Review Summary: In a musical landscape that is currently as bleak as the surface of the moon, it is a great pleasure to find something as thoroughly enjoyable and entertaining as Roger Joseph Manning Jr.’s “Solid State Warrior”
Solid State Warrior” has elements to satisfy any Jellyfish/Imperial Drag fan. From the epic "Land of Pure Imagination", with it’s sweeping chorus to the closing "Till We Meet Again", everything in between is superbly arranged and implemented.
"Land of Pure Imagination" begins as a gentle acoustic intro that explodes into a brilliant flare of psychedelic colors for the chorus. The combination of multiple vintage-style organ tracks layered over heavily flanged guitars transform this song into a journey through a world caught between Jellyfish and Imperial Drag while keeping it's own sense of identity.
"Too Late for Us Now" rocks in with a piano intro that builds through the first two verses to include subtle layers containing banjo, accordion and Wurlitzer-styled organs.
"Wish It Would Rain" eases in with harmonies floating around like a cloud of butterflies accompanied by a light piano. The majority of the song moves along a traditional stroll tempo. The lyrics are over-the-top corny on this track, and while it is a nice easy experience, it is as sugar-sweet as they come.
"The Loser" fades in from rolling drum fills and harmonies into a moderately fast tempo track. Personally, I enjoy this one immensely as it has a driving chorus, sardonic lyrics and a catchy turn of phrase. It paints the portrait of the eternal loser who dreams big, is picked last by the captain and lives unashamed in his confused world.
"Sandman" has some of the most incredible harmony tracks ever created. It puts the Byrds, Jellyfish and pretty much any other contemporary to shame considering this is one individual creating the vibe. The track itself is harpsichord laden and sounds like an eerie parlor piece. The subject matter is strange and edges into a dark, dreamlike state. A beautiful piece.
"What You Don't Know About That Girl" has a Partridge Family meets Mary Tyler Moore TV sitcom of the late sixties sound. Harpsichords, strings and horn sections keep this track firmly entrenched in a time and place found on TV Land or some other retro graveyard. Fun and dated to an extreme.
"Dragonfly" is a James Bond theme from start to finish in the style of Goldfinger, Thunderball or From Russia With Love. It has the trademark heavily reverbed guitar and a bossa nova Lowery Organ beat with strings layered heavily just behind the vocals.
"Creeple People" stands out as the most Drag-like track in the collection as it has a constant feel of hyper-produced majesty. The more substantial sound and modded vocals over the marching beat are perfectly matched. The use of a reverb/flange heavy guitar add a heavier quality to this track not seen on the majority of the other songs.
"Sleep Children" could have been a lost Jellyfish track. It uses the harp, violin sections and additional orchestral elements to create a sad lullaby. Another sweeping arrangement that evokes images of the melancholy disappointments that adorn many childhood memories.
"You Were Right" is a piano-based roller that brings to mind some of the styles popular in the latter part of the 70's with a little ELO harmonizing and chorus bass progressions marking the calendar. While many of the songs seem dated, I should probably amend my initial use of the term to point out that they still sound fresh and original even though you can imagine them having played on the air across the generations.
"'till We Meet Again" closes the CD the way it should be. I am a huge sucker for Into/Outro songs, especially when they are very blatant in their hello/goodbye message. This closer build both lyrically and musically to wrap up the whole experience.
It should be noted that a new release (re-titled “Land of Pure Imagination”) replaces three SSW songs with three newer efforts that, while not as appealing to me as the removed songs, are lovely in their own right.
