Lunatic Soul – 2 (K Scope)

The imaginatively titled second album from Lunatic Soul, the less hard-edged side project of Mariusz Duda, singer for Polish prog metal act Riverside, stays the course set by the debut. Still rather blatantly under the sway of Porcupine Tree and Talk Talk, Duda uses keyboards, acoustic guitars and swaying grooves to create lush prog/pop tunes, with an even finer edge than on the first record. “Otherwhere” and “Wanderings” lift melodies out of shifting textures; “Gravestone Hill” sifts solo singer/songwriter folk pop through a progressive rock strainer. “Asoulum” and “Escape From Paradice [sic]” add elements of tension from dissonant chord progressions and distortion without compromising the tracks’ essential accessibility. The LP reaches its apex early on with the soaring, gorgeous “Suspended in Whiteness,” quite possibly the quintessential Lunatic Soul tune. Fans of the first album will be well pleased, and newcomers will hear Lunatic Soul at its best.

http://www.lunaticsoul.com
http://www.kscopemusic.com