Art Griffin's Sound Chaser returns with their third exceptional disc Approaching Translucence. Art Griffin's compositional vision is once again the gravitational center, but this time he's brought in a constellation of talent to orbit around him. Guitarist Kelly Kereliuk and violinist Victoria Yeh are back in full force, their interplay as electric and expressive as ever. Add in the rhythmic artillery of Marco Minnemann (H-Blockx, Steven Wilson, the Mute Gods) and Todd Sucherman (Styx), and then add Randy McStine (Steven Wilson, Porcupine Tree) on a few tracks, plus guest turns from keyboard titans Marco Lucreviewb> and Derek Sherinian (Dream Theater, Planet X, Sons of Apollo) and you've got a prog-fusion dream team firing on all cylinders The album unfolds less like a conventional collection than a carefully calibrated listening environment. Under the Sound Chaser banner, Griffin focuses on motion and timbre over melody in the traditional sense, allowing pieces to evolve through gradual shifts in density, register, and harmonic pressure. It's an album that rewards patience, asking the listener not so much to follow themes as to inhabit them. Much of the record's strength lies in its handling of texture. The sound design is notably tactile: tones shimmer, blur, and occasionally fracture, but never collapse into abstraction for its own sake. There's a strong sense of spatial awareness throughout — sounds seem placed rather than piled, with air left between gestures so that even the densest passages retain clarity. Throughout the album Kereliuk and Yeh take flight, trading melodic lines like dueling hawks in a thermal updraft while Griffin's bass is a revelation—equal parts Chris Squire growl and Tony Levin punch—locking in with the drums to create a foundation that's both thunderous and agile. My personal favourite tracks are Stormbringer and Your Personal Panacea, although the bass on The Yin And the Yang is definitely worth the price of admission! Production-wise, Approaching Translucence strikes a careful balance between polish and permeability. The mixes are clean but not sterile, allowing subtle imperfections — the grain of a sustained note, the uneven bloom of a processed signal — to remain audible. This gives the album a lived-in quality, as though these pieces are the result of ongoing exploration rather than fixed compositions. Let's get one thing straight: Approaching Translucence doesn't just flirt with the golden age of prog fusion—it takes it out for a candlelit dinner, buys it flowers, and then brings it right into the here and now. This is a record that wears its influences proudly. Ultimately, this is an album that values attentiveness — both in its creation and its reception. Approaching Translucence doesn't demand interpretation so much as presence, offering a slow-burn immersion that reveals its depth over repeated listens. For those willing to meet it on its own terms, Art Griffin's Sound Chaser delivers a quietly absorbing and brilliantly formulated work. Highly recommended! ****+ David Carswell Where to buy? |
