Short Reviews [Unquiet Music Ltd - 2023 - "MEMEmusic"]

It must be said that this concept album is experimental in so many ways, and probably the only way to get the best out of it is by purchasing the physical CD which also includes all the lyrics. It is the brainchild of JP Rossi, who provided the material, and he is inspired by classical composers such as Dmitri Shostakovich, Steve Reich and Philip Glass, while also taking notes from David Bowie, King Crimson, David Sylvian and Stick Men. To assist him in realising his dream he brought in the skills of Jon Poole of Cardiacs, Tony Levin and Pat Mastelotto of King Crimson, Markus Reuter of Stick Men, Adrian Benavides of Earthdiver, Frederic L’Epee of Yang among others, while Reuter also produced the final result. The concept deals predominantly with communication and the notion of the individual, reflecting on human interaction, and on how this has changed due to significant global changes and challenges over the past three years. The musical journey is divided in two parts, with the first half of the album being more industrial and electronic while the second is more romantic and acoustic in nature. It is actually quite a hard album to listen to in some ways, but it does help to have the lyrics close to hand as it is not always possible to make out the words, which are obviously a very important aspect of the whole piece. There is also the impression that some of the musicians involved have been asked to be experimental, but not too much, and they are somewhat caged within the restrictions. The mix between avant garde and more commercial considerations makes this something of a struggle as it is a mix of genres which is better when it is more one than the other as the hybrid does not always make quite as much sense as the players would have liked. Overall, this is an interesting approach while never being truly essential.