RecordJet 2016
The Ending Collage
Deeply moving, Arcadian if dramatic, diorama of imaginary possibilities, where perspectives are endless.
It’s always been about poetry in motion for János R. Krusenbaum, his one-man-band debut "Lonely Art" taking a form of a pamphlet rather than a simple disc, but while its successor looks more traditional, “The Ending Collage” is also a lot more emotionally immense. Five years down the line, the German artist’s music shed most of his original metal intent in order to focus on folk elements that were there from the very beginning, and explore the lore of legends on “I The Raven” and other tracks, all leading to a wide-eyed wonder.
There’s a breathtaking journey from the piano-propelled, heavy yet translucent, “Road To The City” to a modern troubadour ballad “The Movie’s End” – although a concept doesn’t lurk here – with vocal harmonies abound, up to the a cappella polyphony of “Rose” or “Truth” as an epitome of a tavern fun. Progressive in scope and romantic to the core, “It’s Okay” may be as life-affirming as it is playful, guitar filigree growing in stature along the way, but, acoustically driven and delicate, “Requiem” is possessed with an irresistible pull of purest pleasure, while “Vanishing Of The Little People” lays a silky lace for a flute to do a pastoral dance upon. In such a context, rapping on “Brave New World” can’t be less expected – until we evoke the “gently rapping” approach from a certain Edgar Allan Poe’s poem to see how all these puzzle pieces fall into a whole picture. That’s the collage of the album’s title – that’s the beauty of it.
****4/5
