Vangelis
Invisible Connections

The Vangelis of "Invisible Connections," a 1985 album, is a very different musician from the one known for the singable themes of his soundtracks (Chariots of Fire, Blade Runner, and others). In this case, there is hardly anything singable, as the melody is unceremoniously erased. Even harmony and rhythm are noticeable, but for their absence: chords and arpeggios are replaced by sonic pointillism in quantity, and the ear has no beat or accent to latch onto.

The music of "Invisible Connections" thus has an experimental edge, proceeding through free associations of sounds more or less relatable to each other. Very unconventional.

The title track at the beginning exemplifies well the attitude of the Greek musician: over 18 minutes in length, the first eight are filled with prepared piano sounds and percussion (mainly skins, sometimes the tinkling of metals), abundant reverb, and effects of ritardando and accelerando due to studio manipulation; then the piece turns a page and relies on electronic sounds for the remaining ten minutes.

The other two titles, "Atom Blaster" and "Thermo Vision", are actually two parts (7 and 13 minutes) of the same piece: a large sequence of electronic impulses, separated by pauses, which leave long reverb trails.

This is a peculiar album in Vangelis's discography: curiously released on Deutsche Grammophon, one of the world's most prestigious classical music labels. An interesting listen, but it must be noted that this music is neither easy nor relaxing. The listener is not offered moments of entertainment but rather the task of tracing the invisible connections between these sounds, as the title suggests.