|
You don’t need to be a genius to know
that you’ll be in for a real musical treat once you start reading
the liner notes in the accompanying booklet. Mindflowers will most
certainly be based around the person of Balazs Szendofi who is to be
heard here on Chapman stick, classical guitar, acoustic guitar, wind
bells and bass guitar. Yes, but what bass guitar ? Well surely not
your average everyday 4-string but a handmade 7-string bass and a
Szendofi 12-string Grand Tapboard ! Apparently next to Mindflowers
Szendofi is also active in the bands Self-Searching System,
Holdudvar, Blow Up and Godspell’s band. I’m convinced however that
the best parts of each of these bands have been used one way or
another to form the basis on which the Mindflowers foundation is
build.
Contrary to a lot of similar groups
there’s four people here giving eachother enough space to shine on
their own without losing the band concept. Influences ranging from
John Petrucci and Mike Portnoy to Pat Metheny, Frank Gambale, Scott
Henderson, Dave Weckl and more all find their way into the talented
music of Mindflowers. ‘Sick spirit’ is composed by keyboardplayer
Zsolt Nagy also nicknamed ‘Liszt’. The title is well chosen because
Nagy thinks of himself to have a ‘sick spirit’. Here however,
although it’s his song, he nevertheless creates space for his fellow
musicians as well. With it’s repetitive pattern ‘Crying skies’ does
hold some California Guitar Trio elements whilst the rainmaker
certainly adds originality. The same inventive nature can be traced
when a mobile phone plays the intro for ‘Knowing the path’. During
the percussive ‘Flo’s kisses’ a violin accompanies the bass capers.
The album closes with the 22’ long epic ‘Talk with myself’ which
kicks off in an acoustic fashion. Soon the guitar spices it all up
whilst Nagy’s keyboards occasionally deliver some Eastern themes.
The tune then develops in what could easily be seen as a large chunk
of improvisation taking in all aspects of the fusion genre. To me
it’s the least interesting piece on the album but then again there
should be different tastes shouldn’t there ?
With
this kind of music I still think that the musicians have far more
pleasure in creating and recording it than the listener has just
absorbing it. Good musicians still don’t necessarily compose the
best music ! |
