Review Summary: Music of desert and wilderness.
Of all national progressive rock scenes from non-English speaking countries only Italian scene appears to be recognized internationally as something distinct and autonomous. However, a case could be made for some other countries with strong prog traditions, and I would count Poland as one of them. Not as obvious as Portuguese or Greek legacy, but even in all the doom and gloom of Soviet (PRL) times there were already talented musicians weaving magic from those old cheap synthesizers and guitars. I’m not the biggest expert in the matter, but I think Polish prog tradition has its roots in the seventies, same as the bigger and more well-known scenes from overseas. True, at some point in 2000s everyone wanted to sound like Riverside, but a) that’s not a bad influence and b) today we are talking about an album that was released a few years before the age of Riverside. Although much later Mariusz Duda will feature on later Amarok albums as a guest, this band has always forged their own path, mainly thanks to one man’s immense talent and singular vision.
Ladies and gents, meet Michał Wojtas, a songwriter and multi-instrumentalist who is the main driving force of the whole Amarok project, although he also knows when and whom to invite to do things that he can’t do himself for his albums, such as singing or drumming. The one thing Wojtas shares with Riverside and Polish prog scene as a whole is lack of distinct Polish identity in his music. That can be expected from an album where all lyrics are sung in English and are borrowed from American feminist poets (Christina Rosetti and Emily Dickinson) and an English classic (George Gordon Byron). But musically Wojtas’ influences also lie outside of Polish borders. What matters most though is that those influences are quite diverse and go well beyond the standard prog musician package. Camel and Dire Straits. Enya and Eric Clapton. Mike Oldfield and Chopin. Wojtas gets his inspiration from the least obvious places and is perfectly able to meld all those influences into something of his own, without letting them dominate and overwhelm his own voice. “Neo Way” leans way more into world music and even Americana than into Polish musical tradition, but what matters is that the end result is just breathtaking.
“Neo Way” is certainly not a uniform, homogenous kind of album. Michał Wojtas explores every direction he wishes to take, which is why the LP does not really stay in one place. There is the prog/world music section which includes the opener and the titular suite, but we’ll talk about that part later. There is a small classical corner for two lively instrumental tracks, of which piano-based “Fifth Mount” is particularly interesting. Maybe not Frederic Chopin, but Ludovico Einaudi certainly would wish he wrote that song. Finally, there is hmmm… let’s call it singer-songwriter section, although I considered labeling it as either blues rock or Americana corner, but let’s use a more general term.
By the way, I did not mention Camel by accident. Amarok’s first album was a fully instrumental affair, but for this one Wojtas decided that some of the songs need vocals and invited quite an unusual guest for that purpose. Colin Bass, a long-time member of Camel, steps in to lend his voice to that singer-songwriter part of “Neo Way.” That batch of songs is probably the farthest away from Camel musically of the whole album, but Colin’s warm and sagely voice is a great fit. I would particularly recommend the second song “Up Hill” with its characteristic twangy guitar reminiscent of Mark Knopfler and the instrumental “On the Road” which sounds like it was taken straight out of one of those old Western movies.
But it would have been extremely unfair to highlight only Colin Bass’ vocal contribution, because he wasn’t alone. Three wonderful ladies, Lilia Wojciechowska, Marta Wojteczek, and Agnieszka Dudek are all listed as backing singers without clear indication of who does what in which song, but their contribution goes way beyond mere backing vocal duties. Their wordless vocalizations add an extra dimension to the opening track “Dajenu,” already a rich and wonderful song with everything from crafty percussion to impactful outbursts of saxophone and violin working in its favor. And on “… No More A-roving” one of the ladies sings a proper duet with Colin Bass, their voices blending together perfectly and reinforcing the song’s emotional impact tenfold.
That might be the album’s greatest strength. It does not flow perfectly with all those stylistic variations, but within every single song, when taken on its own, every moment counts and every sound matters. Drumming and percussion are increasingly important with Arthur Szolc never doing anything particularly flashy or overcomplicated, but his fills are very well calculated and aligned with the music. In fact, even “non-musical” sounds are crucial here. All that whispering and whistling, whooshing, rustling, and scratching, alongside various sounds of nature fits the music just as well and is just as integral as all the usual instruments.
That last point is especially true for the prog/world music section of the album. The above-mentioned opener already establishes the general approach: Floydian/Camel-esque guitars and the rhythm section are used as foundation on top of which Wojtas adds whatever he sees fit. The six-part suite “Neo Way” is sequenced expertly and flows perfectly without those abrupt endings of its separate elements that plague a lot of rock musicians’ attempts at writing a suite. The main difference is that “Dajenu” is defined first of all by those wordless vocalizations and the violin, whereas the titular suite is ruled by the flute. That particular instrument hasn’t been used on any of the preceding tracks, but once it appears, its presence is indisputable. I dare say, the flute parts here overtake even Camel and approach Jethro Tull level of greatness. The instrument is urgent and unpredictable, melodic and rocking at the same time, and on some parts of the suite it sounds closer to Japanese flute than to its European counterpart. The flute together with the percussion, violin, the vocals, and all those “natural” sounds create an impression that you are making your way through the jungle somewhere in Malaysia or in Philippines. However, I feel like this is the moment when words are not enough and the only way to appreciate the uniqueness of “Neo Way” suite is to actually listen to it. Which shouldn’t be that hard. For all the album’s eclectics and genre-bending it remains an incredibly listenable affair even for people who might feel intimidated by progressive rock stylings. Its melodies are unique and captivating, and the LP never feels overcomplicated or intimidating for the listener the way a lot of prog albums might feel.
Like I said, there are some issues with the album’s flow, especially since the various styles on display here are not really merged together but exist in their separate capsules. Still, when each individual song is great it’s not much of a problem. “Neo Way” is a unique album of confident vision and endless inspiration, far greater than the sum of its parts. Michał Wojtas had a big break from the music after Amarok’s third album, but as of now he remains active both within this project and as a solo artist with his penchant for musical exploration and most unlikely collaborations still intact. I just wanted to give you a taste of what the man can do. “Neo Way” is a good place to start, if you are curious.
