MANNEQUIN

If you're familiar with the 80s and 90s, some of the sounds in 'Mannequin' should sound familiar. Indeed, the British group Kyros has chosen to draw on synthetic sounds which were legion in those years, and to mix them with progressive rock with a more contemporary touch. We will also find other genres in this abundant and intriguing disc, but the whole maintains a coherence based on solid writing and high-end production.

I sold you some 80s synths...it's a failure on "Taste the Day" , a little melodic sweetness with an acoustic ambiance, which doesn't at all predict what's to come. And from "Showtime", we are there: synthesizers, bass, percussion, brass, etc? an impressive instrumental demonstration of the group's abilities to play complex music but which does not forget the melody. This title would have worked perfectly as theme music for an American series from the 80s like "Miami Vice".

Listen to this drum sound full of reverb that opens "Illusions Inside", I find a taste of "Drive", the hit by The Cars . And the rest of the title remains in this slightly nostalgic 80s vein served by synthesizer sounds, bass shots or very fitting choirs. We push the cursor again with the extraordinary "Esoterica" which is bathed in electronic madness supported by a very "straight" Rock rhythm. The beginning made me think (I will certainly be the only one to have this reference) of the crazy 80s electro punk of Sigue Sigue Sputnik . The title then develops on a "Genesis-ien" type terrain until leading to a pop/dance chorus worthy of the greatest hits of the 90s. It is constantly changing, whether in terms of sounds, rhythms or tones, but always falls back on these legs for a piece that is ultimately quite accessible.

What if Stock , Aitken and Waterman, rather than churning out sound mush on hits, had started a Progressive Rock band? Well it might ultimately have sounded like "The End in Mind", whose instrumental complexity (this bridge?) contrasts with the apparent simplicity of its vocal melody.

Return to instrumental music on "Digital Fear" which evokes Blockbuster Original Soundtracks from the 80s like "Blade Runner", and takes the form of a tribute to Vangelis .

A little leap in time with "Ghosts of You" which takes us to the end of the 80s, beginning of the 90s when the music scene was dominated by New Jack Swing sounds. The title is embellished with a Rock solo of the most beautiful effect, and can even recall Prince 's New Power Generation at certain moments.

The synths are largely out on "Liminal Space", again a 1986 hit released in 2024, on which we also find unexpected brass parts.

As in each of their previous albums, there is "Technology Killed the Kids". The "IV" this time, epic of more than 7 minutes which constantly varies the atmospheres. The most Proggy track on the record (along with the next one), fascinating to listen to, but impossible to describe... Of substantially similar duration, the last track "Have Hope" displays the same ambition: complex rhythms, fiery solos, demonstrations of instrumental mastery, refined melodies, for a result that is not immediately accessible but impressive.

In the same vein as what Voyager proposed with 'Fearless in Love' a few months ago, namely the successful marriage of synthetic pop and progressive metal, Kyros skillfully integrates Synth Pop elements very marked 80s to its Progressive Rock of an ambitious nature. The result at times evokes Yes , Frost* , Depeche Mode , Haken or Rush to name just a few groups, and more generally a whole section of popular music from the 80s, a period during which the synthesizer dictated its law. In the end, 'Mannequin' constitutes one of the nice surprises of the start of 2024, which will hopefully see many more.

Review originally posted on www.progcritique.com.