Label: Insideout Music
Release date: May 7, 2021
Production: Kayak
Album length: 70.53 min
Genre: Progressive Rock
Rating: 9.0/10
“Out of This World” is the eighteenth studio album from the cult Dutch prog rockers Kayak, whom most lovers of good music know best for their 1978 classic “Ruthless Queen”, which was their only commercial hit, and even that mostly on home turf. Prog connoisseurs, meanwhile, prize their seventies albums above all, even though the band has turned out a whole heap of fine work since reuniting in 1999. The latest incarnation of Kayak, which showed up in the studio on the very good “Seventeen” (2018), carries on in a similar, mostly symphonic prog-rock vein on the even more ambitious “Out of This World”.
Keyboardist and bandleader Ton Scherpenezeel, who is also the last original member, the producer and the author of most of the music, made sure “Out of This World” practically drowns in rich and often pompous orchestral arrangements. Still, Kayak, who have always sworn by the melodic structure of their songs, have long liked to work plenty of art rock elements into their eclectic music on top of the strong symphonic prog ones. One of the key factors behind those art rock ‘spices’ is the vocal approach of guitarist Marcel Singor, who at times recalls the legendary David Bowie, while lead singer Bart Scwhertmann often sounds a lot like former Kayak vocalist Edward Reekers.
“Out of This World” is an album pretty much tailor-made for the longtime fans and lovers of melodic symphonic prog with art rock shades, with no pop-rock moments and no big experimental tangles. It often sounds like it was made sometime in the second half of the seventies, when Kayak were in the middle of their greatest artistic bloom. The biggest criticism goes to the closing stretch of the album, especially the last two tracks, which aren’t up to the level of most of the rest and leave a somewhat drawn-out final impression. Had “Out of This World” been, say, two tracks shorter, that would have been just right, and it wouldn’t go slightly watery at the end.
The opening and title track, “Out of This World”, is a great way to kick off the album. It has all the hallmarks of a Kayak classic: pompous baroque arrangements, dramatic build-ups, layered vocals, superb harmonies between guitar and keyboards, interesting guitar phrases and an epic chorus. On the art rock-leaning “Waiting”, another splendid piece with a brilliant chorus and a mysterious mood, Singor’s vocal kinship with Bowie is more than obvious. Even the structure of this track recalls something Bowie could have come up with, which says a lot about how eclectic Kayak’s music is overall.
“Under a Scar”, with its dazzling fusion of dramatic symphonic arrangements and mighty vocal harmonies, keeps up the great impression left by the album’s opening stretch. “Kaja” is a wistful instrumental with a melancholic guitar solo and piano accompaniment, probably dedicated to some femme fatale named Kaja. With this short but atmospherically rich instrumental, Kayak pretty deftly dodged a potential sugary ballad.
“Mystery”, another “Out of This World” highlight and a very successful cross between symphonic prog and arena rock that often sounds like it was written around 1978, has ‘Queen-esque’ vocal harmonies, a mighty central melody and epic symphonic arrangements. “Critical Mass” can likewise be called a future Kayak classic, with some very interesting instrumental passages, wonderfully colorful keyboard and guitar harmonies, a mighty guitar solo and a fine vocal performance from Schwertmann. “As The Crow Flies” is an atmospherically very dynamic ballad with a melancholic central arrangement and colorful layered vocals, which, thanks to its ‘folksy’ lyrics, will probably appeal to fans of the modern heroes of romantic symphonic prog, Big Big Train, too. “The Way She Said Goodbye” is another dynamic ballad with lavish symphonic-acoustic arrangements. Before anyone can fire off the words ‘one ballad is more than enough’ from the hip, they should be warned that this is far from some sugary ‘sappy little ditty’.
“Traitor’s Gate”, relatively punchy by usual Kayak standards but suitably pompous, is yet another very successful cross between symphonic prog and arena rock, and thanks to its epic mood and mighty guitar and keyboard harmonies it will surely please fans of the cult band Magnum as well. “Distance To Your Heart” is just as likable: despite its love-song lyrics, it’s no sugary ballad but an atmospherically very intense composition with pompous layered vocals and dynamic orchestral arrangements.
“Red Rag To a Bull” opens with nostalgic-sounding mini Moog passages and quickly shifts into a highly eclectic symphonic prog-rock standard. The ballad “One By One” is the first moment on the album where things go slightly ‘sour’, and the only ballad on the record that can be called a bit syrupy and drawn out. The closing section doesn’t save it either, sounding like the soundtrack to Santa saying goodbye to the kids after he’s successfully handed out all the presents.
The epic masterpiece “A Writer’s Tale”, on the other hand, is one of the highlights of “Out of This World” and would actually have worked better as the closer, since the next two tracks are by no means on the same level. Here Kayak ‘give it their all’ again and create an atmospherically and arrangement-wise extremely eclectic composition that cements the generally very good impression “Out of This World” leaves. The final two compositions, “Cary”, seasoned with an overly jolly, ‘ring-around-the-rosie’ atmosphere, and the melancholic but somewhat dull “Ship of Theseus”, don’t fit in with the rest of “Out of This World” at all and would have been better off as bonus tracks on a special edition.
Only someone for whom Kayak are complete strangers will be surprised that “Out of This World” is on par with the best work of these Dutch prog-rock champions. Even though the last two tracks and the superfluous ballad somewhat spoil the otherwise thoroughly thrilling picture, “Out of This World” is definitely among the top contenders for best prog rock album of 2021. You’d have a hard time counting on the fingers of one hand the bands from the golden age of progressive rock (the seventies) who still make albums as good as the current version of Kayak manages to.
Author: Peter “Dr. ProgRock” Podbrežnik
Track list:
1. Out Of This World
2. Waiting
3. Under A Scar
4. Kaja
5. Mystery
6. Critical Mass
7. As The Crow Flies
8. The Way She Said Goodbye
9. Traitor’s Gate
10. Distance To Your Heart
11. Red Rag To A Bull
12. One By One
13. A Writer’s Tale
14. Cary
15. Ship Of Theseus
Line-up:
Bart Schwertmann – vocals, backing vocals
Ton Scherpenzeel – keyboards, vocals, backing vocals
Marcel Singor – guitar, vocals, backing vocals
Kristoffer Gildenlöw – bass guitar, vocals, backing vocals
Hans Eijkenaar – drums
Guest musicians:
Maria-Paula Majoor – violin
Daniel Torrico Menacho – violin
Francesco Vulcano – violin
