Supermassive
Apollon, 2022
8/10
Pymlico sure did impress me with 2020’s On This Day, and here the instrumental outfit return with 8 more diverse and groove filled tunes that make great use of their keyboards, guitars, saxophone and percussion, and they even reel in some guests, too.
“Breaking Protocol” starts the listen with a very fusion-friendly landscape that welcomes Ole Michael Bjørndal on lap steel for the warm, dynamic delivery, and “Confusion” follows with the keys and guitars interacting with creative prog-influenced ideas for the soaring climate.
In the middle, “Are We There Yet?” gets a bit dreamy with soulful brass helping cultivate a jazz spirited atmosphere, while “Time Out” brings trumpet and trombone into the graceful and very pretty album highlight that builds into a fuzzed out rocker.
Near to the end, the cinematic swells of “Doppelmayr” lends itself to a hypnotic and sometimes tense demeanor, and “WTG” exits the listen soft, romantic even, where much beauty resides amid their textured ways.
A listen that is certainly prog-rock at its core, Pymlico also flirt with jazz, AOR and pop, and with the addition of new members on sax and bass, Supermassive is a high point in their esteemed catalog of music.
Travels well with: Pymlico- On This Day; Fatal Fusion- Dissonant Minds