Art rock/prog rock artist Tyler Kamen just put out his 15th release and it is a heavenly journey with some nostalgic and some modern/fresh elements spliced in between. I had the pleasure of reviewing this underrated gem and let me tell you why it’s getting much less hype than it deserves.
The album begins with the beautiful intro “Introduction – Future X” which serves as an introduction to the space opera sound that we will listen to throughout the record. The first track gave the album its name and is a grandiose song that introduces us to the melodic guitars and keyboards and the phenomenal drumming that accompanies them. If someone told me this album was done in the 70s/80s then I wouldn’t have doubted them for a millisecond. The following track “Gnome City Labs” has a very characteristic and memorable guitar riff that remained as my favorite part of the record even after so many listens to it. The fourth track, “Splitting Atoms”, has a more ominous vibe and as the story of the album progresses I could feel that this part was full of wonder and that a lot of surprises unfolded themselves here. It’s an upbeat track that’s relatively short but highly impactful and spooky-sounding. There is a jazzy section in its ending that had my eyes open and my jaw dropping by how complex it sounded. After that, we have the “Breaking News” interlude before “Vegetable Medley” starts. The latter of those is a four-minute track that tells the story of the vegetable parade…and it’s still a mystery to me how Tyler can paint a mental picture with his ambient and added sounds. The song sounds like what a marching band would play in an actual parade or carnival. With its keyboards and other-worldly vocals, every transition felt like a merchant showcasing the “vegetables” they are offering. The song’s many changes are also showcases of how T guys can change the main instrument that’s carrying the melody, without the song losing its main theme and vibes and I truly appreciated how committed he is to the storytelling.
After that we have the jazzy “Are You Mutant?”, and the short intermission, and then the wonderful track “Detective Sheriff” begins. This track felt like one giant guitar-keyboard battle. It’s highly melodic, has a great rhythm, and has impactful vocals that keep you engaged and invested in the story even if you cannot fully grasp the events on your first listen to the album. The following track, “Lights Over Zezop Way”, was more percussive than melodic and it had me banging my head and up on my feet to dance along to its masterful rhythm. Tyler seems to love playing such complex rhythm parts that will confuse you (in all the good ways) as you listen to them. The song’s transitions are beautiful and every section complements the other while propelling the story forward. “Cruciferous Creepers” has a sad melody played by the keys and melodic guitars, and shortly after, melancholic vocals join as well. It is one of the tracks where you can taste the Pink Floyd influence here, but it still fits very well with the sound and concept of its album and the unique brand of sound that the band has made for themselves…it transitions to an upbeat/uptempo section in the ending.
After that, we are taken to the following track, “Street Fight”, which is fast-paced and moving. The refraining melody that serves as a hook between the verses had screaming every time it played because they played it so fast and it is such a beautiful and impactful part that stops the verses from what they are doing every time. This song’s surprises don’t just stop at that one transition though, because there is a bigger one to an even faster tempo, with a more complex drum beat before the ending of the song…and guess what…the ending is that same fast arpeggio from the previous transition that I grew to love. This has definitely got to be my favorite track on this album. The album is drawing to a close with the 15th track, “You Are Mutant!” which has some similar melodies from the tracks before it. The way this record is a concept album in terms of sound and not just lyrics will never cease to amaze me. Being a sequel to the track that asked the question “Are You Mutant?” It has parts from its guitar and vocal lines.
The 16th and final track, “Conclusion – Bamboozle Reprise”, is exactly what the name suggests, and then some more. This glorious conclusion brings back hints from previous melodies and merges together the electronic elements with the rock elements in a way that hones these guys’ compositional skills and proves that Tyler is a living legend and musical genius that just made a timeless classic. You know that the album will be a memorable masterpiece when you have heard some melodies repeatedly and you are still invested in listening to them. You will want to repeat this album anyway because of the story and how it keeps the listener coming back to enjoy it and to have fun with this very unique space-themed rock opera. They don’t make records like this anymore these days, so snatch the opportunity and give “The Bamboozle Tesseract” a listen and I promise you won’t regret it.
