|
LOW BUDGET ORCHESTRA
The Second Best
2008 (CD, 40:18); INDEPENDENT RELEASE
STYLE: NEO-PROGRESSIVE INSTRUMENTAL ROCK
SOUND 4 - COMPOSITION 3
MUSICIANSHIP 3 - PERFORMANCE 3
TOTAL RATING 13 (out of 16)
Finnish multi-instrumentalist Mikko Muranen has released his second album of instrumental progressive rock under the banner Low Budget Orchestra, a breezy yet pleasing synthesis of neo-prog spiced by rock, metal, jazz and blues. The eight tracks here - all under six minutes - feature layered keyboards and guitars rendering a huge wall of sound that might make Muranen's prog interest the likes of Phil Spector. Imagine Nash the Slash crossed with Geoff Downes & the New Dance Orchestra, and you might come close to an approximation of this disc's appeal.
Muranen's is well served by his metal roots (he has played in metal band Dogmeat, in addition to Mutantum, another self-produced solo project). His guitar provides the lead on most cuts, although keyboards abound throughout.
As with most one-man bands, the Low Budget Orchestra tends to repeat certain constructions/dynamics. But this is a minor quibble, more reflective of the man's style than lack of ideas: Muranen's imagination and creative sensibilities lift the music into new sonic territory offering much more than mere repetition.
Review by Mark Newman
Back to text.
|