Mars Project -
House Of The Restless


(CD 2018, 53.10, Lynx Music, LM147CD)

The tracks:
  1- Air(5:34)
  2- Meditation(5:58)
  3- Disappearance(4:28)
  4- Unreal City(7:48)
  5- Abandoned World(6:35)
  6- Rush(4:45)
  7- Like A Stone(4:28)
  8- Time(6:32)
  9- House Of The Restless(6:54)

Lynx Music
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Mars Project is a musical project created by Cracow born Polish autodidact musician Marek Sikora (guitar , keyboards , samples and loops). About his first album Insomnia (see review) from 2017 I wrote: “Although the instrumentation is very varied (from piano, acoustic guitar and violin to accordion, contrabass and pan flute) most of the tracks on this album fail to keep my attention and to generate very much excitement. Sometimes very beautiful but too often close to boring is my conclusion about this album”. So, I was very curious about this second effort (from 2018) by Marek, who is again playing all instruments (guitars, keyboards and samples).

During my first listening session I noticed that Marek delivers more dynamic atmospheres and captivating compositions than on his debut CD and to me it sounds as a huge progress. The modern and very clear sound in the 9 tracks alternates between ambient, New Age and electronic music and in general is very laidback.

My highlights;
Hypnotizing drum beats, blended with dreamy electric piano and fragile guitar runs in Meditation.
Soaring keyboards (featuring an ominous undertone) with slow synthesizer flights and mellow guitar work in Disappearance.
The music alternates between a dark synthesizer sound and a dreamy atmosphere, embellished with samples, percussion and tender guitar runs, like a soundtrack in Abandoned World.
Propulsive percussion beats, blended with delicate interplay between the keyboards, guitars and samples in Rush.
A mellow atmosphere with soaring keyboards and dreamy acoustic guitar runs are all over the track assorted samples in Time.
The final composition is the title track, it sounds hypnotizing with sultry sounds samples, fat synthesizer flights and sensitive acoustic guitar work, the most adventurous and elaborate track on this album.

*** Erik Neuteboom (edited by Dave Smith)

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