Detailed Reviews [Monarca - 2001 - "Majestuosa Danza de Eternidad"]

Monarca (Mexico) - 2001 - "Majestuosa Danza de Eternidad"
(41 min / #, 'AJ'/"Luna Negra")

Prologue. According to the notes in the CD booklet, "Majestuosa Danza de Eternidad" by Alejandro Julian is an album of ethereal music dedicated to life, migrations, dances of love and death of beautiful butterflies called Monarca. The Solo Pilots numbers have grown...

The Album. First off, it must be said that Alejandro Julian has a very good midi-programmer in the face of Juan Carlos Ertze (who also is the recording and mixing engineer for Banda Elastica). That's why such specific instruments as an acoustic guitar, harp, cello, flute, and oboe sound effective on the album (though, of course, their 'synthetic' origin is obvious anyway). The active use of the sounds of all of the said acoustic instruments through the MIDI on Monarca, Oruga, and Tres Pueblos (tracks 11, 9, 4 respectively) makes these pieces genuine prog winners here. All of these three compositions, but especially Tres Pueblos, contain rich and diverse symphonic arrangements based on very tasteful solos, passages and interplay between the synthetic acoustic guitar and harp, flute, etc. (While the varied chords of synthesizer serve as the pillows-backgrounds for all of the arrangements on the album.) In that way, tracks 4, 9, & 11 can be called the compositions of Symphonic Art Rock performed with electronic instruments exclusively. Exodo, Danza de Amor, and En Oyamel, (tracks 2, 6, & 7), with the "set" of instruments and arrangements, that are similar to the same details of the album's best tracks, are also good pieces. While Es Otono, De Viaje, and Danza de Amor (tracks 1, 3, & 6), representing a blend of symphonic arrangements and spacey, ambient musical landscapes, sound OK on the whole, Huevo (track 8), but especially Santuario and Crisalida (tracks 5 & 10) are nothing but truly ambient meditative-like pieces: really, they have an effect on me like soporific.

Summary. "Majestuosa Danza de Eternidad" is probably the debut album by Alejandro Julian's project Monarca since there are three excellent pieces adjoining the same number of mediocrity (from the progressive standpoint of view). Taking into consideration that all of the five remaining tracks have more or less stable structures and sound on the whole good, the latter mark should be the right rating of the album as a whole.

VM. December 13, 2001