How does one even begin to keep up with side projects these days? The disintegration of the record industry and the homegrown nature of recording technology have made it possible for artists to squeeze in blizzards of side gigs, pet projects and what have become way too commonly called “supergroups.”
So how refreshing to discover LMR, a new album featuring three musicians that are certainly in everybody’s first ballot all-star team, that instantly announces itself as something special.
Tony Levin certainly needs no introduction. Can you even remember an era when he wasn’t traversing the globe with some of the most interesting and vaunted artists of our time? From Peter Gabriel to King Crimson to his own stable of conceptual touring groups, Levin, along with his stick bass, is a musical icon for all the right reasons.
Drummer Marco Minnemann may not be as household a name but he certainly has earned his place in the room with Levin and Rudess. He’s had a productive solo career as well as playing with many diverse artists including Terry Bozzio, Adrian Belew and Joe Satriani.
And then there is Jordan Rudess who, as keyboard wizard with prog metal gods Dream Theater, has distinguished himself as one of, if not the premier, leading keyboard sonic sculptors of his generation.
So, just what happens when this pedigreed trio gets together with some spare time to work on a “side project”? Well, you get one of the most intriguing and listenable albums of the year.
It started with Levin and Minnemann building most of the foundations before sending them along to Rudess to wave his musical wand over them (and play his ass off on some stunningly fresh keyboard immersions). And by the way, Minnemann also handles the guitars on the album. Who knew?
Given where these guys have been in their careers, there are certainly some things that you would expect. Wildly inventive, proggish excursions with strange sounds and textures? Check. Unconventional time signatures and elastic tempos? Check.
But beyond the marvelously weird and creative things one might anticipate, there are other bonus jackpots along the way. For instance, as ethereal and free-flowing as many of the songs are, there are melodies embedded within that are so solid and memorable that they begin to feel like hit records you’ve just never heard. “Lakeshore Lights” swings and grooves with so many snazzy little riffs it’s hard to keep track of all them. In fact, you can all but toss the term “prog” out on many of these charismatic tunes. The beautifully crafted melodies live within many different styles here – from the steely and metallic “Dancing Feet” to the spacey and frantic “Fossil Fool,” but live they do.
As Levin explained to me recently, the songs do matter to him and he works hard to make sure that, for all the experimentation and musical wandering, it all has some sort of point. And it’s not to say that the band doesn’t indulge in a little musical muscle flexing to remind us all that progressive music matters to them. “Mew,” one of the more longish tunes (clocking in at 7:48) features lots of funky little excursions that will fit well on any prog playlist. But then you get “The Blizzard,” a sweeping and jazzy dream piece that lushly illustrates the tastefulness of these three players.
LMR is quite the remarkable feat. In a day and age when many veteran artists choose to rest on past performances, these three experts have carved out a distinctly modern and memorable piece of free-spirited work that feels very much like it has a future beyond this debut release. The chemistry and trust they seem to place in each other has resulted in a complex and crafty collection that would also seem to have a much broader appeal beyond just the ardent fans who follow the other projects these guys are involved in.
They’ve all played together in various incarnations (Levin and Rudess in Liquid Tension Experiment, for example), but there’s something about this arrangement that feels particularly winning. Make time for this album. And prepare to be dazzled, charmed and certainly entertained.
~ Chris Epting
