View Inside, The: Strange Destination

Making quite a stir with their A View Inside debut, albeit under the different band name of Briand Boursin Rohr, the duo of Ludovic Briand (vocals and a whole heap of instruments) and Julien Boursin (keyboards of all kinds) (Rohr co-produces this album) have returned using their debut’s name as their new band monicker. The album that ushers in this shift is Strange Destination, a release that covers all the stopping off points from progressive rock to west coast and much in between. Augmented by a long and talented cast list, the core duo weave intricate yet instantly accessible progressive pop that enjoys being sung out loud while still impressing you with its musical nouse.

Looking for some touching points? Well, there’s many a strong flavour here, Saga, John Payne era Asia, a little Mr Mister, an occasional wallop of Toto, some Ray Wilson era Genesis and a whole lot of Neal Morse. Now, cards on the table, that last reference is a sticking point for me, because I simply don’t connect with Mr Morse’s music, talented chap though he is, and likewise here, there are songs and sections that I know are conjured well, and yet I find them a little ho-hum. If Morse is an inspiration for you, then take it as read that you can add a full star extra to my score below.

The short “Passage� introduces the album, but things start for real with “Bad Neighborhood�, where the choppy guitars and clever fret flurries dance above bright keyboards that mark out a lot of what this album has to say. Briand is something of a vocal chameleon, emitting sounds that remind of some of the above mentioned chaps - Morse, Wilson and a little Michael Sadler - so there’s no doubting this lad can carry a tune and then some. “Son Of Someone�, however, hints - well shouts - at another occupation the folks in this outfit employ themselves with, namely that they also play in a Toto tribute act, and as homages to that band go, it’s top notch. “Pleased To Meet Me� heads elsewhere, Peter Gabriel brought to mind both vocally and through the musical atmosphere, while “Work Of Art� arrives as a fully formed melancholy moment.

In truth, though, for my own personal taste nearly everything across this still hugely enjoyable journey is just a little too bright and ‘cheerful’, even when it maybe isn’t. Across twelve songs and roughly fifty minutes of music, the effect, for me, all becomes a little overwhelming, even if I can’t pinpoint one single track where the standard ever really dips. Strange Destination is good, maybe even in some ways too good and that in itself leaves a disconnect for me that I can’t quite patch up, but then as mentioned above, I have this particular blindspot with the artist that proves for me to be the main inspiration here, and if you hear things otherwise, then this comes highly recommended.

Track Listing
1. Passage
2. Bad Neighborhood
3. Stuck Under
4. Son Of Someone
5. The End Of Me
6. I'm Not Supposed To Be Here
7. Unvirtual Reality
8. Pleased To Meet Me
9. Father Of The Future
10. Mother Of Silence
11. Work Of Art
12. Portal

Added: May 27th 2023
Reviewer: Steven Reid
Score:
Related Link: The View Inside @ bandcamp
Hits: 755
Language: english

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