Stephan Micus
Wings Over Water

 ★★★

I was pretty unimpressed with one of the other Micus releases I listened to so I wasn't expecting that much going into this. Glad to say that it exceeded some of my expectations. He stays true to his encompassing "world" style of music, which includes instrumentation from regions all over the globe. 

The first track is a good starting point for I'd say Micus's style in general, with its middle eastern flute and backing guitar. The second song features his vocals, which for me, left a lot to be desired. From the end of the third track on it's actually a pretty cohesive and interesting project. While I do respect his immense talent in being able to play such a large number of instruments, the magic of it is sometimes lost on me. 

Another thing is that this music seems somewhat fragile; way too much, and in that sense also unsure of itself. Like a really weak and thin glass vase that while might initially look pretty, it has no use and takes up too much space. While it might seem like I'm really shitting on this album I think it was just not something I'm looking for right now. 

I do recognize the importance of this style and sound too, as it really defined the ECM label and introduced these culturally important and unique instruments to the world. Maybe I'll just take some time before venturing back into the world of Mr. Micus. 

Favorite Song: Part 3

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