like fictional words that proffer a specific mood or feel. Roland is also a pinhole photographer, and his work is quite the original and active artform. The artist most really need to hear immediately.

5 constellations

Veteran Swiss musician Roland Bühlmann is flying high with a little support--and in his own made-up language! Another example of how much a solo artist can accomplish with a guitar and a computer with Logic software!

1. "Umiion" (7:36) a little more aggressive of a start than I was expecting but then after the little space synth break 1:30 to 1:50, it all becomes a bit more smooth and streamlined (despite it's pulsing 4/4 rhythm pacing). Guitar play and sound foundation keep morphing and trading the spotlight. (It's actually a bit confusing: I'm not quite sure what song I'm in or if I've been switched to a different song track.) Spacey, rockin', jazzy, metallic, the song is so chameleonic! (And, honestly, I'm not sure it works.) Plus, the drumming, as nice as it is, is recorded with a very strange bias toward the middle ranges (I would guess that this is compression.) Despite the nice instrumental performances (especially bass) and nice space scapes, this song is just a bit too disjointed to make me a fan. (13/15)

2. "Assailen" (9:22) a little bass-led space funk. I hear not only Robert Fripp in the guitar leads but John McLaughlin. Nice multiple guitar interplay in the third minute. (18/20)

3. "Sevamção" (5:58) Melodic South American chord play over Latin rhythms beneath Roland's melodic leads and, later, Luca Calabrese's trumpet. Gentle on the ears. Nice! (8.75/10)

4. "Rithnál" (10:45) a grittier guitar sound to start, which then backs off for some nice gentle chord play with synth and bass doing some independent stuff. In the second minute Roland launches a sneak attack of Fripp-like sustained noteplay before it gets heavy again and Roland starts screaming like he was channelling Allan Holdsworth. At times the rhythm track feels as if its channelling Henri Mancini's "Peter Gunn" (not the drums, however). The sudden drop off at the nine-minute mark is surprising but allows a kind of reset for Roland's Fripp and Angelo Lebrato's acoustic guitar to trade solos. Some great surprises in dynamic and stylistic shifts coupled with some blazing soloing does note, however, make a masterpiece. It's almost too weirdly constructed to make sense. Still, impressive "impersonations." (17.5/20)

5. "Yndrun" (9:50) tension-filled atmospheric soundtrack-like music that definitely presents a MARK ISHAM vibe. Even the bass-solo second section conveys that ISHAM feel and sound. The really "good stuff" doesn't really begin until the five minute mark when the DAVID SYLVIAN-sounding section begins (with its imitative ROBERT FRIPP solo work included). It sure feels nice to be revisiting this Gone to Earth sound. Gamelan tuned percussives, equally Minimalist rhythm guitar, jungle noises, and synths create a perfect scene for Luca Calabrese's ISHAM-like trumpet play. Nice tribute! (17.75/20)

6. "Letarladoth" (7:15) early JANE SIBERRY meditative minimalistic soundscape created by interweaving arpeggiated chords from keys and guitars are soon joined by raunchy bass chords and (more) lap steel guitar (up front) in another cinematic musicscape--one that could come from Mark Isham's Never Cry Wolf soundtrack. Love the microtonal guitar flourishes in the sixth minute but not the stylistic shift that occurs at the six-minute mark--here seeking some kind of island vibe. (13.25/15)

7. "Berithlan" (7:29) multiple industrial sounds programmed in repetition in order to provide a baseline rhythm track are soon joined by some floating guitar strums and center bass before lead FRIPP guitar enters to take the lead. The industrial foundation continues through shifts in the spotlight to acoustic guitars (both Roland and Angelo Lebrato, I assume). At the end of the fourth minute, nearly everybody clears out to make way for some more of Roland's Frippery. Interesting soundscape here (though the lead guitar work is not nearly as impressive--not nearly on the Jeff Beck chart of masterful touch talent). At the end of the sixth minute a couple repetitions of a bass riff takes us back to the acoustic guitar-laden industrial scape we heard before--where Angelo gets some solo time--before Roland's Frippertronics soars and takes us to the end. (13.25/15)

8. "Emnalóc" (12:22) a gentle weave of multiple instruments all arpeggiating within a somewhat narrow octaval range is expanded dramatically with some full low end bass play at 0:50 (as well as some "distant" keyboard arpeggios at the high end). It's pretty and rife for some jazz solo artist to fulfill the promise herein--which is soon fulfilled by Luca Calabrese's sensuous trumpet. Wonderful stuff! At the three-minute mark there is a stutter step to kind of reset into more bass-centric version of the same smooth support--followed by some soloing by two different electric guitars: one more Marc Knopfler and the other more Paul Speer-like. Then Luca returns. He is the man! Wow! Are these some smooth, seductive blows! Freddy Hubbard would be proud! (and Kenny Wheeler.) During Luca's soloing in the seventh minute the levels of all of the background "world noise" slowly increase. A very cool, almost Blade Runner effect. Enter some soulful Robert Fripp riffs, then another stutter-stop reset to let us catch our breath before the walls of "external noise" begin to collapse in on us again: it's like trying to create music inside a thirds tory apartment in some large Middle Eastern city. The Paul Speer/Robert Fripp guitar rejoins and then there is one final full-stop break at 11:20 after which everybody re-engages in a weave of polyrhythmic display to the song's finish. Impressive. Definitely my favorite song on the album. (23.5/25)

Total Time 70:37

So much wonderful music here--a lot of which conjures up many favorite songs and sounds of the 1980s. More than a talented guitarist, Roland is a very talented song-creator. His realizations of computer-generated textures and soundscapes are stunning. While his style of "paying tribute" to past heroes and/or textures is admirable, I really was hoping to hear more originality. At the same time, Roland's finished songs and solo work definitely provide a wonderful journey through some odd and unexpected soundscapes. Bravo!

B+/4.5 stars; a near-masterpiece of JRF-tinged progressive rock music and a wonderful addition to any prog lover's music collection. Probably in my top 30 favorite releases from 2022.