Dimensionaut

Simon Collins, son of Genesis drummer and '80s pop icon Phil Collins, is not enviable for his lineage, especially when considering his choice of profession as a musician. Truth be told, not only is he a drummer, but his voice does sound an awful lot like his father’s, but there end the comparisons. Growing up in Vancouver, he's released three largely unnoticed records prior to Sound of Contact, which is his first group effort. Their debut, Dimensionaut sees Collins teamed up with keyboardist and long-time collaborator Dave Kerzner, and also features Matt Dorsey on guitar and Kelly Nordstrom on bass, with longtime Genesis engineer Nick Davis providing the mix. The title track opens to a contrived jumble of Siberian Khatru lyrics until "Cosmic Distance Ladder" blasts away, announcing the band's arrival. Shifting, electric, it's the typical prog rock anthem, replete with the predictable cliches bouncing over a rousing theme. From here, the bulk of the album veers toward conventional songs, which may or not be "progressive" depending on your slant. Collins definitely has his father’s knack for melody, while Kerzner envelops it all in a rich and lush sonic palette. "Pale Blue Dot" and "I Am (Dimensionaut)" are well-written and expertly executed. SoC wears their influences on their sleeve, and there's little doubt here that that just happens to be Hogarth-era Marillion, with a good measure of Porcupine Tree. The upside is a modern-sounding record, one that avoids the "retro-prog" trend completely; the downside… well, you probably already have Marillion's Brave in your record collection. As the album continues, the next five or six songs wear progressively thinner as the band dives into ballad mode. It hits a cheesy bottom on “Beyond Illumination” and “Closer To You”. That's all redeemed by "Omega Point", the album’s absolute highlight, and the epic 19 minute closer, "Moebius Slip". Make no mistake, this is a first-class production, regardless of taste, and although the influences are obvious, there’s still plenty of quality music on board. Given the large amount of hype around SoC, mostly perpetuated by Kerzner's near-manic postings on a certain prog-related chat-board, I'm happy to say Dimensionaut is a very good debut, pointing to a bright future for Sound of Contact. The tell-tale, of course, will be how the band performs live in concert. Combining with the muscle of Marillion's management and (most probably) a trust-fund bankrolling the entire SoC operation, the band is scheduled to tour the US in the fall. Ludicrously dubbed as "Bring the Prog Back”, it will feature guests from over a dozen currently active prog bands. The question however is whether SoC makes any real contact with an audience.