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Review:
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I have been following Robin Armstrong’s Cosmograf since
2013’s “The Man Left in Space”. That album was a masterpiece
of ethereal, spacey vibes and thought-provoking meaning.
Robin has been pretty consistent since then, producing two
more albums, including this new one, “The Unreasonable Silence”.
While I still consider “The Man Left in Space” to be a masterpiece,
I can’t help but feel like this new album has an advantage
over that album: personality.***
Robin Armstrong hails from the United Kingdom. Cosmograf
is more or less a solo project, though many performers help
out along the way. Robin handles most of the instrumental
work on “The Unreasonable Silence”, but he also managed
to get some pretty high profile guests on here, too, such
as Nick D’Virgilio and Nick Beggs. Additionally, there are
several voice actors involved here because, as usual, “The
Unreasonable Silence” tells a story Hibernal-style, while
Robin also sings.*** The primary style here is akin to neo-prog
with some heavy prog trappings, meaning that we get a little
Porcupine Tree mixed in with Marillion or IQ. That’s the
foundational style, but Robin goes outside the box quite
often, mixing sci-fi stylings, cinematic moods, a bit of
classic rock, and even a little pop into the formula.***
Since I mentioned the story, let’s go into that a bit.
The story revolves around a man who is increasingly unsure
of his place and purpose in this mundane world. As far as
I can tell, this uneasiness results from an epiphany granted
him by an extraterrestrial being that he meets in a field
one night. As he becomes more and more detached from reality
and from his family and friends, he starts to look to the
stars as an otherworldly destiny for himself. While this
is definitely a sci-fi story, it also touches on important
themes, such as societal conformity, the purpose of life,
and paranoia. It’s definitely a strong one, too, so I don’t
want to spoil it. Of note, also, is the great atmosphere
and word pictures that Robin uses, so this story really
plays out in your mind.***
One of the first things I noticed about this album
is the abundance of personality that Robin displays this
time. While “The Man Left in Space” was sci-fi and cold,
this album feels very grey and mysterious. While “Capacitor”
was psychedelic and crackling with life, this album feels
detached and freaky. Yes, freaky. Robin goes outside the
boundaries I’ve heard from him by crafting some crazy choruses
and some wild verses here and there, such as on “The Plastic
Men” or especially “Arcade Machine”. The album is also definitely
his most varied in style, featuring quiet moments, emotional
solos, macabre shades, choirs, and a certain conflicted
playfulness I didn’t expect.***
Another thing I noticed was that the music and the story
match perfectly. There are definitely shades of Porcupine
Tree’s “Fear of a Blank Planet” here, as the wistful, blue
feeling of the music connects directly with the seclusion
and breakdown of the protagonist. Once he has a taste of
another world, he slowly digs a deeper and deeper hole;
blowing off friends and family, purposefully sabotaging
his place of employment, and languishing in his apartment.
He is ever focused on the purposeless existence of those
around him, and, instead of heading out to search for meaning,
he sort of wastes away in his pitiful reality. The music,
then, has a fluttery vibe at first with lots of piano passages.
As the story progresses, this incessant drone begins to
develop that eventually leads to heavier guitar work, such
as on “The Uniform World”. It’s like there is this building
of pressure throughout the album, as the protagonist slowly
implodes. The album isn’t measured by beats or technical
wizardry so much as it is paced out by deleted voicemails
and silent determinations.***
All of this plays out in great songs. From the storytelling
of the first couple tracks to the wilder and even ominous
tracks like “Arcade Machine”, the album gets rolling at
a great pace with addictive choruses and solos. My favorite
track has to be “The Uniform Road”, though, and its heavier
sound, which is something I hadn’t heard from Robin in the
past. The last few tracks pass by very quickly, as the story
arc begins to end and a more ethereal sound begins.***
Probably the most brilliant part about “The Unreasonable
Silence” is that, while it is dark and dreary, it actually
contains a hopeful and motivational message. Robin is using
this very interesting story as a call to action for us to
live our lives with purpose and gusto, not as robots conforming
to the norm. This message is pretty clear in the more triumph
sound of the title track, which, for some reason, reminds
me of the title track to Riversea’s “Out of an Ancient World”
(one of my favorite albums ever): It’s not necessarily the
sound as much as the melodic arc that sounds so nostalgic
to me. Anyways, this album certainly portrays its message
well with a variety of styles and moods, not to mention
beautiful compositions. In my opinion, Robin has outdone
all his other albums to date.***
The
Prog Mind
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