Artist: Work of Art
Label: Frontiers Records
Release: 2011
Runtime: 55:13
Rating: 5/5
Work Of Art are fantastic Swedish AOR revivalists who first put themselves on the map three years ago with their full-length debut “Artwork”! The wider music world and the critics took it in and welcomed it with open arms. And not without reason. Among AOR rock and new releases, “Artwork” was without a doubt right at the top, if not out front on the podium of 2008.
Three long years of waiting paid off and then some, and Work Of Art, as the aptly chosen album title honestly hints, are moving forward with decisive steps. Even with the debut they made it clear that they cultivate a kind of melodic rock principle that’s soaked throughout in a clear sense of positive mental attitude, the attitude of a person who fearlessly stands up to the small battles they go through in the everyday orbit of their own life.
The band formed back in 1992, and yet quite a bit of water passed under the bridge before they ripened to the point where the word became flesh. Scandinavians like Work Of Art are big perfectionists who get sound and its rich contrasts, with plenty of breadth. They dig into the whole arsenal of solutions the studio offers with a big ladle and squeeze the maximum out of the results without any trouble, since they obviously only feel satisfied with the work once they’re 100% sure they haven’t made a single mistake, however innocent.
The stance of “In Progress” is a further deepening of the character of the debut “Artwork”. That means Work Of Art still stick to the basics of AOR cues that draw inspiration from the American AOR approach that arose on the West Coast, like Journey and Survivor. But they don’t lack the cunning that comes with rich experience and plenty of musical miles under the belt, when we face a track like Fall Down and the closing One Step Away, because the listener simply can’t shake the feeling that the great role models of Work Of Art are one of the most refined rock outfits of all time – Toto. They already stirred up those feelings on the debut with the song Camelia, and the musical solutions in these new tracks flirt with elements of Toto’s music once again. Of course, it’s not a copy! It’s just an integration of certain structures like the undercurrent of the percussion rhythms, the type of synth sound, and in the instrumental part of One Step Away even a conversation between the guitar riff and the keyboards that picks up some jazz tricks in the soloing.
Despite those quirks, Work Of Art are still representatives of the Scandinavian school of melodic rock . The melody of the lead motifs is clearly closer to hard rock acts like Treat, the AOR crew Bad Habit or, if you like, in the final tally even ABBA than to anything else, while the sense in comparing them with the “west coast” approach lies hidden in the production of the sound. Once Again, for instance, is a mid-tempo track arranged in such a way that it would work brilliantly with Survivor, Pride Of Lions or on a solo record by former Survivor singer Jimi Jamison. So: a “soft” approach, with detailed, sophisticated shaping of the sound structures and a clear spotlight on each individual building block. The contrast between the collage of keyboard curtains and the use of guitar phrases (deliberately voiced a bit higher) comes through clearly, with crystal-clear sound and seasoned contrasting. When the low notes of the bass lines join in on top of that, the sound itself reaches an extraordinary three-dimensional profile, a full symbiosis of building blocks where none takes the lead and there’s perfect balance between them. Add the cherry on top, the technically flawless vocals of Lars Säfsund, plus the obligatory multi-part vocal harmonies joining in on the choruses, which deepen the rich theatrical mood and the stage-show atmosphere of the packed midrange! These keep the album in high dynamic development across its whole running time and never let the listener catch their breath, since they’re busy the entire time fully enjoying the high spirits of contrasting moods. The Great Fall is a prime example of the pure triumph of this kind of composing, the rhetoric of reaching absolute perfection! In the verse, Castaway stirs up the energy of the first two albums by the super rock outfit Alliance, thanks above all to the lead guitar phrase (a light bluesy veil) and to the way Lars Säsfund delivers the verses, which even comes close to Robert Berry.
It’s hard to single out highlights on “In Progress”. Find them yourself. This thrilling album doesn’t know a flaw. It’s tuned flawlessly. It’s an album that fills the listener with extraordinary positive vibes, which is more the exception than the rule today, compared with the eighties, when the world was still full of optimism and a positive attitude of creative enthusiasm, and AOR rode on the giant wings of mass support.
Among today’s attempts by younger-generation bands at melodic rock /AOR revivalism – which, as a rule, mostly come from Scandinavia – “In Progress” is the album that, through its captured atmosphere, brings the listener closest to the golden age of AOR. Let’s hope this album throws the doors wide open for the band, so Work Of Art can head out on tour and finally bring their musical splendor to life on stage . “In Progress” is a masterpiece that all you inconsolable “eighties” nostalgics and melodic rock fans have to add to your collection.
Lineup
Lars Säfsund – vocals
Robert Sall – guitar, keyboards
Herman Furin – drums
Production
Work Of Art
Track list
1. The Rain
2. Nature Of The Game
3. Once Again
4. Never Love Again
5. Eye Of The Storm
6. Until You Believe
7. The Great Fall
8. Call On Me
9. Emelie
10. Fall Down
11. Castaway
12. One Step Away
