Atlantis' debut album follows firmly in the footsteps of the earlier
Frumpy, with one major difference: shorter songs. Just three of the seven
tracks break the five-minute barrier, only one the defiantly Deep
Purple jazz-rocky "Living at the End of Time" approaches
ten. But Atlantis rises regardless. The closing ballad, "Words of
Love," essentially predicts Heart's entire career, while the funky
overtures of "Get Up," colliding with some of Rumpf's finest,
gutsiest vocals, would have made a sensational FM radio favorite. The
latter portion of "Living at the End of Time," once the band
drops the jazz-rock elitism, is spellbindingly fairyland folky, and both
"Rock'n'Roll Preacher" and "Maybe It's Useless" show
a Free influence which is quite spectacular. And that, if there is a downside,
is where the disappointments lie. At their best, Frumpy's forte lay in
their ability to fly off at monstrous tangents without ever losing sight
of such notions as melody, cohesion, and discipline. The tangents are
less pronounced here, the exploration is less bold and forthright. But
the performances are as strong as ever, the songwriting is even stronger,
and Inga Rumpf draws out some of her strongest vocals yet to power the
band to some brilliant highs.
(by Dave Thompson , All
Music Guide)
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