Conjure One
Extraordinary Ways

Conjure One alias Rhys Fulber, a name that, I am sure, tells many of you much more than it does to me; of his vast production, I know, for now, only this album, so let's skip the pleasantries, introductions, and various presentations: "Extraordinary Ways" from 2005 I discovered purely by chance, I stumbled upon it, so to speak, and it was a great fortune. We are talking about captivating blends of pop and atmospheric electronica, structures that repeat themselves but with intriguing variations on the theme, a refined and imaginative sound, very well defined; ultimately, we are talking about a work where the hand of a skilled "architect" of sound is immediately perceived, a producer/composer with a well-defined project in mind. Not just songs, not just instrumentals but a harmonious whole, a clever and captivating "compromise".

Let's take "Endless Dream", the highlight among the radio-friendly tracks: it is thanks to this song that I got to know the album, a perfect example of pop composition, and especially, not an isolated peak but an impeccable "presentation", that showcases in a particularly immediate and powerful way many of the winning characteristics of "Extraordinary Ways". First of all, a relatively sober and minimal sound, defined by both electric and acoustic guitars more than by electronics, and the voice in the foreground; Poe, an American singer-songwriter of Polish origin, holds the scene magnificently, offering a performance of great impact, calm verses and explosion in the refrain, which highlights middle-eastern vocal harmonies. The fusion between minimal-futuristic sounds and Arabian suggestions is somewhat the leitmotif of the album, "Forever Lost" is probably the most striking example of this, and the structure of "Endless Dream" is repeated in all the properly called songs, but never slipping into flatness: "Face The Music" for example offers much more danceable, synth-driven sounds, "One Word" an intriguing and slightly melancholic electronic-acoustic power ballad, just like "Extraordinary Way", but with a more positive energy. These five songs are somewhat like the same sculpture observed from different angles and with different lighting; one perceives a pleasant sense of cyclicity that further accentuates the feeling halfway between concept and soundtrack that "Extraordinary Ways" conveys.

The biggest surprise is surely "I Believe", a cover of the Buzzcocks sung by Rhys Fulber himself: among prominently featured percussion and filtered voice, it results in a well-executed and original remake, which integrates very well with the rest of the album, featuring the classy chorus/catchphrase "there is no love in this world anymore" that sounds reverberated and otherworldly, somewhat in Klaus Nomi style: a perfect use of vocal effects, which continues in the seven-minute semi-instrumental "Beyond Being", a very slow crescendo based on a simple acoustic arpeggio, with beats and electronic effects alternating in a cadenced march, periodically interrupted by the filtered voice of the deus-ex-machina repeating, like a litany, the title of the track. A very spiritual moment, with a simple and impactful structure, and perhaps the most emblematic episode of the instrumental side of "Extraordinary Ways", characterized by expanded and contemplative atmospheres, which harmoniously counterbalance the vitality and emotional charge of the pop episodes; one might speak of chiaroscuro but it seems to me a coarse and rather unsuitable term, the contrast is not light/shadow but emotion/reflection, something more complex. "Pilgrimage" and "Dying Light" do not deviate much from the archetype of "Beyond Being", in the former it is a piano line that holds the scene and the crescendo is much more explosive and cinematic, the latter, sung in Arabic with ample use of vocalizations, is an intense and dolorous crepuscular triumph that finds a conclusion in the calmer and more peaceful "Into The Escape", the epilogue of the entire album, which fades like this, in an atmosphere of surreal quiet, an arpeggio surrounded by elegiac choirs and Middle Eastern winds, culminating finally in a brief and intense electric solo.

Profound and meditated critical judgment: whoa, what an album! Concise, clear, and unequivocal, what more do you want. Seriously, "Extraordinary Ways" is an album I would recommend to anyone, in my opinion, it has a "cross-cutting" charm that can appeal to very different types of listeners; despite its world music components and the broad presence of ascetic atmospheres, the overall impression is that of a futuristic album in its magniloquent minimalism (oxymoron, but so it is). Theoretically, it wouldn't be a concept album, there's no common thematic denominator, yet it turns out so smooth and fluid that it seems like one, and ultimately the hypothetical story, the "cinematic" images to be associated with this soundtrack, can always be invented from scratch, "Extraordinary Ways" also has this other positive effect, it stimulates fantasy and imagination, at least for me.