Phideaux - Orion

Phideaux – Orion

Bloodfish Music

I’ve been a fan of Xavier Phideaux ever since I heard (and bought) his Snowtorch album. It completely blew me away.Prog, art rock, psychedelic—whatever you want to call it—Phideaux creates brilliant songs. In 2011, shortly after the release of Snowtorch, he and his 10-piece band set up their equipment in Mike Potter’s Orion Studio in Baltimore. They played a live set in that studio, and now, 15 years later, this concert has been released on double CD and triple vinyl. Due to the small stage, some of the vocal mics picked up a bit of the drum spill, so a few vocal parts had to be touched up, but otherwise, what you hear is exactly what the band played live.

And what a concert it must have been! The sound quality of this album is fantastic. To introduce the band—or rather, the orchestra: Ariel Farber (violin, vocals), Valerie Gracious (vocals), Bloody Rich Hutchins (drums), Matthew Kennedy (bass), Gabriel Moffat (electric guitar), Linda Ruttan-Moldawsky (vocals, sound effects), Molly Ruttan  (vocals, percussion), Mark Sherkus (keyboards), Johnny Unicorn (keyboards, vocals), and, of course, Phideaux Xavier himself on acoustic guitar and vocals.

Expect beautiful renditions of "Snowtorch (Pt. 1)", "Helix" (featuring a touch of Jethro Tull influence, even without the flute), "Microdeath Softstar", "Waiting for the Claws", "Crayfish", and "Coronal Mass"—though all 16 tracks are absolute stunners. The signature Phideaux rhythms and melodic lines shine throughout the entire album. The vocals across the board are breathtaking, accompanied by sublime guitar work, lovely keyboard textures, and a tight rhythm section holding it all together.

I really wish I had been there, as it must have been a truly magical evening.

Hot on the heels of his recent—and equally fantastic—album AutoMoto Animus, Xavier Phideaux delivers yet another gem. This is simply outstanding!