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Review of Into the
Light:
Graham Getty, Synth Music
Direct.
"Robert's 4th solo
outing, so eagerly awaited by his fans, is at last here - and let me waste no time in
telling you that it's as good as I'd hoped - and that means very good. All the essential
Robert Fox elements can be found in abundance - massive symphonic textures, beautiful
themes and superb use of power and subtlety.
New to the scene are
samples which up to now Robert has largely shied away from. The American Indian samples in
the second track 'Brother Earth' do bring to mind the 'Sacred Spirits' album but the
combination with Roberts symphonic textures is a perfect match. The piece is topped and
tailed by 2 tracks which feature a child's voice and overall the trio have sublime power.
'A New Day' follows, revelling in strident piano and a clear rhythm which brings to mind
the 'Blue Mountains Suite', especially the 'Into the Mountains' track.
'Into the Light' has depth
created by dense synth textures which pick out the main theme accompanied by a female
voice overlay reminiscent of Asana's 'Trikuti'. 'Somewhere Out There' is a masterpiece of
power harmonics with infectious themes aplenty. Rhythmically his work seems to have
developed more of an edge, as demonstrated by the beat which kicks in near the end of this
piece. Possibly the stand-out piece for me is 'Shadowed Lands' which builds colossal walls
of sound backed by an almost industrial collage of effects. This is Robert Fox at his most
inspirational. His ability to create spine tingling sonic vistas almost at will is
astounding.
'Lights, Pictures,
Sensations' drives home on a heavy percussive highway which is embellished by yet more
memorable themes, and with electric guitar detail. 'Nearer Than Before' uses effects to
bridge to the final piece 'Sister Earth' which is a continuation and development of
'Brother Earth' with more rich rhythms and that mesmeric theme an ever present feature. A
pipey synth is sequenced to accompany the beat giving the piece a very uptempo air.
So, all in all this is
another completely stunning album from Robert Fox. I'm pleased to see that he hasn't
departed radically from his previous works, instead carefully refining his style and
adding new features where necessary in a very controlled and precise manner. Perhaps
Robert is consciously steering more radical exploration to the Code Indigo project,
leaving his solo albums to nurture his own "formula" - a phrase which is used
many times in a negative sense but in Robert Fox's case nothing could be wider of the
mark. 'Into the Light' is formula brilliance". |