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Unwritten Pages: Fringe Kitchen

Fringe Kitchen is the second album from modern progressive outfit Unwritten Pages and a very different beast it is from it from its predecessor - and in all the right ways. Noah Pt1, which saw the light of day a couple of years back was a hugely convoluted concept piece, where a whole new world of chaos and separation was dreamt up, with a title suggesting that Unwritten Pages intended on residing in their imagined world for albums to come. In the end the guest list laden debut was too intricate and involved for its own good, struggling under the weight of its own intentions and diluted from all of the admittedly stellar cameos. Thankfully lessons have been learned for offering number two, with Fringe Kitchen ditching the graphic novel like storyline and utilising the six members of the band exclusively to create an album that Noah, in no way suggested was likely.

Sound wise Unwritten Pages provide a mixture of latter day Porcupine Tree, a smattering of more recent Pineapple Thief and some of the floating intrigue of recent Opeth. However to that mix they also twist in a little more aggression and a more mainstream sensibility - far from chart material, but that could result in an album track for Manic Street Preachers. The results are really rather interesting. The three Epe (I presume) brothers still lead from the front with Fred singing, playing guitars and keyboards, Michel also six stringing it and tinkling the plastic ivories, while Lothar sings and adds a little harp on occasion. Add to that another guitar courtesy of James Cook, bass from Sander Stappers and drums from John Macaluso and it is easy to see why Unwritten Pages can cook up the busy, intricate, yet ballsy and forthright tapestries that they do. What the multi-vocalled approach also allows, is for some stunning harmony vocals that add texture to even the brashest points on the album in a way that makes big, bold, jangly riffs feel smooth and uncluttered at the same time. "Cloud Infinite" is a perfect example, with busy percussive work from Macaluso punctuating a multi voiced attack - reminiscent of Brother Ape - that is never actually quite a smooth as first impression suggest. Instead this is quite claustrophobic, threatening stuff, but in a sing along way that doesn't make much sense, but impresses every time. There isn't really a missed step anywhere on the album and while Unwritten Pages aren't quite the finished article, songs like the electro-beating, yet organic sounding "Terminal Defect", the beautiful piano, keyboard and voice led "Wasted Land" and the adrenalin rush mix of guitar and percussion that gives way to deep, reflective passages that makes for "Auxiliary Influx", confirm that they are not far away at all.

Fringe Kitchen is a real and unexpected step up in form, focus and capability and from being thoroughly disinterested in where they would go after their debut offering, I now can't wait to hear what Unwritten Pages do next!


Track Listing
1. Hejo
2. Asylum Tragedy
3. Intoxicating Sweets
4. Perfect Incentive
5. Cloud Infinite
6. Terminal Deflect
7. Kaleidemote
8. Wasted Land
9. Auxiliary Influx

Added: September 2nd 2012
Reviewer: Steven Reid
Score:
Related Link: Unwritten Pages Online
Hits: 2183
Language: english

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