Detailed Reviews [Priority - 2001 - "Light Is Discomposed Into Fragments"]

Priority (Japan) - 2001 - "Light Is Discomposed Into Fragments"
(56 min, "Musea"/"Vos")

Prologue. I have never listened to Priority nor heard of this band until now. Originally, this album was released by the Japanese "Vos Records" label in the spring 2000, and "Musea" has reissued it just lately.

The Album. Musically, "Light Is Discomposed Into Fragments" represents a traditional (modern) Fusion rather than a Classic Jazz-Fusion. Very melodic and, at the same time, quite variegated interplays between electric and bass guitar solos go to the accompaniment of either slow or mid-tempo yet always 'hypnotic' parts of the drums the album throughout. While the first Invisible one begins and ends with some far ghost-like sound effects, the last tracks don't have anything otherworldly, though musically, both these tracks are ones of the most slow and mellow instrumentals, all of which have the same structures. Apart from two said tracks 1&9, other mellow pieces are the following: Red, Indigo, and Violet (tracks 2, 7 & 8 respectively). In other words, all the mid-tempo compositions are placed exactly in the middle of the album. By the way, each of the remaining four instrumentals sounds way more interesting than any of the slow ones. For example, some female phrases in Japanese are heard a few times on Yellow. Green is the album's only piece that contains a real symphonic part, though, of course, some (if not the most of the) guitar and bass solos on the album, especially slow, were also composed (invented) beforehand, but not performed impromptu in the process of recording. A lot of parts of bass guitar on Blue are actually nothing else but Hard Rock riffs, so guitar solos look here not just different from most others, but really effective. Finally, the most wonderful track on the album is Orange. In full accordance with the title, Orange, with a few different guitar and bass solos based on Eastern music, sounds very exotic, to say the least.

Summary. Priority's "Light Is Discomposed Into Fragments", consisting of light's nine fractions-tracks (I could give the Invisible ones their real colours that are White and Black or inside out), is an accessible, very melodic album, composed and performed within quite popular Light Neo Jazz-Fusion. So, as well as the majority of works of traditional modern Fusion, this album will most likely attract a large audience. All lovers of the latter style, as well as those into the latest creation of such (real) stars as Pat Matheny, Lyle Mays, George Benson, Neal Schon (once the leader of famous Journey), Joe Zavinul (once the band-leader and, most often, main mastermind of 'swinging' Jazz-Rock legend Weather Report), etc are in priority welcome into Priority's creation.

VM. September 15, 2001