Chris: Days Of Summer Gone

Chris (Christiaan Bruin) is a busy guy. Besides being the drummer for the acclaimed progressive rock band Sky Architect and keyboardist for Nine Stones Close, he also has five solo albums to his credit, his latest being Days Of Summer Gone. On his new album Chris has chosen a more acoustic/orchestral approach and gets help from a number of musicians including Ruben van Kruistum (cello), Intan Werry (violin), Maxime le Minter (oboe), Federico Dalpra (flute), Peter Bruin (trumpet) and Joey van Doesburg (trombone). Chris adds vocals, drums, keys and percussion.

The acoustic instruments add a real orchestral element to the album, a lovely combination of classical and symphonic progressive rock. Everything is top notch; from the production to the playing this is a true work of art. The artwork is also very good.

The album begins with the fourteen minute epic "Out In The Night", a song of pure beauty. Somber strains of violin fill the opening seconds and huge wisps of percussion add a touch of drama before the music builds into a very classy '70s style orchestral sound reminding me occasionally of Supertramp's Even In The Quietest Moments. There are a variety of paths the music takes, even hinting of East Indian stylings. The more pastoral moments also reminded me of Steven Wilson's latest. The softly played "Distances" is all dreamy vocals and softly struck keyboards while the more upbeat "Cold Heart" has a great mixture of orchestral drama and tranquil bits of pastoral beauty. I love the intense acoustic guitar rhythms near song's end. The keyboard melody in "Heliophobia" is perhaps a little darker, again bearing some resemblance to Steven Wilson, with an eclectic instrumental part quite experimental in nature. Chris's progressive nature comes to the fore in the exciting "A Heart's Endeavour", a complex song filled with beautiful melodies and shifting tempos and styles.

With four of the tracks over ten minutes there is plenty of time for the music to develop taking the listener on a journey one will likely not soon forget. Days Of Summer Gone is quickly becoming one of my favourite albums of 2013. Released on Progress Records.

Track Listing:
1. Out In The Night (14:09)
2. Distances (6:23)
3. Cold Heart (11:10)
4. Heliophobia (5:25)
5. A Heart's Endeavour (12:28)
6. Days Of Summer Gone (12:28)

Added: January 29th 2014
Reviewer: Jon Neudorf
Score:
Related Link: Artist's Official Site
Hits: 2724
Language: english

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