Thomas Glönkler is the frontman of the German neo-prog band ICU. Thirty years ago, ‘Now and Here’ was released, exploring human existence through a confrontation with our inner nature. Now, the remastered version, Now and Here – 30th Anniversary Edition, has been released.
‘One Life (i) The Spirit Of Nature’ starts very softly. Slowly, the music becomes slightly louder, but the melancholic atmosphere remains. After a faster section, there is a sudden return to calm, although this is different from the beginning. This intriguing section flows into ‘One Life (ii) The Spirit Of Man’, and the rhythm becomes catchy. Ralf Großmann’s distinctive voice comes to the fore. The sound of a music box forms the transition to “One Life (iii) Magic Eyes”. The gentle music creates a serene atmosphere. The calm vocals are sometimes quite high. The sudden change is unexpected at first. Listening again, you know exactly when this wonderful change takes place, because it is at the perfect moment in terms of the lyrics.
The first part of “Another Life” is slow but captivating. There are quite a few changes, especially in the instrumental parts. Both the individual vocals and the harmony between Eva-Maria Baumann and Ralf are good, but sometimes a little sugary. Part of the lyrics are spoken, the music is now calm, bringing out the sombre feelings of a person. The music speeds up, and there seems to be more confidence in the future. There are a few more twists and turns, but the positive feeling remains.
“The Same Old Way” is a calm vocal track, followed by the instrumental “Two Steps Ahead Of Time (i)”. Its follow-up, “Two Steps Ahead Of Time (ii) Dolphin’s Ride,” is very different. The vocals are so distorted at the beginning that they are barely understandable. This fits well with the whole, and you can also read along in the booklet. Also in “A Pair Of Hands”, the blend between the low tones and the faster, high tones is very good.
A touch of music and sampled shouting/singing in the background give the intro to ‘Challenge Of The Unknown (i) In The Dark’ a surreal atmosphere. This is intensified by the fact that the words are barely understandable. When the vocals are understood, the special atmosphere remains. Vocals and music become minimalistic, every sung word can be understood. Volume and tempo are slowly built up. The inner struggle seems to be expressed in this particular track.
‘Challenge Of The Unknown (ii) Greater Unknown’ has a more optimistic feel. The instrumental “Challenge Of The Unknown (iii) Now And Her” features compelling guitar playing, among other things. The CD seems to end, but continues in a calm manner, again with a surreal sound. ‘In Every Stranger’s Eyes’ has a fairly slow, sober start. After a number of changes, the music fades out. Music. The melodic sounds sound like the “singing” by whales or dolphins. After this, you hear different voices, mixed with a touch of music, and slowly it becomes completely silent. This is the end of a special album.
The bass is pleasantly prominent. The balance between the low and high tones is good. The same applies to the balance between rhythm and melody and the (layered) vocals and music. In addition, the layers in the music are well divided.
The CD comes with a code to download bonus material. This includes live recordings and an interview. If you would like to know more, you can take a look at Bandcamp
(82/100) (Weltenblau)
Tracklist:
01 – One Life (i) The Spirit Of Nature – 06:41
02 – One Life (ii) The Spirit Of Man – 01:45
03 – One Life (iii) Magic Eyes – 04:51
04 – Another Life – 11:15
05 – The Same Old Way – 05:14
06 – Two Steps Ahead Of Time (i) F.M. 1916 – 01:38
07 – Two Steps Ahead Of Time (ii) Dolphin’s Ride – 05:12
08 – A Pair Of Hands – 06:03
09 – Challenge Of The Unknown (i) In The Dark – 05:55
10 – Challenge Of The Unknown (ii) Greater Unknown – 01:55
11 – Challenge Of The Unknown (iii) Now And Here – 03:05
12 – In Every Stranger’s Eyes – 06:00
Line up:
Eva-Maria Baumann:
– Flute and backing vocals
Hartwig Dieterich:
– Bass
Thomas Glönkler:
– Electric and Acoustic Guitar
Ralf Großmann:
– Vocals, Rhythm and Acoustic Guitar
Steffen Herrmann:
– Keyboards
Joachim Lauber:
– Drums