Transatlantic - Bridge Across Forever

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Free Music Notes for Bridge Across Forever

Free Music Review: Just Another Masterpiece That Will Never Be Known
Hit: 5 Stars

Spock's Beard, Dream Theater, Marillion, and The Flower Kings all donated a genius to the late '90's conglomeration known as TRANSATLANTIC, and this is their second release [masterpiece]. Aside from being a hardcore fan of one or more of the musicians' original bands, it is impossible to listen to this album and have anything other than praise. True, much progressive rock is self-indulgent (the default attack of critics) but I'd like to hear a valid definition of what music SHOULD do other than please one's self! (And no, record sales is not the answer we're looking for. Sorry please try again)

Anyway, if you aren't familiar with Transatlantic, here's a quick synopsis of the type of music you'll be getting into. Think Kansas. Think a hearty balance of both formal composition and improvisation. Hell, think anything that is good rock music. It's highly intelligent, but also highly emotional, equally important. The outro of the first "piece" is very Pink-Floyd like, with epic guitar orchestration. If you know the ending of DT's "Six Degrees...." you know what I'm talking about. Granted there are only 4 "pieces"... or, "songs" here, but the music is so well-written, one would be hard-pressed to make an attack based upon the lack of "song-writing" skills. Unlike much music in this genre, the division of the music into various movements works very well at paying non-pretensious homage to classical structure. There are themes everywhere, catchy ones, that get harmonized, inverted, fragmented, sequenced, and brought back in a later piece. The expert treatment of thematic reccurances prove a 12 (or so) song scheme irrelevant. However the actual titles are defined, it wouldn't really matter. So if you are one skeptical about long songs, rest assured; just put this cd on and zone out - don't worry about how the tracks are listed, it's really just a huge collection of themes and ideas that could be directionless, but they are not; the genius of Neal Morse makes sure of that. Just to break things up, there is one actual "song" with a modest 5 minute length, which is the title track. It's mainly just Morse's baby, but it's tender and sentimental - really a touching song, showcasing great diversity - even if it's not as good as the PERFECT "We All Need Some Light" from the first album.

Again, it's also much more than just academic music. Check out the groove of "Suite Charlotte Pike" if you are thinking about chalking this up to rehashed classic rock nostalgia. No, the only (and I mean ONLY) weakness of the album, if any... which there really isn't any...is the use of some very 70's keyboard solo sounds, but it's not overkill, and there is SO much going on, you'd be hard-pressed to dwell on that. I just can't get over how involved this album is, it should cost much more than the price of just any old cd. It's one of those where every time you listen, you pick up on not just one, but hundreds of new things. It's a good disc that will be in your listening repertoire for quite some years, maybe even until the time when Transatlantic themselves will have forgotten they had ever existed. This albums's got it all, and a healthy dose of everything.

It's equally amazing at how an engineer can even begin to go about mixing such a project, with endless little tracks of fills, accompaniment, and special effects. There's so much going on but somehow Mr. Rich Mouser managed to proceed with the plan of turning a few musicians' vision into a real, coherently flowing, and musical work of art. The only minor complaint here is the use of reverb is a little too conservative. Particularly with the organ, sometimes this music does sound a little pieced together (and 70's ish), although reflecting the true method and side-effect of an international cast trying to override the geography barrier to make one single cohesive record. Still a very minor thing. Top it all off with the methodical mastering of Vlado Meller (I actually had the honor of working for him as an intern!) and you've got one of the greatest albums ever. There, wasn't that easy?

So don't worry about the obscurity of Transatlantic; trust the fact that it's a better investment than most popular stuff out there. If you're trying to sort out what "prog rock" (or more specifically, what Dream Theater side projects) to get, and if there are any corners you can cut with regards to the endless stream of prog albums to keep up with, I advise keeping Transatlantic, O.S.I, Chroma Key, and Liquid Tension Experiment at the top of the list, and everything else can be delegated to the second tier. Wow-I can't believe I actually found words to express the greatness of this album.

If you think like me, let me know.

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