|
areuonsomething.com Track listing: 1. Totality 2. Escape Velocity 3. Heritage 4. The Choir of Eden 5. The Crosses of Annagh 6. Aeolian Rhapsody 7. Big Shotz 8. Free to Fly 9. Spirit's Call 10. Wes Is More 11. Cosmic Calypso 12. Now and Forever 13. Heritage Reprise Release date: 6/13/08 Jimmy and Johnny Ryan, the brothers who are responsible for some of the most incredible twin guitar harmonies I've ever heard, are at it again. I had a seat belt put on my music room chair because of these guys. Whenever I listen to their latest stuff I strap in and get ready for an amazing ride - and "Totality" just might be the best trip yet. When I first heard "Sibling Revelry," the earliest of the band's releases, I thought the raw talent of the band was blatantly obvious. Although the disc had a few songs that were penguins, they were nesting with a flock of high flying condors. With each subsequent release the band has gotten more and more focused and polished. So when "Blue Marble" was released in 2005, almost 10 years after "Sibling Revelry", the band had become a buffed pearl; silky smooth harmony guitars with amazing streaks of colorful bass and drum parts spilled across it. I thought the band very well might've reached their pinnacle, but it seems I was wrong. "Totality" is a giant nest that houses 13 soaring eagles. One of my favorite instrumental albums of all time is Jeff Beck's "Wired" album. The reasons I find that album so enjoyable is because of its keen sense of melody. Beck plays the songs with a nurturing care, cradling each of them with patience and all around instrumental texture. The Flyin' Ryan Brothers have done the same with the songs on "Totality." There are songs that are influenced by jazz, pop, rock, metal, and even Irish folk - and they are all done with a focus on melody. I don't like to explain each track in a review because I usually don't deem it necessary, but I really feel a need to do so with this disc, to fully explain what I heard out of each song. 1. "Totality" – This is a great intro, with a 70's, Angel-like keyboard fest. This comes at you with all guns blazing. 2. "Escape Velocity" – a fast-paced rocker with Kopecky wailing away on bass. It almost has an Iron Maiden kind of tone, reminiscent of the instrumental "Losfer Words (Big 'Orra)" from Maiden's "Powerslave" release. Edgar Winter's "Frankenstein" also came to mind with the short soloing bursts from Jimmy, Johnny, and Kopecky. And once again, William Kopecky proves to be the best bass player on the planet. Three minutes into this song Kopecky unloads with great ferocity, delivering a stretch of machine-gun action inside of the already explosive and rhythmic line he was already playing. Nobody, I mean, nobody, is as good as this guy. This is a big, bad mofo rocker to start the engines. 3. "Heritage" – This has the Flyin' Ryan Brothers signature sound of guitar tone and harmony. With a real renaissance sound, this sounds like a song that might be used to usher in the Queen. This is one of those free-flowing songs that sticks in your head long after the disc is in its case. Perfect progression and flow keeps this one interesting and full of flavor. 4. "The Choir of Eden" – Wow. This is a mood piece that sits you down and gently sways your emotions in a crib of melody and tone. Kopecky is the driving force behind this song with his intuitive play on the fretless bass. I felt like I was lobotomized by a bass guitar when I got through with this one. This is really an exquisite piece. 5. "The Crosses of Annagh" – This is where the amazing versatility and artistic integrity of the band shows up. This as a traditional Celtic melody, with a beautifully modern guitar adaptation. While achieving a "happy dance" feel, this also gives you a "Braveheart"-type of battle emotion as well. Being a huge fan of Celtic music, this is one of my favorite songs on the record. 6. "Aeolian Rhapsody" – And this just might be my favorite song on the record. The guitar here almost sounds like a flute or a tin whistle. And here I go again....you gotta hear Kopecky's brilliant bass line here. It acts as a backup singer to the Ryans bellowing harmony guitar parts. This is just an amazing arrangement. With a few Beatlesque moments along the way, and a nice change of pace at the end of the track, this is a song with a strong heartbeat well into its six minute running time. 7. "Big Shotz" – This is Jimmy and Johnny doing what they do best; rockin' out with incredible twin harmony guitar licks, backed by a rhythm section like no other. 8. "Free to Fly" – Here's a free-spirited piece that puts you atop a mountain covered with daisies. Kopecky's fretless beast goes to work here again, sliding in and out and back and forth like some sort of shifting lake of tranquil melody. This is definitely another mood piece on the album, and I will sometimes end up watching the time on these if they don't move along; but this one just keeps shifting, especially near the end, to keep you focused on the beautiful melody. 9. "Spirit's Call" – Picking up where the previous track ("Free to Fly") left off, this is what it sounds like when you decide to leap from that daisy covered peak and you're flying across the sky. This is more of an upbeat, free-spirited jam. If this album has a flaw of any kind, it might be in the titles of these last two tracks. This one has a "Free to Fly" feel, while track 8 has more of a "Spirit's Call" vibe. But that's the wonderful thing about instrumental music, it is always left to personal interpretation. 10. "Wes Is More" – Oh man, this one is special. Written as a tribute to late Jazz guitarist Wes Montgomery, this one has a big jazz feel, with Kopecky's fretless hard at work once again. This just might be the most versatile track on the disc. The song is played in a style which Montgomery is widely known for, known as "the Naptown Sound," which made use of octaves (playing the same note on two strings one octave apart). At times, the fretless bass is almost like a David Sanborn-style horn, while the twin guitars create a free-flowing canvas. Did I already pick a favorite song? 11. "Cosmic Calypso" – This song is reminiscent of "Gaza" from the band's "Blue Marble" release with its ominous and heavy sound and the prominence of what sounds like a sitar. The bongos dispersed throughout the song are ingenious. The eerie keyboard effects are an excellent addition to the mood of the piece as well. 12. "Now And Forever" – Here's a beautiful closing piece for the disc (next to "Heritage Reprise"). This is a loving and gentle lullaby that sounds like an adaptation of "Ode to Joy." There's no doubt that this was written with somebody very special in mind. It's played with tearful emotion that translates almost supernaturally through the speakers. 13. "Heritage Reprise" – When I first heard this, I asked myself why the Flyin' Ryans might revisit the song "Heritage" to finish off the album, and then it came to me.... "Heritage" is what this band is all about. Besides the song having their signature sound, heritage is what these brothers base their sound around. They are deeply in touch with their Irish roots and even more in touch with the brotherhood that they share as a band. And make no mistake, this is a band of FOUR musical brothers. Just by listening to this "Totality" disc you can clearly hear and feel what a close knit family this band is. Throughout the record, Kopecky's bass and Johnny Mrozek's drums are constantly being born from the same groove mother -- while Jimmy and Johnny's guitars sing over all of it together in perfect harmony and tone. "Heritage Reprise" is just the Flyin Ryan's way of saying welcome to the family. For anyone who is a fan of great instrumental music, the Flyin' Ryans are about the best there is. After hearing "Blue Marble" I had great expectations for this new album, and it has exceeded my expectations. If "Blue Marble" was near perfection, "Totality" is the picture of perfection. They have taken the best elements of their excellent "Legacy" record, and the finest elements of the "Blue Marble" record, and have crafted a real work of art. Like I wondered why they closed with "Heritage Reprise," I also wondered why they named the disc "Totality," and then it came to me.... Totality is exactly what this record is. It is a band working totally in sync and firing on all cylinders. It is a record that is totally balanced. And this is a record that is the sum of all its parts....which makes it totally amazing. One thing I can say for certain is this – their next record won't be better than this one. It doesn't get any better than this. |