PIXIE NINJA – Colours Out of Space
- Posted on 01-09-2020
I distinctly recall being blown away by Pixie Ninja’s energetic and intense performance at the 2018 rendition of the Close to the Rain prog festival in Bergen and their debut offering (“Ultrasound”) was pretty damn cool too. This talented bunch is back with a brand-new record and there are two reasons why this stellar opus rules:
1) It is an utterly satisfying listen from top to bottom and a musically remarkable (and wildly challenging and addictive) disc that we are dealing with here.
2) As the album title so neatly suggests, the song material is inspired by and revolves around the immortal H.P. Lovecraft and some of the short stories that said legend wrote.
“Colours Out of Space” is an instrumental neo-prog rock offering, but it sounds and feels as if it is much more than that. In some ways, it could be a deranged soundtrack but then it is also highly sophisticated and downright exquisite and beautiful at times too. There is a great flow to this delightfully unpredictable piece of work, and the whole affair is dramatic and efficient not to mention intense. Certain parts are colored by an ominous aura whereas others are draped in melancholy, but overall, its five sprawling compositions come across as otherworldly, and I love the way in which the melodies evoke vibes and moods that move seamlessly from cosmic and strange to deeply unsettling and intimately sinister. The use of electronics is superb too and lends bombast to the proceedings while the seemingly infinite amount of layers and nuances that course through “Colours Out of Space” will suck you in and keep your mind occupied for hours on end and tickle all the senses. My only complaint is that the production and sound of this otherwise innovative LP lacks a bit of warmth in places and could have been a little more rough around the edges to these ears, but this is minor issue and hardly worth mentioning now that I think about it.
If you have not already read enough to know that this awe-inspiring album rules, then you probably do not deserve it!