Magus: Lucid Dreamer

Magus was the brainchild of Andrew Robinson who now goes by Andrew Laitres. Lucid Dreamer, released on Big Balloon Music in 2005, contains remastered versions of songs from the albums Traveller (1997) and Highway 375 (1998).

The album begins with the spacey "Traveller", a very atmospheric piece containing layers of ominous synths and cool effects. It is a compelling slice of moody prog/space rock that I quite like. "Khyber Pass/Nostradamus" is also very good and like the first track is heavy on texture and atmosphere although this one is a little less ominous sounding. However, some darker tones are still present and the acoustic guitar is quite lovely in places. Laitres has a very nice voice that ideally suits the melancholic nature of the music. The Floydy "Until The Sun Burns Out" includes sampled voices and Laitres' heavily processed lead vocals. It's a moody piece with a Wall-like feel in the main riff. On "108 Steps To Babaji" Laitres plays all the instruments and does a great job. It's an excellent listen. The repeating guitar line is a real earworm and the space-like synth textures are sublime.

My favourite tracks are the instrumental pieces "Rif" and "Highway 375 Suite", both grand and epic in stature. The former has a decided Floyd vibe featuring atmospheric synths and guitar work while the latter has an Alan Parson's feel at times and is a little more electronic in nature.

Also included are two live versions of "Kyber Pass/Nostradamus" and "Arrakis-Dune-Desert Planet" that are quite faithful to the original studio versions.

I really enjoyed Lucid Dreamer. Fans of Pink Floyd, psychedelic and/or space rock should get lots of mileage from this one. Excellent stuff.

Track Listing:
1. Traveller (7:24)
2. Khyber Pass/Nostradamus (6:29)
3. Until The Sun Burns Out (7:29)
4. 108 Steps To Babaji (5:27)
5. Rif (20:02)
6. Highway 375 Suite (18:32)
7. Khyber Pass/Nostradamus (Live) (5:35)
8. Arrakis-Dune-Desert Planet (Live) (5:35)

Added: October 24th 2013
Reviewer: Jon Neudorf
Score:
Related Link: Band's Official Site
Hits: 2096
Language: english

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