Xan Alexander - Klanggarten

We open with 'Phaeton'. Windy crashing sounds fade into the distance over cosmic twitters. A sequence can be heard low in the mix, rising to become an absolute corker! Sympathetic rhythms arrive along with slow blissful melodic pads- then in come the searing lead lines. This is simply amazing stuff! Like a cross between Mark Shreeve, Andy Pickford and (of course) The Omega Syndicate. The perfect combination of power and melody. It just has to be played loud and don't be ashamed of going completely crazy to it. The atmospheric sounds chosen for the beginning of 'Antares' are simply exquisite. A dreamy lead line calls out and is answered by a tinkling sequence. Then wallop, in comes another anthemic lead line using a sound that again reminded me of Andy Pickford at his most strident. 'Solar Wind 1' gets straight into more bouncy sequences and almost whimsical melodies. This time I was reminded me of Quiet Point. All of a sudden everything changes as we wind down to a foreboding grunginess. The contrast with how the track started is really quite disturbing but bloody inventive! Then all of a sudden normal service is resumed. How wonderfully bizarre! A forceful combination of sequences blast 'Part 2' underway and mutate wonderfully as things gain even more oomph. 'Sequential Haven' is perfectly titled as right from the first instant the pulsations and driving rhythms gain hold. It is when the lovely melodic mellotron refrains come in however that the full impact hits home. An echoing piano lead weaves amongst all the cascading notes adding a perfect foil to the overflowing energy. Birdsong calms things down for the title track, the serene feeling enhanced by lovely guitar and flute. What a stunningly beautiful piece of music this is. An oasis of tranquillity amongst all the wonderful high-energy pyrotechnics. 'Elemental Plane' gets us hurtling along at breakneck speed again as yet another superb sequence and rhythm combination get the whole body moving. The real highlight however is one of the most outstanding leads on the album which catapults this track to probably the best on the CD. Amazingly a second lead comes in and it is just as good as the first- bet it would be incredible live! 'Moonbase Ypsilon' momentarily calms us down once more with soft flute refrains but it isn't long before another excellent sequence, rhythm, tron and stabbing piano lead pick up the pace, again getting my whole body moving. This isn't all high energy mayhem however as one gorgeous melody after another are deployed, softening things around the edges. Another real highlight of an already stonking album. 'Star Walker' uses exquisite little piano touches and a flute lead to calm the senses. 'Mmm, Jazzy!' is the sort of title that couldn't be more designed to put off the vast majority of Electronic Music fans but don't despair as instead of meandering sax we are greeted with yet another excellent sequence. The piano melody could be thought of as slightly 'jazzy' I suppose but unless that term had been planted in my mind by the title it wouldn't have occurred to me. Stabbing bass pulses heighten a feeling of urgency, the rhythms are cranked up and a rather John Dysonish lead line reaches straight to the heart of my EM soul. To many this will be the best album of 2008 so far and indeed could remain so throughout the year.

Tracklist:

01.Phaeton (10:26)
02.Antares (10:12)
03.Solar Wind I (6:46)
04.Solar Wind II (4:16)
05.Sequential Heaven (7:40)
06.Klang Garten (3:40)
07.Elemental Plane (10:41)
08.Moonbase Ypsilon (8:30)
09.Starwalker (5:21)
10.MMM Jazzy (8:42)