Colorado's Singularity strives to define classic progressive-rock on the band's third album, Of All the Mysteries. Gone are the Rush references from the debut CD, Color of Space, which featured Geddy Lee soundalike bassist/vocalist Andrew Goldhawk (who left the band after that album's release). And then trimmed to a trio for Between Sunlight and Shadow, Singularity opted for a concept album about isolation that garnered critical praise. Now comes the pivotal third disc, an alternately sparse and dense ode to prog heroes like Marillion, Pink Floyd, Gentle Giant, and Emerson, Lake & Palmer. Echoes of more contemporary bands — Porcupine Tree, Spock's Beard and Pain of Salvation — also can be heard. Nevertheless, Of All the Mysteries establishes Singularity (back to a quartet with the addition of bassist and flute player Jonathan Patch) as a distinct prog entity, unafraid to dive into 20-minute epics and take nearly an hour to proceed through a mere six tracks.
Opener "Mongrel" is an off-kilter instrumental that turns melancholy before segueing to "Smile," a 15-minute stunner that stretches out with magnificent performances from each band member, most notably vocalist John Green on keys and drummer Jamie McGregor. Green's synths continue to propel the album on "XOT," a dark-into-light instrumental, while the piano ballads "Patchquilt" and "Kaleidoscope" reveal Singularity's deftness with shorter, song-oriented pieces. The album concludes with the 20-and-a-half-minute "Islands," which showcases Scott Cleland's soaring, classy guitar playing.
Despite Green's delicate but effective voice, it's the music (and not necessarily the vocals) that make Of All the Mysteries so memorable — an album that reveals its own mysteries with each spin.
Track Listing:
1) Mongrel
2) Smile
3) XOT
4) Patchquilt
5) Kaleidoscope
6) Islands
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