Record Reviews

LEBOWSKI ~ CINEMATIC NOT ON LABEL (Barcode: 5703451019571) ~ POLAND ~ Progressive Rock Recorded: 2010 Released: 2010 Subtitled "Music To A Non-Existent Movie", this is an excellent debut album by Polish Prog group LebowskiFind albums by this artist, which consists of guitarist / composer Marcin GrzegorczykFind albums by this artist, keyboardist / composer Marcin LuczajFind albums by this artist, bassist Marek ZakFind albums by this artist and drummer Krzysztof PakulaFind albums by this artist. Vocalist / violinist Katarzyna DziubakFind albums by this artist guests on two tracks. As the group´s name ("The Big Lebowski" – Joel Coen´s 1998 brilliant movie – a non-confirmed guess?) and the album´s title / subtitle suggest, the band is deeply involved with cinematography and indeed the album´s Prog / Ambient vistas should be ideal as soundtracks, but they do hold their ground as a great stand-alone instrumental album. The music is beautifully melodic and rich, with layers upon layers of instrumental sound placed one of top of another, creating a full-body sound. The usage of various keyboards is tasteful and manages to avoid "overdoing", which usually plagues most keyboard-oriented albums. The guitar plays most of the leads, changing its sound from delicately acoustic to heavy-metal, but never being obtrusive. Bass and drums keep the massive sound together beautifully, gluing everything to perfection. The musical themes are diverse and present a wide spectrum of harmonic approaches and rhythmic subtleties, keeping the listener on his toes for the entire duration of the album. The various tracks are "spiced" with dialog samples from Polish and International movies, paying a loving homage to the "industry of dreams". As to the "Polish angle", although not mentioned anywhere on the album´s liner notes, I could sense the spirit the great Krzysztof KomedaFind albums by this artist hovering all over the music, especially a slight déjà-vu of his divine "Rosemary´s Baby" soundtrack. In spite of the fact that they are separated by time and circumstance, somehow my mind made a connection there. But sentiments aside, this is an absolutely formidable album, which should delight every serious music lover, even those who usually don´t listen to Prog, as this music crosses-over any genre limits. Satisfaction guaranteed!

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