ALBUM REVIEW: Celexa Dreams – Kyros
KYROS have an impressive back catalogue in the progressive realm. This time, for Celexa Dreams they took influence from progressive bands like RUSH and YES that looked to synthpop for a time. With their already established prowess, will KRYOS have the chops to fuse their ideas into this nostalgic yet ambitious project?
In Motion is a funky opening tune with plenty of textures on offer, from snapping snare and crisp guitars to a burst of effects through the melody. The warmth of the synth is as evident as ever, and the nostalgic melodic sway of synth-typical influences. It fits perfectly with everything we expect from glossy eighties pop influenced rock music, infused with some funky basslines and left field ideas that take things to unexpected places.
Next, Rumour is pretty whacky, with the unusual cadence of the percussion that then leans into a shiny guitar tone. It’s a little thin on the ground in places in terms of sound, and while it does a decent job of making use of a dynamic shift from low to lurid, it just doesn’t have as much captivating magic as it wants. It might be a little bit of a grower over time, but initially it isn’t stand out.
In Vantablack has a warped echoing that feels thick and warm, the up-tempo tremolo of the guitars really gels with the full-bodied synths. Things an get a little weird in places, but when it finds it’s feel, the general sequined space feel and the super progressive, jazz and funk all really make for interesting listening. It’s epic, rather than messy, but there’s a huge amount on offer through the fourteen minutes of this journey. The final third might lose some people, but the storytelling needs to be considered just as paramount as the music here. If DREAM THEATER is allowed to go off on one a bit, then KYROS should be able to.
Ghost Kids is an ambient moment of interlude that has a different kind of nostalgia to it. its spacey edge feels more akin to being lost in thought, with so much to get ready to think about. That flows through into Phosphene, a mellow, compressed tune. The mono feel of the track adds a certain style that really puts it in a nostalgic place mentally. It’s swirling, whirling, passionate and melancholy. The big warm synth sound hums under papping drums and signing guitars, with tickles of energy through the keys. As time goes on, the stereo effect kicks in and a new lease of life fills all the space that was missing before. It’s a lovely little way to make use of the space sonically, and shows the impact the way we interpret the same sounds can have.
Technology Killed the Kids III blends through the desolate ending of the previous track, with a distant spoken word speech about the deeper mental space. It’s another lonely sounding track, quiet vocals accompanying a wave of chords that hover and whoosh like a cosmic wind. As that contemplation gives way to a more complicated arrangement where the bass takes a path towards the funky; the synth goes to a really experimental jazz filled place; and the keys keep clean and in classic power ballad rock. The feeling edges towards becoming operatic, swinging between pop and gloss to dissonant NINE INCH NAILS or DEVIN TOWNSEND territory. Things get really dark and confusing, it’s a musical fantasy world that really descends into total madness.
Sentry maintains itself on a lovely melodic line, another more contained track that uses vocoder to distances the vocals from the listener, like hearing the tale of an artificial sentience. The track is by no means stripped back, it’s lush and full of colour, but it’s well placed here as a tonic for the onslaught of Technology Killed the Kids III. It’s shortened run time really works to it’s benefit, making full use of it’s time without overindulging itself and resulting in a stand out track. Two Frame of Panic has a pretty quirky start that feels totally out of sync with where the track goes. There’s a little of Gary Numan, Imogen Heap and MUSE throughout this whole thing, if you can image all those influences mixed up in a thoroughly modern nostalgic lens. Everything is pretty cool here and you can tell why it was picked for a single.
UNO Attack has a lot of PORCUPINE TREE-vibes in its rhythms, and the use of effects once again is more complimentary in its beginnings. The harder rock side of the whole thing has a proper bounce to it, and as the vocals don’t pick up on this track, it allows all the various ideas that KYROS are playing around with to really breath. The problem that seems to crop up is that while KYROS have so much to experiment with, so many ideas crammed into one song, while tonally all mesh alright, it ends up feeling a bit bloated. With just one element like the vocals removed for this track, it does wonders for the coherency of the song.
Finally, Her Song is Mine has an oddly juvenile lyrical content; the whole thing feels like it’s been picked up out of a completely different album altogether. Its roots feel like they’re more in a musical theatre background, and while prog has a tendency to do this, it’s been demonstrated on this album after all, it’s just a bit bland. The simpering nature of what the song is about and the way it goes about making itself as much like a run of the mill show tune at an emotional stage of a story, just doesn’t fit with anything else on this record. While its dreamlike state is a nod to the album title, and the musicianship is there, no question, Her Song is Mine just doesn’t lend itself to the collective tone of the album.
With some stand out tracks that land excellently, KYROS have achieved some really top-class musicianship on Celexa Dreams. There are moments where the imagery, effects and melody all produce an emotional impact as well as being immensely impressive. Things are best on this record when they lean more towards the synthpop side of their sound, as the more experimental musical theatre fused jazz can lack a little soul. There is the risk of things becoming bloated in some songs, and while it’s hard to rein in expressive ideas, when KYROS pull back it lifts the presence of the album immeasurably. Occasionally, less is more.
Rating: 7/10
Celexa Dreams is out now digitally via White Star Records.
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