NEW WORLDS

Another great KE album! Karda Estra has such a refreshing way of leading the listener down unexpected yet beautiful paths with their odd and unexpected chord and key shifts. I hope they keep putting out new music forever! This one finds Richard et co. working with a few more outsiders, which renders this collection of songs a bit more outside of the 'typical' KE Gothic-medieval sound (e.g. Eve, Vovoid Dracula, Weird Tales) and more like their 2005 release, The Last of the Libertine. The result, however, is a much more catchy, melodious and even 'poppy' KE album. There are songs that feel jazzy like KOOP, complex pop like Burt Bacharach, several straight out of the Steve Hackett school of prog snippets ("snippets" because most of these songs are less than 4 minutes in length--with several less than two!), along with a few from the more 'classic' KE sound repertoire. All in all, it's a lighter side of Richard and the gang--one that makes for very pleasant background music as you cook or read. Favorites: "Transmissions" (9/10), "Girl in a Spaceship" (9/10), "Sea of Tranquility" (9/10), "Invaders from Venus" (9/10)--heck! I like them all! A great album to play straight through. Four plus stars!