After coming back to the forefront in 2018 with 'Seventeen', the Dutch from 'Kayak' took this time only three years to release a new album 'Out Of This World' whose title shows that the health crisis has passed through there and that it did not ultimately have only drawbacks because this last opus of 'Kayak' is a real jewel of music reminiscent of the 70s/80s with a happy mix between progressive and more direct song as if they had wanted to return to a much gentler and more lenient time. Whatever composition you listen to, big names come to mind and I will quote, in bulk, 'Queen', 'Electric Light Orchestra', 'Genesis', 'Alan Parsons Project', 'Jethro Tull', 'Kansas' and so on, all of this being merged to make a dazzling album that is listened to from first to last track with great happiness.
'Out of This World' begins in the best possible way this album in a symphonic register mixing rock and classical with sumptuous instrumental and vocal arrangements that bring us back to the best of the progressive of the 70s, and in the same style we can also quote the wonderful track 'Under a Scar' which is an imaginative and melodic progressive jewel and which, even if the writing is not necessarily comparable, can make think of the atmospheres of 'Queen'. We will also find this flamboyant progressive in the two other flagship compositions of the album, with first of all, 'Critical Mass' which takes us on a new epic saga alternating different soundscapes condensed in 6 minutes, but also with the 9 minutes of 'A Writer's Tale' which unrolls a gripping melody showing different faces throughout the title and which once again brings us back to the atmosphere of 'Queen' in the middle part. Between these different compositions, the Dutch of 'Kayak' offer us more immediate songs but just as endearing and which, for those who have been immersed in the melodic rock of the 70s/80s, must certainly remind famous artists : 'Waiting' is quite characteristic of the light pop of the 70s, the instrumental 'Kaja' reminds me of 'Focus', 'Mystery' mixes the delicacy of the 'Beatles' and the theatricality of 'Queen', 'As the Crow Flies' is enough close to the beautiful ballads of 'Phil Collins' in the early 80s and, as for, 'The Way She Said Goodbye' and 'One By One', this time, it is the ballads of 'Billy Joël' which are not so far. And we continue with 'Traitor's Gate' which flirts with 'Toto', then, 'Distance To Your Heart' sends us back to 'Eldorado' from 'Electric Light Orchestra' dating from 1974 with its characteristic string accompaniments, and the refreshing 'Cary' would not have denoted in an album of the 'Beatles' , 'Ship of Theseus' ending this beautiful opus with a new ballad in an epic symphonic atmosphere darker but releasing a remarkable emotion.
In summary, this latest album from 'Kayak' is a patchwork of influences from the 70s / 80s mixing imaginative progressive rock with varied songs very accessible and 'Out Of This World' should appeal to a large audience because even the more progressive compositions are tamed from the first listening thanks to beautiful melodic lines and remarkable instrumental and vocal arrangements which will certainly make it one of the best albums of the Dutch... | |
