Art Rock Show – Bigger on the Inside (Week 3)

De Californische artieste Rachel Flowers laat met haar derde soloalbum zien dat ze, zoals de titel al aangeeft, “Bigger on the Inside” is. Als componiste verweeft Rachel naadloos elementen van progressieve rock, jazz, klassiek, en popmuziek met filmische orkestraties, stijgende melodieën, en virtuoos spel.

Prog Archives review: “This album, I suppose that it is easier to say that it is a very personal album, and she sings it with a conviction that is very strong, and the music is not afraid to show it even more. So in the piece “The Darkness”, another very personal song, she unleashes a metal edge here and there, and the funny thing … it’s not out of place, and shows very clearly how one can illustrate a lot of words and not fail to create something that could easily be thought of as just a solo.

According to info on it and her interview, it is a sort of take on Dream Theater’s guitar work. If that is not enough, the following piece “Feel” or even more far out, and I suppose that I could easily tell you that … goodness is that Frank on the guitar? … but it’s not. It’s Rachel, and the quality of how it is used and the orchestrated style with which these two pieces are done, make it a fundamental and incredible listen for those that love music that really flies, instead of expecting it to tell you that it supposedly flies. Here, the music lives and the amazing thing is that you get the feeling that George Martin is the one that put this stuff together, because the way that each piece is presented is so well done, and it flows from the keyboards as an orchestra to just a piano, or voice, and then something else … a combination that is a treat for one’s ears, if we want to hear something special, instead of just a hit song. (…)

It’s a very personal album, and you can tell, and she speaks of it on an interview, that she did all the mixing, and it also shows that she has a very clear idea of what she wants to do with a piece of music, instead of relying on simple lyrics to tell you … she sings well, and it is easy to flow on it, but the music itself, lives so beautifully with her words, that it’s hard to think of them separately.

One thought came to my mind, that the next step is probably going to be a concerto or a symphony of some sort, because what she does with the music, and eventual mix is super special, and I think it will stand up for a long time.”

Naast Rachel Flowers met Bigger on the Inside, Fractal Mirror (Beyond Borders), This Winter Machine (A Tower of Clocks), Dave Kerzner (Static) & Transatlantic (SMPT:e).

• Thursday/Donderdag 12.00 – 24.00
• Friday/Vrijdag 12.00 – 24.00
• Saturday/Zaterdag 12.00 – 24.00