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ANDROID DOMINA
Track Listing: Android Domina (10.57) - part 1: Transformer, part 2: Desire, part 3: Hypnosis, part 4: Instinct, part 5: Resurrection; All Hallows Eve (7.54); Horla Rising (9.26); Mother (7.54); Succubus (5.34);
Bizzaro Ballo In Maschera (9.24).
The first thing that struck me about this CD is the dreadfully mysoginistic cover design, featuring Keiko Kumagai in skimpy attire draped in chains being straddled by another woman ... OK, as befits the album's
title, domination is obviously a theme, but does it really mean the girls have to stoop to producing such a lurid cover that would be more befitting a 70's heavy metal band? Perhaps they thought it
might help to boost sales, but I think you would be hard pressed to find any of Ars Nova's CDs in your local record store. Incidentally, that last remark is not meant as a slur on the band - just a comment on
the scarcity of prog CDs at mainstream outlets.
Ars Nova, for those of you who do not know, are a female Japanese power Trio - Keiko Kumagai and Mika Nakajima on keyboards, Akiko Takahashi on drums. Also on this album are Ken Ishita and Noboru Nakajima on
bass. Mika appears to be a new member, joining the band just after the release of the last album, 'Book Of The Dead'. Indeed, 'BOTD' was my first introduction to the band - a concept instrumental album
based on Egyptian legends.
The style here is primarily instrumental, keyboard dominated ELP style prog.
They alternate between frenetic musical passages and doom-laden atmospheric soundscapes, very gothic in nature and usually based on a concept. Unfortunately, as the sleeve notes are a little sparse, the concept on this album is a little obscure. A dominant android perhaps? Go figure...
The title track is the epic of the album and is broken down into chapters as above.
In keeping with the salacious cover art, it kicks of with some orgasmic female heavy breathing which, thankfully, fades into the background as metallic, industrial sounding drums take over. Soon we are into the track proper and keyboards take centre stage. Sequencer rhythms are used to good effect to propel the track along and pick up the pace and lots of lovely synth and Hammond organ work on this one. There is a brief vocal passage but generally the order of the day is keyboard dominated, kick ass, high velocity dramatic prog.
To be fair, they do slow the pace down occasionally and segue into a more gently melodic and symphonic style - which helps to balance things out, especially on the longer pieces.
In fact, I did notice a tendency towards a more structured, slightly restrained approach, compared to 'BOTD'. Not sure how this will go down with fans of the group, but I personally welcome it. My only caveat is the use of electronic drums on this track ... very 80's.
'All Hallows Eve' has a sinister, children's fairy tale quality, with a gentle nursery-rhyme style intro broken up by strident piano notes and furious drumming. There are rhythm and tempo changes aplenty and
the track is often playful, but deliciously dark too.
'Horla Rising' begins with a hypnotic keyboard / drum pattern, before moving into an improvisational midsection, building into something more coherent and melodic, with a suitably majestic finale.
Some girlish vocal meanderings kick off 'Mother', before synthesised vocals and mellotron take over.
The midsection of this track has an infectious Egyptian style passage, similar to the style of 'BOTD', however, we are soon brought back down to Earth with some doom laden mellotron and organ, fading out to the sound of a beating heart.
'Succubus' is my particular favorite and is probably the most reminiscent of their style.
Killer organ and synth duels, punctuated by some nice bass work and the obligatory excellent drum work from the diminutive Akiko. There's good stuff in small parcels, as they say. Short, at just over 5 minutes, but definitely sweet.
'Bizzaro Ballo In Maschera' offers a little bit of relief from the mayhem, with a pseudo-classical waltz style opening. Harpsichord, cello and string sounds are also employed to good effect here, giving the
track a very Bohemian atmosphere. In fact, the track ends with a snatch of The Blue Danube on the fadeout.
Overall, I don't think this quite scales the heights of their previous release, but it is still a very fine album. I would advise fans of ELP and keyboard-driven instrumental prog to definitely check this out.
John Morley 11th July 2001
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