Modest Midget "Crysis"

Country: Netherlands
Sub Genre: Progressive Rock
Label: Multi-Polar Music
Release date: September 28, 2014
Tracklist: 
1. The Grand Gate Opening (1:53)
2. A Centurion's Itchy Belly (4:34)
3. Rocky Valleys of Dawn (3:53)
4. Praise the Day (2:50)
5. Now That We're Here (3:42)
6. Periscope Down (3:52)
7. (Oh)Pretty Woman (2:25)
8. Flight of the Cockroach (2:39)
9. Secret Lies (6:19)
10. Gone Is (3:49)
11. Crisis (Awake of the Sheep) (7:10)
12. Birth (5:23)

Line-up: 
Lonny Ziblat - vocals, keyboards, piano, guitars, percussion, programming
Willem Smid - drums
Maarten Bakker - bass, keyboards
    With:
Dimitar Bodurov - accordion
Yael Shachar - violin, viola
Tristan Hupe - keyboards
Jurriaan Berger - keyboards, programming
Eduardo Olloqui - oboe
Emiel de Jong - sax
Sanne Vos - recorders
Anna Zeijlemaker - flutes

Description/Reviews: 

Crysis features twelve compositions displaying an incredible musical variety. For example we start off with “The Grand Gate Opening” [1:53] a rather straight forward symphonic synthesizer solo that builds hauntingly and dramatically proposing something grand and panoramic only to switch gears with track two, “A Centurion’s Itchy Belly” [4:34] which starts out like something off a Split Enz album and then proceeds to go through more stylistic permutations than you can imagine all presented in a jaunty, up-tempo happy go lucky, cartoonish feel. Next up is “Rocky Valleys of Dawn”, the album’s first vocal track and it again displays a Split Enz, New Wave feel, up-tempo and rocking without the heavy crunching guitar. There’s even a Ska version of the Roy Orbison 60’s classic “Pretty Woman” [2:25]! There’s no question all of Ziblat’s musical schooling in those other genres finds a welcome home in his unique approach to contemporary pop music. It’s all very hooky, all very catchy and hummable and yet full of intricate instrumental virtuosity and complex compositional craft.
Modest Midget have taken a noticeable step forward following up on their first release, delivering a great set of tunes that will appeal to fans of Arty music full of proggy influences and embellishments. There are so many great moments on this disc and so much more the reason to recommend it. If you’ve never listened to Modest Midget I urge you to check’em out.(Jerry Lucky) 

Media/Samples
Bandcamp
Crisis (Awake of the Sheep)
Birth

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