Some say that he is a madman, others a genius. I personally prefer the latter, viewing Copernicus as one of those great eccentrics that rock ‘n’ roll has a tendency to spawn and nurture, a crazed artist working on a plane distinctly above our own. It’s up to us to rise to his level, not expect him to lower himself to ours.
“Few men have imagination enough for reality,” is the quote from Goethe which graces the back cover of No Borderline, the fifth, and possibly the most oblique and confusing Copernicus album yet. Copernicus chants poetry like some tribal shaman, his deep baritone voice delivering mesmerizing stream-of-consciousness-styled lyrics that are backed by an amazingly diverse combination of musical styles, from progressive rock to avant-garde jazz. The ten cuts presented here aren’t so much songs, as one would expect them, but rather the many separate glimmering facets of the same musical gem.
They are best taken as a whole, the experience anything but passive as the listener is pulled into a fantasy world of Copernicus’ creation. I’ll leave it up to each individual to reach a sort of understanding as to the underlying message of No Borderline. Suffice it to say that Copernicus is that rarest of creatures, a true visionary, playing by rules of his own making on a field of his own imagination. (Nevermore Records, released 1993)
Review originally published by R.A.D! zine, October 1993
Copernicus
No comments:
Post a Comment