Release Date: November 15, 2019
Label: Gentle Art of Music
German sci-fi prog rockers, RPWL is back with a collection of 14
live tracks that will lift you, launch you into hyperspace, and land you safely
in your living room, inspired by the journey. The best live albums serve to
showcase a band’s greatest hits stripped of any studio production varnish. This
brings the music closer to reality and closer to the feeling that summoned the
listener in the first place. Live from Outer Space is no
exception.
Since their modest beginnings as a Pink Floyd cover band in the
late ’80s, RPWL’s sound has evolved into a sophisticated, accessible
progressive sound. I wouldn’t say the influence is Pink Floyd as a whole, but
more specifically, David Gilmour. Yogi Lang’s subtle yet menacing voice is
similar to Gilmour’s as it seems to emerge with an enlightened authority, like
a God summoning his followers from on high. Lang guides his passengers through
the wonders of the universe, prophesizing on what might live beyond our
understanding. Think of Pink Floyd’s post-Roger Waters years with a deep-space
sci-fi undercurrent.
Live from Outer Space marks their seventh live
album compared to ten studio albums. RPWL is proud of their live work, offering
reinvented versions only the unrestrained freedom of a live performance can
bring forth.
Live performances also bring forth the opportunity to craft
setlists that flow together cohesively. RPWL weave in the narration, which
intertwines the songs into a storyline of sorts. Admittedly, during “News from
Outer Space,” I had to fight off the image from Spinal Tap of Nigel Tufnel
waxing poetically about the little children of Stonehenge as a two-foot-high
prop is lowered onto the stage. This is hardly RPWL’s fault as Spinal Tap
ruined any attempt for legitimate bands of the future to attempt any dramatic
narration on stage.
Where others zig and zag, RPWL swerves and glides through the
infinite vastness of space and time. A smoother ride than some of prog rock’s
jagged journeys, RPWL delivers to their fans new takes on old favorites and provides
new listeners an accessible entry point into prog rock. So, set your controls
for the heart of the sun, RPWL will take you on a satisfying ride you’ll want
to take again and again.
Key Tracks Include: “Not Our Place to Be”, “Roses”, “Hole
in the Sky”, “Sleep”
Tom Endyke - MuzikMan.net Staff
October 25, 2019
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Tracks
Tracks:
CD1
1. A New World
2. Welcome to the Freak Show
3. Light of the World
4. Not Our Place to Be
5. What I Really Need
6. Give Birth to the Sun
7. Far Away from Home
CD2
1. Hole in the Sky
2. Sleep
3. Masters of War
4. Trying to Kiss the Sun
5. Roses
6. Unchain the Earth
Tracks:
CD1
1. A New World
2. Welcome to the Freak Show
3. Light of the World
4. Not Our Place to Be
5. What I Really Need
6. Give Birth to the Sun
7. Far Away from Home
CD2
1. Hole in the Sky
2. Sleep
3. Masters of War
4. Trying to Kiss the Sun
5. Roses
6. Unchain the Earth