Robert Fox Into the Light

Robert's 4th solo outing, so eagerly awaited by his fans, is at last here - and let me waste no time in telling you that it's as good as I'd hoped - and that means very good. All the essential Robert Fox elements can be found in abundance - massive symphonic textures, beautiful themes and superb use of power and subtlety. New to the scene are samples which up to now Robert has largely shied away from. The American Indian samples in the second track 'Brother Earth' do bring to mind the 'Sacred Spirits' album but the combination with Roberts symphonic textures is a perfect match. The piece is topped and tailed by 2 tracks which feature a child's voice and overall the trio have sublime power. 'A New Day' follows, revelling in strident piano and a clear rhythm which brings to mind the 'Blue Mountains Suite', especially the 'Into the Mountains' track. 'Into the Light' has depth created by dense synth textures which pick out the main theme accompanied by a female voice overlay reminiscent of Asana's 'Trikuti'. 'Somewhere Out There' is a masterpiece of power harmonics with infectious themes aplenty. Rhythmically his work seems to have developed more of an edge, as demonstrated by the beat which kicks in near the end of this piece. Possibly the stand-out piece for me is 'Shadowed Lands' which builds colossal walls of sound backed by an almost industrial collage of effects. This is Robert Fox at his most inspirational. His ability to create spine tingling sonic vistas almost at will is astounding. 'Lights, Pictures, Sensations' drives home on a heavy percussive highway which is embellished by yet more memorable themes, and with electric guitar detail. 'Nearer Than Before' uses effects to bridge to the final piece 'Sister Earth' which is a continuation and development of 'Brother Earth' with more rich rhythms and that mesmeric theme an ever present feature. A pipey synth is sequenced to accompany the beat giving the piece a very uptempo air. So, all in all this is another completely stunning album from Robert Fox. I'm please to see that he hasn't departed radically from his previous works, instead carefully refining his style and adding new features where necessary in a very controlled and precise manner. Perhaps Robert is consciously steering more radical exploration to the Code:Indigo project, leaving his solo albums to nurture his own "formula" - a phrase which is used many times in a negative sense but in Robert Fox's case nothing could be wider of the mark. 'Into the Light' is formula brilliance. (GG)

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