ARK - ARK

If anything, Ark shows that Tore Ostby is indeed a dynamic musician. After all, going from the sexy grooves of Conception to the enticing leads of DC Cooper's (ex-Royal Hunt to the uninitiated) solo endeavor to utter crap like this - well, Ostby is nothing if not the very essence of dynamic. Alright, I suppose it is tempting to impart such kind words to the disc. After all, the music is a raw, messy, unpolished affair...the production, for lack of a better word, atrocious, and even Jorn Lande - an otherwise fantastic singer - successfully demonstrates here that yes, even he is capable of sounding...unaccommodating...at times. All this AND Ark manages to serve up one of this year's most blatantly unlistenable songs in the form of "Center Avenue." And yet......and yet......what could I possibly say now that would not be an utter contradiction to the whole bevy of aforementioned faults? I guess I could start by saying that the faults do not kill the disc. It is not some sort of dismal failure. It is not even a disappointment. What it is though......is a great album.

Yes...you see, artistic expression is the damndest thing. If an artist has the freedom of fully caving to his every artistic whim, then his art runs the almost inevitable risk of being utterly blasted and totally misunderstood (Alanna's review on this very site serves as a fine example). And when you have not one but three artists, all pushing the boundaries and testing the limits of their...artistry...then...well, needless to say......

Music is of course the artistic variable present here and Ostby, Malacuso, and Lande the artists...the practitioners of their art which in this case happens to be a truly eclectic palette of just about every musical style imaginable. Times three that is. Ostby provides the extensive music, ranging in styles from world (it's a style!) and new age, to prog to jazz to rock, though most of the time a combination of all and more; Malacuso displays his diverse array of drumming patterns, albeit with a sound so hollow as to actually have its own echo (not a good thing if you are into enjoying music); Lande finally proves that all those Coverdale and Dio comparisons are right on the money. While he almost always sounds good, and occasionally absolutely breathtaking, there are a few head scratchers here and there, and comparing what is overall a somewhat reserved performance here to the otherwise sonorous output on more or less every other album he's fronted, I really have to wonder why he didn't use some more POWER. Did he strive to back up the production? If that was the case, I would strongly recommend against it for the next go-round, unless of course Ark moves out of the damp basement for their next recording session (dunno about anyone else, but my fingers are firmly in the crossed position). Finally, this being a supposedly thematic/conceptual deal - journey through the human race is it? - I find it a bit disheartening that Lande spends most of the time sauntering around pseudo-Barry White meets God knows what-like platitudes ("Now you're the Perfect Lover...wife and mother..."), rather than delving into what could have easily been some pretty cerebral themes and issues. It's a small complaint though, since in the end the initially rickety conceptual trip does turn out to be a pretty wild ride after all.

Bitching aside - and believe me when I say that I could do a lot more in that department - there are actually oodles of quality amidst the fifty-some-odd minutes. Every song (well, except that one) is packed to the brim with sometimes good, sometimes fascinating, and almost never for a second dull moments, oftentimes shifting gears from rocking grooves to atmospheric, laid back passages, to thoroughly tasty flamenco leads - all in a matter of minutes. So going strictly by that, it's really, really, really...good stuff. For the brightest beacons of light, I would have to draw out "Hunchback of Notre Dame" for the absolutely perfect incorporation of flamenco (and tons of it) among its dark, chuggy rhythms. "Singers at the World's Dawn" displays some downright epic qualities amidst its volatility and randomness. and would have easily become one of the most blazingly enjoyable songs of the year with some ballsier vocals. "Can't Let Go" finally brings the Ark's journey to an end with some extended Pink Floyd-esque passages - always a good thing in my book - and Lande's surprisingly heartfelt vocals. Nice.

So what of "Center Avenue"? I guess I won't be lying when I say that it is not the prettiest song I've ever heard. All the unfortunate rigidity and stiffness that could have easily occupied any of the other six tunes seems to find a home here...all rolled and lumped into one big, unwieldy, repetitive...ball...or song, for that matter. So even despite the rather pleasant solo section and the sheer coolness level of Coverd...er, Lande - I gotta stop doing that!! - wailing out some expletives (totaling a record shattering, ahem, one), it still constitutes as the sole reason for the point zero on the rating.

I guess another good question to ask would be WHY the high rating, as the bulk of the review was spent poking the album with a pointy stick? I guess this is one of those times when words do indeed fail the music. Sure, it's got more flaws than a cheaply cut cubic zirconia, and the production alone would be an ample slap in the face to a lot of non-purists, and yet the music is just so darn enjoyable. This is one of those albums you could really chill to, and at the same time simply have no choice but appreciate the tremendous skills and abilities of the musicians - and being a musician myself, believe me when I say that it's a cool thing to have. And what else can I say (as a musician, that is)? Well.......all in all, it is definitely not an ark built for the entire prog community, but if you dig a LOT of artistic expression in your music - with some dire costs thrown in as a bonus, climb aboard - I can still scoot over.

8.0
Review by Ilya Ulberg
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