Telegraph: Topography of Mind

I feared that the Israeli prog/space rock group’s 2018 Mir might be a one and done, but I was pleasantly surprised to learn that the same quartet was back this past February with its sophomore effort, Topography of Mind. It is quite similar in sound to the debut, with some passages seeming to have almost been lifted from it. But arguably the album is more ambitious in structure, with all four tunes around eleven minutes in length.

The vocals are spare. Instead, the listener is treated to 45 minutes of near completely instrumental ear candy, with the keyboards, played by Eze Sakson, being the dominant instrument. Avi Barak also provides some tasty flute playing throughout; in fact, the album opens with that instrument.

Telegraph wears its influences on its sleeves, perhaps a little too much. There are sections on “Valley of Delirium� that sound conspicuously similar to passages from “Dogs.� The same is true with “Somewhere Along These Lines� and “Careful With That Axe, Eugene.� In short, if you’re a fan of Pink Floyd or Porcupine Tree, with some Canterbury influences thrown in, you will probably like this album as well as its predecessor.

In addition to Sakson and Barak (who plays the drums in addition to the flute), the band features Liran Herrnstadt on bass and Tal Rubinstein on guitars. The latter two also provide the rare vocals on the album. So far, Topography of Mind has received only a digital release. The band says that a CD may eventually appear, as it did for Mir. I certainly hope so.

I almost gave Topography of Mind 4.5 stars, but the lack of originality at times prevented me from awarding it that extra half star. Regardless, I have gotten a lot of enjoyment from it and will continue to do so. Let’s hope Telegraph produces a third album, and that we don’t have to wait six years for it this time.

Track Listing
Track Listing
1. Topography of Mind (11:07)
2. Field of Fade Memory (11:48)
3. Valley of Delirium (11:35)
4. Somewhere Along These Lines (10:51)

Added: March 30th 2026
Reviewer: Aaron Steelman
Score:
Related Link: Telegraph @ bandcamp
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Language: english

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