Mindgames

:: Review ::

As a point of reference, I would like to recommend that fans of Pendragon give a listen to the Belgian band Mindgames and their first full album “International Daylight”, mainly due to the similarities of vocalists Bart Schram and Nick Barrett. At times the pitch, inflections, and cadence of Schram’s voice mirrors Barrett’s to an uncanny degree, whether intentional or not. As for the music itself, Pendragon’s is more straightforward and polished, while Mindgame’s tends to embellish some of their pieces with instrumentation to deliver a Baroque flavor, as well as changing the direction of some songs midstream, which Pendragon is not as apt to do.

Mindgame’s writing style is quite poetic, and the band’s name seems a reflection of their subject matter. Our internal struggles with alcohol are addressed in “Mental Argue”, with self- perception in “An Approach to Mankind”, and our projected image and self- assurance in “Dreaming the Circus”. “Beggar’s Breakfast” is a short, melancholy piece combining acoustic guitar, piano, and cello as the vocalist observes our widely varying responses to life’s tragedies. Man’s external struggles over our place in the universe are addressed in “Signs From the Sky” and “Factory of Illusions”, pondering the yearning for an ultimate cosmic or heavenly state of being as we try to get our life in tune while earthbound. The CD’s title “International Daylight” applies to the track “Selling the Moon”, where the singer sees himself as a far- off observer of the world, a global perspective enlightening him to the physical and cultural boundaries we have set for ourselves, yet do not exist from where he stands.

As far as the overall sound of Mindgame’s music, there is no real “Wow” factor in terms of the complexity of the songwriting, or for that matter the musicians themselves. And yet the introspective nature of these songs demands a relative simplicity. At times it is very “up” and light, at times it is very “down” and heavy, all in an effort to make the listener feel the urgency of their message. Shades of Marillion are evident throughout, but especially in the jams on the last two tracks as the intensity of the entire album increases. Listen closely to the keyboard intro on “Factory of Illusions” for echoes of the old Genesis classic “The Knife”, and a short but unmistakable Neil Peart-like woodblock rhythm on “An Approach to Mankind”.

Rating: 8 keyboards
Reviewed by: Rick Woodward

Visit the artist website: MindGames

:: Additional Contributors ::
Joris Jacobs: Flute
Ward Opsteyn: Flugelhorn
Katelijne Van Kerckhoven: Cello
Fred Florus: Vibraphone

:: DISCOGRAPHY ::
1999 - Mindgames Demo
2002 - International Daylight

You can purchase this CD from Mindgames