The remarkable
Magic Box
project by visual artist/musician
Tom Maxwell
of
the Blue Hawaiians
and filmmaker/guitarist
Steve Denny
is a masterful synthesis of disparate instrumental styles:
progressive
,
trance
, edgy
surf rock
jazz
classical
(
Erik Satie
Maurice Ravel
),
psychedelic
, and Eastern influences. The band manages to surf atop a melange of free-form jams, audio samples, and original recorded material while maintaining consistently high levels of artistic integrity. In short, the whole album coheres and oozes everywhere with deep atmosphere, a mysterious collage that plays like the soundtrack to someone's mental life. The fat, pure guitarscapes cut through the mix like butter, and the band interplay is dynamic, tight, and infused with a sense of mutual discovery. Cinematic in scope,
Bliss of a Madman
does something rare for an
instrumental rock
album -- it tells a story in sound. ~ Jim Esch