Ladies and gentlemen, sit down for a moment because this is going to be a review that is probably just as elusive as the album Whiteout by Sonus Umbra. They are a progressive rock band, currently geographically dispersed between Chicago and Abu Dhabi, but established in Mexico City, back in the 20th century. The core band consists of Tim McCaskey on guitar, Andy Tillotson on drums, keyboards and guitar and Louis Nasser on bass and keyboards. The album also features a whole series of guest musicians and to mention them all would make this review far too long. The album contains 10 tracks and lasts almost seventy minutes which is very long and since we are basically presented with instrumental music it will not be easy to keep you interested. I say basically because there are a lot of sound clips of historical figures, with their famous or non-famous statements, or news clips. There are also many spoken passages that have been recorded by guests. It is clear that we hear a lot of musicality and that the men know how to control their instrument. Immediately the political charge is also clear when we hear the storming of the Capitol as a subject in the opening of Whiteout and this is framed by beautiful guitar work. When the oppressive track starts, it is clear that we are dealing with Trump and we hear his statements about all kinds of subjects that seemed absurd at the time but pale in comparison to what the man is proclaiming today. Nasser's bass is prominent and the song is quite chaotic in nature. After a keyboard solo, a guitar solo of considerable length follows which does not rely on melody but is cleverly played. The second part of Whiteout is a heavy and messy piece with unruly rhythms and here too the melody is very unusual. Fortunately, it doesn't last long. The following third part starts with a nice and easy to follow bass line and has a bit of a spacy feel to it. Heavy guitars and keys then dominate the song which also ends with a spoken message; "Your mind is your weapon". Imperfect Ally is placed between the various parts of the entire Whiteout concept and is a bit quieter. Here too, the spoken word sends a clear message about the violence of the police against minorities and the song ends with the names of victims. I understand that a band wants to give a message, but I prefer to hear that through vocals. An occasional spoken message is of course fine, but it gets a bit too tiring for me here. Whiteout Part Four follows and is the longest song on the album with sixteen minutes. A slightly jazzy bass line is accompanied by some thin guitar sounds and for a moment you hear an atmosphere that we know from early Porcupine Tree but that quickly turns into a piece with some Frank Zappa traits until Martin Luther King announces his big march and shares his message about the life of Afro-Americans with us. "I have a Dream" is perhaps the most famous speech in American history. Musically it goes in all directions but the bass is often leading and here too we end with spoken sound fragments. Part Five follows and the spoken texts are omitted and it becomes increasingly clear that despite the seemingly difficult to follow music, we do hear a consistent style. Here too, the bass is prominent and guitars and keys can sometimes go all out, but it doesn't degenerate into chaos. Insects Part 4 is an interruption of the Whiteout concept and initially takes us back to the storming of the Capitol. Nice keyboard parts alternate with guitar runs to turn into a long spoken text at the end. Whiteout Parts Six and Whiteout Part Seven conclude the album and the chosen format remains unchanged, spoken texts are interspersed with challenging music that is sometimes difficult to follow and does not always contain a melody that appeals. Well, then I am left with the difficult task of drawing a meaningful conclusion and sharing it here. As a listener you certainly need some resilience and for those who have no problem with the way of conveying the often politically charged messages, which are more than acceptable by the way, this rather complex album could certainly be worth a listen. This is not entirely true for me and I miss the vocals and structure in the tracks which make these seventy minutes quite a long challenge. ***- Erik Fraanje (edited by Dave Smith) Where to buy? |
