Discus
Discus 1st

I briefly mentioned it in another review, and given the stature of the group, I feel compelled to offer a review of their first album. They are Indonesian and have had the strength and courage to propose particularly complex music, disguising it, thanks to their undeniable instrumental skills, as (almost) a walk in the park.

The essential peculiarity of their music is that it constantly changes with often very short movements lasting only a few seconds at times. The changes are so precise and so determined that from one movement to the next, you might think you are faced with a different album. Then the textures flow, chase each other, sometimes return to themselves twisted and tangled, altered and, although similar, barely recognizable.

The music offered is, of course, prog, with personal touches given by a strong mix of styles ranging from folk to symphonic, from jazz to RIO, from rock to classicism sometimes bold, sometimes subdued among Zappa and Canterbury atmospheres, among theatrical embroidery and huge impactful keyboard outbursts. Male and female voices, with lyrics partly in English and partly in Indonesian, intertwine masterfully with rhythmic backgrounds that are never trivial and never predictable, often in challenging irregular and polyrhythmic equilibrium.

The leader, creator, composer, and architect of the project is the incredible guitarist Iwan Hasan, who, winking at Allan Holdsworth and Phil Miller, managed to form a band characterized by remarkable individual abilities without anyone (including him) wanting to dominate or fall into mere acts of virtuosity, all of this to the obvious advantage of an overall balance that is enviable by any renowned and Western band.

Among the best tracks, it's worth mentioning "For This Love", which adequately represents what I've described, but even better, the concluding and lengthy "Contrasts", a track that can cause serious indecision about whether to remove the CD or put it on loop. Also notable is the acoustic "Condissonance", a very personal track with guitar, winds, and violin playing on compositions that also hark back to the great European composers of the early 20th century. Slightly inferior is the track "Dua Cermin", which overall leans more towards the "song" style with poppish turns somewhat discordant with the rest of the album. Nevertheless, it is just a few minutes on an album over an hour long.

What else can I say, the album was released by Mellow Records and is dated 1999. Three years later, the group returned with another stunning product, this time for the French Musea, titled "...Tot licht!" and it contains a spectacular suite.

Anyone willing to explore prog from scenes often considered minor has plenty to chew on here, and considering the recent release year, I think we are talking about a must-buy.