Animator, artist, filmmaker and musician, JT Bruce, is one tough act to follow. He describes himself as having an “eye for the bizarre and an ear for the unusual” and this clearly shows in his music.
For The Dreamer’s Paradox, Bruce creates a complicated yet hypnotic compilation where progressive music resonates. This is the second record for the artist. The album itself is a bit old, about 5 years today but it still manages to impress plenty of listeners out there.
His first album, Anomalous Material, gained quite a response and this one is no exception either. However, the artist noticeably takes his sound a little deeper, creating more diversity and layers to his instruments unlike before.
The Dreamer’s Paradox is an epic compilation that is filled with JT’s signature guitar solos and pure rock and roll aesthetic. Starting things with Plunge Into Hyperreality, the song makes me think of Racer X since it seems to fit nicely in their musical catalog. The fast, near marathon beat gives the track a good pace allowing listeners to take in much of the guitars without overkill. There are moments when the tempo slows down in the middle and more melodic instances take over; giving it a lovely balance.
Like any good prog compilation, you also get the more “subdued” tracks apart from the ones that feature crazy guitars and drumming. Some of the more mellow ones included here are The Verge of Illusory Light; and the Fantasia-like soundtrack, A Skeptic’s Hypothesis. Both songs are perfect if you like having relaxing prog music serenading your quiet moments.
Although there’s a lot going on in some of the songs, each one is always exciting and doesn’t bog listeners down. It’s like a nice busy street where you take pleasure in seeing/watching people with different fashion tastes and styles. Worth the checkout if you have a soft spot for prog.
You can grab the download along with Bruce’s other compilations over at Jamendo. All of them are offered for free under a Creative Commons license.
Related Links:
JT Bruce on Jamendo
JT Bruce Official Website
JT Bruce on Last FM
JT Bruce on Twitter
JT Bruce on Facebook
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