After last year's slap in the face with the discovery of Alias Eye's Germans, I might as well tell you that the reception of "A Different Point Of You" caused an unprecedented wave of excitement within Music Waves. We were really looking forward to listening to this new record !
First of all, let's remember that if all the classic ingredients of neo-progressive rock are certainly present in Alias Eye, listening to their first album leaves a "I don't know what" aftertaste that leads us to say that they have nevertheless invented something, a kind of mixture of various musical currents, enhanced with ideas that border on genius.
The first notes of their new opus still suggest that we are about to have a great musical moment. After a gentle introduction with great reinforcements of insect squeaks and market noises (it seems to me), oriental instruments plunge you directly into Cairo, or into any other place at your convenience in the same region. And the introduction of a rock sound only gives more power to a song that will enter your mind for a long time to come.
Although nothing is less certain, in fact: we have all experienced this phenomenon which means that at the end of a record, we can no longer remove from our memory the most pleasant track on the album. The problem with "A Different Point Of You" is that there is no song more pleasant than the others because they are all of the same level. At the end of the first track, resist this natural urge to put it back at the beginning because otherwise, you risk missing the second track, then the rest, which would be a shame.
And why would that be a shame, after all? We expect that, like all bands, Alias Eye will also do Alias Eye on the second track, then throughout the album..... but no, the second track is a rock song with an almost pop chorus that stands out completely next to "A Clown's Tale", tending to show us once again that these musicians know how to do everything and master all styles: brass reinforcements on "Fake The Right", accordion for the unclassifiable "Your Other Way" or drummer's work with broomsticks, guitars and jazz keys for "Too Much Toulouse". I could talk to you about each piece for hours, about the sensations that each one brought me and more generally about the state of fullness in which these artists plunged me once again.
The production is impeccable and the technical skills of the musicians are amazing. As for "Field Of Names", the singer is again dazzling and has his own personality, although I note some intonations that are not unlike a certain Michael Sadler, from the Canadians of "Saga". But shining the spotlight on Philip Griffiths is also not doing justice to the rest of the team. The orchestrations of Vytas Lemke have given me the creeps, Matthias Richter's guitar playing is always appropriate, both in the interpretation and in the sounds chosen, and the rhythm section always makes a fair contribution both in its presence and in its necessary discretion if the spirit of the piece so requires.
So let's rejoice because with "A Different Point Of You", Alias Eye has finally invented the perpetual movement: indeed, for a week now, their little one has been running continuously on my turntable and it is not about to be ejected...