Polish outfit Loonypark are back with their eighth album Sad Songs For The Upcoming Days and as with all their previous albums their music can be seen as prog on the "poppy" side. There is enough room for solos though, both on keys and guitar. Very decisive for the band sound is singer Sabina Godula who has a very steady, somewhat dark voice and hits all notes perfectly. I do sometimes miss something of emotion and experience, but that can be personal. The big man behind this band is Krzysztof Lepiarczyk who plays the keys and is responsible for the compositions. Yet the guitar work does not get snowed under because Piotr Grodecki and Pawel Hebda provide more than enough wonderful solos and occasionally it even rocks. In terms of rhythm section we come across a very familiar tandem, drummer Grzegorz Bauer and bassist Krzysztof Wyrwa we know of course from Millenium and the Ryszard Kramarski Project. So that's taken care of. Is the music close to these other Polish bands? In a way, because we are presented with eight tracks that all last between five and eight minutes and that is a clear similarity with the latest albums of the aforementioned bands. (except of course the epic The lost Melodies from the last Millenium album) Don't expect complicated time signatures or contrarian rhythms here either, it's all about the songs and they are fine. The already mentioned guitar solos are very good and sometimes even quite technical but generally nice and melodic. The lyrics are about vulnerable relationships, emotional turmoil, but often let a glimmer of hope shine through. It is mainly the atmosphere that is decisive and it is melancholy and thoughtful. Although the quality is generally very consistent, there are a number of tracks that I want to mention separately, for example In New World is very nice with a slow rhythm and a nice keyboard solo by Lepiarczyk in the middle but also the guitar solo at the end is really beautiful. After repeated listening, I notice that I especially like the quieter tracks the most and that has to do with that dreamy atmosphere in which Sabina's voice comes out so beautifully. You wouldn't know it from the title, but Road To Hell is such a song. It starts off nice and spooky and the long intro with floating keys is the prelude to a thin piano with a quietly singing Godula who imagines himself on the road to hell. When the rhythm section joins in, a ballad develops with a beautiful melody. The first five minutes of this more than seven minutes long track do not contain a guitar, but towards the end a quiet acoustic guitar starts a short contribution. In Questions you can hear the influence of another Polish band, namely Moonrise and that is another band where a keyboardist/composer holds sway. There must be something in the water there in Poland because that can no longer be a coincidence. Is there anything left to complain about? Actually not that much or it must be the lack of more dynamics because sometimes it ripples along a bit but this is only a minor point of criticism. Fans of the heavier and more technical prog will not find it adventurous enough and I get that. Despite the fact that I don't know all the previous albums, I dare to draw the conclusion that Loonypark has made one of their better albums and joins a whole bunch of good Polish bands that are more or less in the same boat. The moody cover paints a perfect picture of the music and that too is art. *** Erik Fraanje (edited by Tracy van Os van den Abeelen) Where to buy? |
