SIDDARTHA – trip to inner self
(CD, Trail)
It is always interesting to
experience how some things click together in life, especially for some
agnostic like me. It makes me wonder if I should start to believe in a
higher power controlling fate or attribute all workings of life as
coincidence. The signs for both are all there but it is hard to decide. A
few thousand years of religions and beliefs struggling against the twists
and turns of reality haven’t brought about any clarity, so what do you
want from me here in a music record review? Definitely not a theological /
metaphysical discussion. To make this short, in the last months I have
obviously developed a taste for progressive rock of the technically
perfected kind with long winding songs and dynamic arrangements, that can
only be called bombastic. From Pink Floyd to Chicago and from Steve Winwood
to Stomu Yamashta. And here is a CD by a turkish band, that insists to play
psychedelic music, but who are so deeply in the vein of what is called
progressive around here, I find myself stupefyed and awed.
Siddartha make their plan
quite clear. From the name of their band to the record title “Trip to
Innerself” and from the record cover picture to the inserted mission
statement about “the power of psychedelia” the six piece takes a well
arranged, perfectly played trip down two decades and delivers a wonderful
example of striking progressive rock. I have no idea if this is really
opening the access code to innerself, but I do know that their mostly
instrumental music is something worthwhile to spend time with. The reign of
prog seems to have slowly seeped from the big stadiums in middle of Europe
to the outskirts of the pop-roadmap, where bands in all sorts of places keep
up the flame going. Like Rushus
from Ukraine or Russia (can’t remember, sorry) or Mono from Japan.
Usually, though, their origin is of no big matter in the music, because they
really could be from anywhere.
There are some eastern
harmonics on “Trip to innerself” – and especially on the title track -
but not more than you might find on any King Crimson album. Mostly it is two
keyboards, guitars and drums adding to epic songs that meander through
various stages of arrangements, tightness and rise / flow. Musically they
are really good and if you like guitar solos that work their way through
five or six minutes of song and from the lowest to the highest fret of the
guitar without once losing touch to the central layout of the song, then you
are in for a nice ride. Check it out for long rides on the highway through
the night – the music works wonders.
The music on this album has
been recorded – now check this – in July 1998, so over ten years ago.
How do I have to understand this? Why did it take a decade to release this,
and who and on what reasoning decided to keep it on the shelf for so long,
only to decide the times are right now for this record. 1998 was a good year
for music in some ways, I remember the end of Grunge and techno explosion,
but as regards progressive rock the times where just as difficult as they
are now. A mystery. Me, I am not an explorer, therefore I am now moving on
towards Tangerine Dream and their modern reincarnation called Zombi, but
whenever I am in need of finding myself in a place called innerself I now
know how to proceed and do it.
Addendum: The reason to above mentioned mystery is quite simple. Two lovers of psychedelic music formed the plan to start a label which will re-release lost gems of psychedelic music, and they chose this turkish jewel as a starting point. Great stuff!
