Heights – ‘Phantasia On The High Processions Of Sun, Moon And Countless Stars Above’ [Review]
According to the press info which accompanied this album’s descent into the depths of TMMP’s black hole-like inbox, this album’s title is “…longer than one of Kim Kardashian’s marriages.” No argument there. As for the music itself, Heights’ latest opus comes close to equalling anything Kardashian-related in terms of sheer drama and excess, while simultaneously being infinitely more interesting.
Heights’ facility with prog rock’s core components (odd time signatures, stacked-like-Jenga-blocks polyrhythms, none-more-syncopated riffs and melodies, the delicate balance of flamboyance and deeper meaning, etc) has been well documented over the course of previous releases Salvation and Trepidation, From Sea to Sky, and Trick of the Light. Throw in classical, jazz, and fusion influences, and you have the full Heights picture. Understatement of the day ahead: Phantasia… is a bit complicated.
This album is a serious beast, one solid hour of music crammed full of data, the long-player equivalent of a .zip file. Only three of its 12 tracks run under five minutes, and all of them comprise hopscotch-style rhythmic structures and waves of angular, anxiety-ridden notes. This is the kind of album you could only hope to understand with the aid of a transcription book and a lot of patience – but you need neither the ability to read little black dots nor a full understanding of precisely what’s happening at any given moment to get enjoyment or satisfaction from Phantasia.
All you really need is time and attention. If you’re the kind of listener who appreciates that (and let’s be fair – prog fans do appreciate the value of time and attention, otherwise we’d never have gotten into this kind of music in the first place!), then the likes of Universes Forming, Solar (Bringer of Chaos) Lunar (Bringer of Light), Aeolus, New Star, Perseids and Astronomer Royal will open up and reveal enough stellar moments to keep you coming back a hundred plays down the line.
Phantasia… will make you either scratch your beard, wish you hadn’t shaved this morning, or wish you were capable of growing a beard (in which case a trip to your local party shop will soothe your woes). More than that, Phantasia… does what truly great progressive music does: it inspires ideas, provokes thoughts, and occupies the conscious mind so completely that extraneous thoughts will only return when it all ends. On that note, best not to listen to this album when you have something in the oven.
TMMP RATING: 91%
Links / Preview
Phantasia… will be released on April 27.
Heights on Facebook and Twitter.
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