THEO

The Game Of Ouroboros

2015-03-05

THEO is a Lansing, Michigan prog rock band fronted by renowned organist Jim Alfredson. In accordance with the genre, their album "The Game of Ouroboros" marries elements of classical and instrumental music with that of rock and roll. Alfredson's skill on the keys, whether in the form of synth, organ, or bare piano, is featured prominently throughout the album, but there's no shortage of driving guitar and drum solos. While most songs abandon the traditional structure of a traditional rock and roll song in favor of a more orchestral arrangement, the songs on "The Game of Ouroboros" are compelling enough in aura and content to draw any listener in.

This album is a work of dystopian fiction that hits close to home. The title track of the album opens with an unsettling futuristic phone recording, and later treats human passivity and being subject to the influences of corporations and media who lure us into complacency, and when we rebel, capitalize on it. "The Blood that Floats my Throne" is essentially about income inequality, and the implications of achieving great wealth. The album even treats the phenomenon of football team worship in "Idle Worship." The flow of the tracks, ethereal synth sounds, and rock influences, in concert with the elaborate and beautiful CD artwork all work to create a dystopian universe that looks disturbingly familiar.

review by Marie

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