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Review:
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Lalo Huber is the outstanding keyboard player and co-founder
of the acclaimed Argentine progrock formation Nexus, one
of my favourite bands in this decade, I love their compelling
and bombastic, vintage keyboard drenched climates! Along
the Nexus albums Detrás del Umbral (1999), Metanoia (2001),
Live at NearFest 2000 (2002), Perpetuum Karma (2006) and
Buenos Aires Free Experience (2007) and the participation
of Nexus in the Colossus/Musea projects Odyssey, Treasure
Island and Dante’s Inferno, Lalo Huber also collaborated
in the side-project named Subliminal (featuring Nexus members
Luis Nakamura and Lito Marcello) with the CD Limbo Experiment
in 2008. In progressive terms it’s an interesting album
but for my ‘conservative ears’ it sounds a bit too experimental
and too far away from Lalo’s work in Nexus. So I was very
curious to his first solo album entitled Lost In Kali Yuga,
the name in the title is derived from an ancient Indian
doctrine. -
To me Lost In Kali Yuga (10 songs, running time 78 minutes)
sounds as a more logical solo effort for the Nexus aficionados
than his project Subliminal. Several instrumental tracks
are close to the atmospheres on the Nexus albums like Universal
Legion (a tight rhythm with bombastic keyboards), The Entangled
World - Lost In Kali Yuga Part I (sensational synthesizer
flights and swirling Hammond solo) , In The Labyrinth -
Lost In Kali Yuga - Part II (Vintage Keyboard Heaven) and
The Hecatomb - Lost In Kali Yuga Part IV (splendid ‘ELP
tribute’ with dynamic work by drummer Luis Nakamura). In
other songs Lalo Huber has tastefully worked out ideas that
differ from his work in Nexus: an electronic climate with
a spacey intro, classical orchestrations, pleasant synthesizer
drops and in the end sequencing that remind me of early
Jean-Michel Jarre in All Computers Die and a swinging, jazzy
oriented electric piano sound, blended with the melancholical
sound of the bandoneon and some vibraphone in the varied
Last Trip In Buenos Aires. The four songs with vocals (in
decent English but I prefer the more emotional undertone
in the beautiful Spanish language) often deliver a romantic
atmosphere: twanging acoustic guitar and a bandoneon sound
along slow synthesizer flights in Still I Sense Your Hand,
a lush, very compelling keyboard sound with again in the
final part JM Jarre-like sequencing in Back To Dust, classical
orchestrations and an electronic middle-section in the only
disappointing track To Play And Die (too long, halfway my
attention slips away) and exciting interplay between the
omnipresent electric piano runs and Minimoog-like synthesizer
flights in Failed To Feel - Lost In Kali Yuga Part III.
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I am sure this wonderful, keyboard driven first Lalo
Huber solo CD will please many Nexus aficionados and 'vintage
keyboard' freaks, recommended!
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