Short Reviews [Robert Jyrjendal - 2016 - "Simple Past"]

Robert Jyrjendal is an innovative an experimental Estonian guitarist who has performed on more than 50 albums but is probably best known for his work with drummer Arvo Urba as the group Fragile. Unlike his most recent solo albums this sees less of a concentration on loops (which he learned by studying Robert Fripp, of course) and more on melody. He states he is influenced by styles as diverse as minimal music, classical, progressive rock, electronic soundscapes, ambient jazz and old church music, and then he uses a U8 Deluxe Touch Guitar and a large number of effects to create music which is a soundscape, gently moving from one picture of the mind to another. Often it is the drumming of Urba which provides the dynamics, contrast and textures as the tones coming from the guitar often feel muted and less powerful as they should be due to the effects which are altering the sound. While the drum feels powerful, passionate and honest, there are times when the guitarist seems almost to be lost inside a haze and world of his own creation, away from reality. For much of the time this feels almost like an album by Tangerine Dream as opposed to one purely by a guitarist, and although there is no doubt that it is interesting I also found times when it felt cloying and almost oppressive and needed a break from it. Consequently it isn’t an album to which I will often be returning although there is no doubt that it is very clever indeed, and is more for fans of the likes of Vangelis (although not as bombastic or dynamic) than it is for fans of Steve Vai. That being said, I am intrigued to discover more about Arvo Urba as it is he who does manage to somewhat bring the album to life.