Ben Rusch - The Architects Of Time

Ben Rusch - Architects Of Time
2010, Ben Rusch

With over twenty albums to his name, Ben Rusch has shown himself to a prolific purveyor of progressive rock, pop and classical music. His 2009 album Oh, Yes!! received rave reviews and spins on both terrestrial and internet based radio. In 2010, Rusch returns with Architects Of Time, a solid expansion on his more recent musical expositions that keeps with the progressive tendencies of his past works while delving deeper into the cracks between progressive rock, classical music and jazz forms.

Rusch opens with "Out Of Time", a measured baroque-pop composition that explodes in a barrage of high-speed classical piano riffs and runs. The song sounds like the opening number to a space epic on hyper drive. "Robin Hood Is Currently Unavailable" is a frantic/frenetic piano-driven number that turns into a surreal treatise on the downfall of heroes in the digital age. Rusch seems to head into the hinterlands with "Architects Of Time". It's hard to follow his thought process at times here and on much of the album, but the song appears to be about television and its effect on history, human interactions, etc. It is, in essence a prologue to the song it succeeds, "Robin Hood Is Currently Unavailable".

"Where The Wild Things Are" is the most intriguing song on the album, a quiet yet intricate acoustic guitar-driven song that seems to make a parallel between the classic children's story and the modern world. "Double Helix" uses fast and plentiful piano runs to spice up a bland composition, but Rusch recovers quickly with "Adam And Eve". The song is a humorous one-sided dialogue between Adam and Eve in Adam's voice. The arrangement is quite busy but well crafted, underscoring Rusch's wicked wit. That sense of humor carries over into "In A Thousand Years", an amusing song about how things work out often in spite of our best intentions. Subtle wit and wise perspective thrive amidst some amazing guitar work.

"The Thought Of You" is something of a ballad, a love song that's highly informational but perhaps a bit shy on emotion, almost as if the narrator is trying just as hard to convince himself as the subject of the song. Rusch hits a slow patch here, rambling his way through "Hand Me My Jet Pack", "Where To Put That Foot" and "Covering Cold Feet With Warm Sheets". He more than makes up for it with "Time To Go", an amazing sonic painting of the heartbreak of parting done in plaintive musical tones. It's a sparkling close to a turbulent album that skates often on the edge of brilliance but often finds that goal unrealized. Rusch doesn't miss the goal here.

Ben Rusch goes deep in concept for Architects Of Time, a dynamic and uneven listening experience that struggles at times but absolutely soars at others. Rusch struggles against himself at times in the art of creation, but when everything lines up he'll amaze you.

Rating: 3.5 Stars (Out of 5)

Learn more about Ben Rusch at http://www.benrusch.com/ or www.myspace.com/musicwithinstruments. Architects Of Time  is available from Amazon.com as a CD or Download.  Architects Of Time is also available from iTunes.