The Cassini Projekt was set up in 2008 by Irish composer and multi-instrumentalist Alex McDonnell. Most of what you hear is just him on the remastered debut, Blue Ocean Event, released in July. The original isn’t that old, as the original came out in March last year and was well received by those fortunate enough to hear it.
The tracks reflect “exile, climate change, collapse and revolution” and with the remaster and rerelease it seems even more prescient in today’s global situation. Incidentally, the title Blue Ocean Event is “when the Arctic Ocean changes from being covered in ice year-round and reflecting most of the sunlight that impacts it back into space to being mostly ice-free blue water for a period of time during the warm season (May through October), which will cause it to absorb most of the sunlight that impacts it.” (Yes, I had to look that up!) Cassini is the NASA craft that is still, after twenty years, orbiting and observing Saturn.
The value can’t be faulted either… a dozen tracks with over an hour’s running time that deliver a mix of heavy rock riffs and proggy excursions. Lead off track, ‘Exile’ is Rush like then Pistol like, then poppy and then just rocky. All of the instruments are played with envious skill too. ‘The End of Everything’ begins in mid guitar solo as blues rock feel graduates into the mild funk of the main melody with Eastern influences appearing too. ‘Cauterise’ continues to defy easy definition… how about Gary Newman getting all heavy prog?! ‘Neurotic Insomniac’ has more keys but still slips some neat guitar into the 10CC heavy sound. ‘Fight to Believe’ and ‘The Sacred Song’ go more acoustic based with hints of (very) early folk on the former and Mediaeval on the latter, very clever. ‘Lightning Tesla’ wakes you up as we move back to rampant rock and not a hint of Musk in the air.
This is a complex weave of sound that doesn’t fall into one ‘genre box’, rather, it straddles most genres effortlessly across the tracks. This is well worth seeking out but expect to listen fully to extract the most satisfaction as the confusion of a first listen will quickly grow into appreciation.
