Volkert Kuinke is a flautist and recorder player and he is the bandleader of Syrinx Call, a band that comes from Germany. Volkert has a partner, Doris Packbier, who sings on the album, just as Isgaard, who is the partner of Jens Lueck, who completes the hardcore of the band and is a multi-instrumentalist. He plays keyboards, piano, electric guitar, bass, drums, percussion and programming. Besides all the instruments he is the lead male singer on this album. His partner in life Isgaard is the female lead singer. Jens has his own project as well. You may know him from that project, Single Celled Organism. With that project he created three albums so far. Their latest album Event Horizon was released in 2023. Besides these persons we have a lot of guest musicians who completes the album and play among others guitar, bass, violin, viola, and violincello. Mirrorneuron 2 is the fourth album of the band. Earlier they created Wind In The Woods in 2015, The Moon On A Stick in 2018 and the first part of Mirrorneuron (see review) in 2021. As you can read in the interview that is also on the website, it was not mentioned that Mirrorneuron 2 would see the light of day. But the blood creeps where it cannot go, so after a few years the idea rose to create a second part of the story. In the delivered information, that I will write under this paragraph, you can read the story of the first and second Mirrorneuron album. Kai is a complex AI robot, programmed to operate an oil drilling platform in the Arctic, and Mara is an AI therapist whose job is to manage human-AI interaction. In the first album, Kai experiences an existential crisis after finding contradictions between theory and practice which make his mission seem pointless and even dangerous according to his calculations, and when he finally suffers a system crash, Mara is called upon to help him deal with this. During his therapy sessions with Mara, Kai begins to develop the capacity for empathy. In the second album, Kai and Mara get closer as the therapy sessions continue, but instead of knocking Kai back into shape as was originally intended, it is Mara herself who begins to feel deep emotions and experience genuine empathy for the first time, and eventually to realise that something has been missing in her previously perfect and highly structured life. Normally I am not a person that is interested in stories like artificial or extraterrestrial life because it is too far from my bed. So, the theme on the first part is less interesting for me than the theme on the second part. In daily life I am a counsellor and have talkings with patients every day, investigating emotions and empathy as well, so this time the theme exactly is what I really like to hear about in music. To get an impression of what the band sounded like so far, I also listened to the first three albums. I have to admit that the first and second album did not do what the third and fourth did to me, they did not grab me by the throat. The third album had more progressive rock than the previous ones. Because this review is about the second Mirrorneuron subject, I had the hope that this part sounded more to the last album than to the first two albums of the band. I can reveal that part 2 is the best album this far. Let's have a look at this album. The album starts as how the previous ended, with a fade out and Returning with a fade in. After the fade in the album just starts with excellent playing, including the recorders of Volker. You directly feel the returning of the story that started in the first episode of Mirrorneuron. It all feels so natural that you forget that there is a time gap from five years between the albums. Towards the end you hear a nice guitar solo, as you heard on the predecessor. In that respect, you are right in the middle of it immediately. Boundless Choices starts acoustically with the beautiful voice of Doris Packbiers taken over by the other beautiful voice of Isgaard. It all sounds so fluid, even the flute and guitar solos complement each other. Organic embodiment starts a bit more up-tempo, although after a while it feels literally more organic and another time a bit of Pink Floyd passes by, but do not get used to it because then it becomes a bit heavier again with a nice keyboard solo, guitar solo and a lovely flute passage. This song is a highlight for me because of the multiple sides you can hear in the song, exactly how this music is meant to be. I can really enjoy this song. The recorders of Volker gives a nice touch to the song. Are You My Image opens with the oh so beautiful voice of Isgaard, what do I like her singing. In this song you can hear and feel her emotions in the role of Mara, the psychiatrist that is coming too close with her patient, you can feel that there is something brewing and developing in her feelings. Musical wise you can hear more up-tempo, familiar with how Mara is feeling herself in combination with the fact that therapists need to be straight and may not have relationships in any way with patients. And if the story is not at that point yet, then it is my imagination. Wheel Of Emotions is the next one and opens with the recorders, so nice. There are also spoken words, that is the translation of Kai and what he is feeling, just as what Mara is feeling. The music becomes more bombastic, just as the wheel of emotions are. There are a lot of parallels thematically, musically and lyrically. This is another great song which makes me very happy and what a pleasure to listen to. Yearning starts with Kai overthinking what is happening to him, getting feelings, although he is artificial intelligence, versus the overthinking of Mara and what is happening with her. In this song you can feel what is happening to them while they are both uncertain about what is happening. The thundering drums and heavy guitar parts reflects this so good, wow! This song is important in the story and that is why this is the longest song on the album, there is happening so much, that takes time to grow. Attachment starts with driven keyboards that carry you into the song, it is so melodious that you can only smile hearing this song, it makes you happy. The happiness grows by hearing the fantastic guitar solo that continues for a while so you can dream away. This song is almost instrumental and that is needed after all the conversations in the previous songs, it needs to be settled in your body and system. Towards the end Doris Packbiers reflects on what is happening with Mara, she holds everything inside and not allows herself in what her feelings are. That results in Emptiness, a piece of music where you can hear the violin, viola and violincello again, it fits so well in the music. You can also hear the piano and everything touches you in feeling empty inside. There needs to happen anything and that is exactly what happens in Mind Over Matter, lyrically and musically. The heavy issues are cast aside and they grow closer to each other. This is reflected in the recorder playing, that is different and more positive in this one. Here... is a short instrumental one and intermezzo to .... And Now. This one starts bombastic and gives you energy. It is another good song and reflects that the choices made by Mara and Kai for each other is totally okay. Where nothing was supposed to arise beforehand, gives a beautiful satisfaction precisely by doing it anyway. The Difference is another short song which closes the album. If I do misinterpretate the lyrics, and I do not think I do, but if so, sorry for that, then you really have my reflection in what I experienced in this music and maybe that is even important. I have to tell you that Volker plays a lot of recorders on the album, it is nice to hear all the differences in the instruments. The conclusion of this album is that it is top notch and I can only recommend it to you. But, if you are not familiar with Syrinx Call, do yourself a favor and buy both Mirrorneuron albums, they really belong to each other. I can only hope this band will make more records of this high level, I am in, even if the lyrics are more and more extraterrestrial, I really don't mind anymore!!!!! ***** Michel Stolk (edited by Dave Smith) Where to buy? |
