MECHANICAL POET

Entia non sunt multiplicanda praeter necessitatem. Entities should not be multiplied beyond necessity — the famous "Razor" of the great medieval theologian and logician William of Ockham — this formulation stands alongside the works of Aristotle in its influence on scientific knowledge. So, if there's a simple solution, there's no need to complicate things — wonderful — but damn it, why take everything so literally... The third release from MECHANICAL POET does match how they characterized themselves after the second one came out: if punk motifs sounded more like an additional element there, the current release has added considerably in that department. At the same time, the Eastern-styled melodies still lend a stunning flavor, the keyboard parts are beyond reproach, nobody showcases particular technical prowess on the album, and the only instrument that truly shines is the drums — well, we'll take what we can get. The album is very melodic and easy to listen to, yet the compositions are monotonous to an indecent degree. If the creators' goal was to release a pop-oriented record with even-keeled sound that would be listened to without emotion, as excellent background music, they achieved it. But if the goals were different, then forgive me... there's absolutely nothing to listen to here. The keyboard parts are beautiful, sure, but honestly, from a MECHANICAL POET album you potentially expect something entirely different — melodic instrumental tracks are composed far more successfully by new age masters like Vangelis, Kitaro, and others. While listening to the disc, you can calmly carry on a conversation, eat, work, study — in short, it doesn't tear you away from life. The question is: what's the point of all this grandeur about supposedly eclectic and unique sound that we read about in press releases and interviews? Be simpler in that regard too, dear musicians. As a postscript: Jerry Lenin still hasn't learned to sing. It might be worth pursuing something else in life.