A concept album with the recorder as its main instrument? Here comes "Mirrorneuron." An album that is even more dominated by progressive rock than its predecessor.nger "The Moon on a Stick." Since their rather folky-symphonic debut album "Wind in the Woods," the "Syrinx Call" project, led by recorder player Volker Kuinke, has undergone considerable maturation into a distinctive style, but has also gained in complexity. "Mirrorneuron" is the first part of a work of astonishing conciseness and virtuosity, captivating dynamics, and full of touching melodies.
Once again, recorders meet classical and electric guitars, keyboards, drums, as well as string instruments and the distinctive vocals of Isgaard and Volker Kuinke's wife, Doris Packbiers. Multi-instrumentalist and producer Jens Lueck creates masterful arrangements and contributes significantly more as a singer, but keeps the recorder at the forefront as the lead instrument in all variations.
Kuinke and Lueck came up with something very special for the progressive rock element: Since Kuinke has worked on numerous projects with the art rock band Eloy, he was able to enlist the band's founder, Frank Bornemann, as well as members Hannes Arkona and Klaus-Peter Matziol, as guest musicians. Volker Kuinke: "Jens Lueck and I had Eloy in particular in mind when writing the title track. And so we created a song that would fit perfectly on any Eloy album." Frank Bornemann himself took on the guitar solo. Hannes Arkona was so enthusiastic about the project that he contributed his guitar playing to many/most of the tracks and his own piece, "Silent Echoes."
"Mirrorneuron" tells the story of an artificial intelligence named Kai, who is tasked with drilling for oil in the Arctic. While calculating sustainability, Kai discovers contradictions and dissonances between theory and practice, which triggers a severe existential crisis. The psychotherapist Mara is tasked with getting the humanoid robot back on track, but contrary to all expectations, Kai stirs something within her. For the first time, she experiences deep compassion, something she has discovered she had previously barely experienced in her perfectly organized life. But Kai himself also develops a function that enables him to empathize with Mara. This ability is attributed to mirror neurons. These nerve cells in the brain make us humans empathetic beings because we can relate to the experiences of others.
The leitmotif of this story is a certain chord progression that begins with "Bit by Bit," runs through almost all the tracks, and is intended to lead into another album. The musical path there is filled with ethereal and orchestral sounds, sometimes with choral accompaniment or driving, dynamic rhythms, but is also playful or melancholic – here a fragile vocal, there a plucked classical guitar, then again a hard rock riff. Almost consistently catchy melodies, somewhere between folk, melodic rock, progressive, and world music, make this album incredibly dynamic. This is ultimately also thanks to tried-and-tested and new musical companions such as ex-Sylvan guitarist Jan Petersen, who has participated in all the albums so far, as well as Katja Flintsch (violin, viola) and Annika Stolze (cello), who simulated an entire symphony orchestra in the studio. Jürgen Osuchowski once again contributed classical guitar, acoustic guitar, and 12-string guitars, sometimes playing in multiple voices and layered over each other. They create a sound comparable to early Genesis. Georg Kresimon, director of the Moers Music School, plucks bass on "Merging Influences," while Greek multi-instrumentalist Babis Nikou joined the band via Eloy's Facebook page.
