A TIME OF DAY

I bought this album during Anekdoten's gig as a supporting act for Riverside back in 2007. At the time I haven't listen to their music for almost a year so I almost felt like I owed it to myself to check out and see what the band has been up to.

The gig went well although, if the memory serves me right, I was surprised that Anekdoten didn't play a single track from Nucleus. Instead we've got a first hand introduction to the band's latest material through performances of In For A Ride, A Sky About To Rain and The Great Unknown. To tell you the truth I was so overwhelmed by Riverside's excellent performance that I only have fragmentary memories from Anekdoten's gig so I'll leave it at that and move on to the review.

I started listening to A Time Of Day the day after the gig and did so for at least two weeks. Since I missed out on Gravity I wasn't entirely sure what I was about to experience, but some of the material I've heard live did feel much more interesting in comparison to From Within.

The Great Unknown sounded like a very smooth opening track that just glides into the scene and creates the right atmosphere for the rest of the album. 30 Pieces is mostly memorable for the flute performance which brightened up the other arrangements but ultimately I just get the feeling of déjà vu whenever I hear it.

Next up is King Oblivion, a song that I really enjoy although something tells me that it's probably for all the wrong reasons. It's basically a straight forward rock-tune but with a very nice melody that gives it a just the right twist to keep me entertained. It's important to note that the arrangements on this album feel much softer and more melodic compared to what I previously have heard with A Sky About To Rain and Every Step I Take as the most prominent examples of just that.

In For A Ride is my least favorite composition off this album because I just don't see where Anekdoten was going with this peculiar performance and it really made me scratch my head when I heard it live. I can't say that I enjoy the direction that the band is going for with their later releases. I get the feeling that they are trying too much in creating a sound that would be appealing to a wider audience and in result are loosing the identity that was so prominent on Vemod and Nucleus. Still considering all the praise that A Time Of Day has received I feel as though I'm in minority.

***** star songs: King Oblivion (5:02)

**** star songs: The Great Unknown (6:22) A Sky About To Rain (6:29) Every Step I Take (3:06)

*** star songs: 30 Pieces (7:13) Stardust And Sand (4:29) In For A Ride (6:47) Prince Of The Ocean (5:30)