IIja Rosendahl is an interesting character. This creative German musician wrote and recorded an entire album alone. Rosendahl's alter ego is Latent Anxiety and his new CD Perception is a marvelous achievement considering that he put it together in his home studio with simple equipment. He then mastered it for this CD. He explained to me his artistic and technical development, so this gave me a greater appreciation for what he accomplished with the project.
The first thing that got my attention was that I found some commonality with his voice, he reminded me of one of my favorite bands Be Bop Deluxe, more specifically Bill Nelson, the lead guitar player and vocalist. The music however is not very similar, some guitar parts are but overall this is a singular statement from a talented individual. Rosendahl plays guitar very well and his voice is excellent, in fact his ability to change his vocal style and adapt to each song's pace is a strong quality. I loved his guitar playing on this recording, he rocks, and the combination of electronica melded in the mix makes for a rockin' chill out that is a nice change of pace from the norm.
Each track stands on its own and I found value in every one I heard on this CD, particularly with "Cold As Ice" and "Fading Away," which serve as superb representations of his style, powerful guitar playing, and vocal prowess. The most interesting thing about this music is its versatility and sturdy cross over ability. Young and old music listeners alike will find something to enjoy here. This CD will continually grow on you with each subsequent listen. As I absorbed it for the fourth time, I found it more appealing and realized the great talent that this artist is. The marketability of this music is obvious to me and it has a broad area it could cover. I can see youngsters downloading tracks from this album veraciously, and I envision it as a possible candidate for a soundtrack a thrill seeker type of motion picture. It's exciting and vibrant music, it sounds modern, with a chilling techno edge, yet it rocks enough to keep your blood pumping. I like all the aspects that this CD offers. Why else would I be listening to it repeatedly?
This is definitely worth checking out if you enjoy rock, electronica, or prog-rock; I promise you that there will be aspects of this recording you will really enjoy.
Track Listing
01. Can You Feel (6:52)
02. Cold As Ice (4:24)
03. Come With Me (3:42)
04. Fading Away (3:08)
05. Go (3:46)
06. Home (6:16)
07. Hot Blood (5:40)
08. Island Dreams (4:14)
09. Loose You (4:25)
10. Men Of Steel (3:41)
11. Movies Tell (4:19)
12. Off The Line (4:29)
13. Sorry (5:04)
14. Trieb Auf Trab (4:18)
15. Turn Back Time (3:39)
16. You Cannot Change It (4:02)