Liquid Note
Records are a small independent label that specialise in instrumental
guitar music and their latest compilation The Alchemists II is
out now. Home to 15 tracks from artists around the globe the
album is chock full of great guitar and each track sees 2 guitarists
team up which gives a nice variety throughout and nice exposure
to what I suspect will be 30 new players for all but instrumental
guitar fans out there.
Kicking things off is Australian guitarist Chris Brooks (who
guested on the final Ring Of Fire album) and here he joins forces
with Joe Chawki for “Unruly Elements”. The sound is
highly progressive with the usual level of guitar wizardry you would
expect from Brooks and gets things off to a nice start.
Pascal Vigne
and Christophe Godin then take us down country streets for a
slice of bonzo chicken pickin’ on “One Legged Chicken” and
highly enjoyable it is to.
Terry Syrek
then delivers a metal delight with a great riff and gonzo shred on
“Threehundredpointtwentyone” and has Ron Thal (aka
Bumblefoot) throw in a solo for good measure; this is another very
listenable track albeit in a very different guise to one it follows.
Richard Hallebeek
and Antti Kotikoski then bring the mood down for an this
almost Pink Floyd meets fusion like air of calm in “Under The
Influence” and its home to some great legato work from Antti,
this is one of the most instantly accessible tracks on offer.
Carlos Creator’s
“Space Antz” is a rock/funk type groove with a modern edge,
fans of Satriani will instantly like this and Carlos throws in some
very space-age type effects, Robert B. Rodrigo delivers a 30
second solo towards the end which is takes the heat up another few
degrees.
William Stravato
and Brett Garsed will be known names to guitarists that read
this site and their contribution “Stratosphere” is home to
two moods from the melodic to more aggressive, all this is done over
a very nice backing track which also helps maintain the interest.
Stefan Rosqvist
conjures up images of Steve Morse on “At Last”, another of
the more melodic moments on the album with a strong melody and nice
chord progression. Bo Eriksson also offers up some lap steel
and steel guitar here to nice effect.
The fantastically titled “The Puffball That Ate My Village”
from Phil Yaan Zek has a humourous edge yet sadly this does
it make probably my least favourite on the album, fans of Zappa
style musical humour may be able to get something from this but I
found it rather weak with it not really ever going anywhere.
Arguably 2 of the 3 big names on the album are up next in Milan
Polak and Marco Sfogli (James LaBrie) and their class
really in self-evident on “Last Minute Call / The Saviour”.
In this offering there is the as expected great guitar work from
both, but its how they compliment each other very well for this
progressive track with the pair trading licks in classic style and
its arguably the highlight of the album.
The third big name in Dave Martone is up next and teams up
with Chris Buono for “Fumble Fingers” which is a
different take to that found on Martone’s recent solo album “When
The Aliens Come”. The futuristic sound is once again in evidence
and it will probably take most listeners a few spins to get into
this one but ultimately is a strong track.
The album then takes on a the Spanish acoustic delights of “Tango
Schizophrenia” from Si Hayden and Michael Berk is
a great piece of 2 classical guitars with the right blend of
mystical Mediterranean qualities and speedy fretwork in some of the
solos and is another highlight, all this coming from gloomy Coventry
in the UK!
“Warp
Drive”
from Gianluca Ferro is rock fusion funk meets prog workout
which I initially found a little heavy going, but from the 4 minute
mark your patience is rewarded when the Gianluca duels with
guitarist Scott McGill and keyboardist Alex del Vecchio
which makes the track.
Sven Stichter
delivers another of the albums highlights in “In The Beginning”
which is based over a sampled backdrop of loops, synth and strings.
Thorsten Koechne delivers a couple of great solos which have
a very nice moody melody with a definite sense of class about it and
he also possesses a great vibrato.
Geoff Tyson
and Doug Doppler perform “Butterfly/Free Love/Fruit
Frenzy” which takes it cues from movie soundtracks with each
segment of the title delivering a fresh scene. Clocking in at just
over 7 and half minutes there is a lot to digest here, but its all
done with great class and just pulls together to create another
highlight, and these are two guys I am certainly going to check out
further works from.
“Georgia
In My Heart”
from Dr Ika and Temur Kvitelashvili is a smooth fusion
piece with a strong melody based on Georgian urban melodies mixed
with western jazz and fusion. A calming way to end the album and
one that will put you in a good mood as soon as you play it, an
enjoyable way to end the album.
My initial fear when it came to reviewing this album was “how are
you gonna make 15 tracks from 30 different artists sit well with
each other?” Well special praise must go out to Phil Yaan Zek and
LNR owner Matt Williams as they have managed to compile a very
listenable and well produced instrumental album, which has a very
good flow and is sure to find a welcome home in any household where
there is a guitarist that appreciates great playing. Many of these
names may well be new to you but take a chance as there is a lot of
great music to be found here.
Rating
- 90%
Web
Links
www.liquidnoterecords.co.uk
