Globus - Cinematica

Globus is a fitting name for this act, which has released the album Cinematica (also fitting). It's a wide- ranging collection of eclectic music. From Santa Monica, CA, this is Yoav Goren's baby, as he spearheads the music by playing piano, synths, guitars, bass and drums, as well as singing. Names like Muse, ELO, Pink Floyd and Peter Gabriel are listed as similar acts, and the listener can hear plenty of progressive and orchestrated elements running through these 17 tracks. And yes, it's long, at a full hour and fifteen minutes. Goren has done some film scoring, so it shouldn't be surprising to find this album is nearly as long as your typical Hollywood movie.

One cover song on this album stands out especially. It's Globus' version of David Bowie's "I'm Afraid Of Americans." This one's filled with jittery passion, as well as some particularly standout piano parts. It's a song that can be interpreted in many ways. Perhaps, though, it was more appropriate coming from Bowie, a Brit. Even so, it's a song well worth exploring again here.

There's a lot going on during this album, and it requires active listening to fully appreciate it. It sounds like an album that could only have been created during a pandemic, or after one, as it asks a lot of the big questions of life. In happier times, we might not be quite so contemplative. However, all that survived the pandemic have become armchair philosophers of some kind or other.

Although there are elements or rock & roll on this release, there is also so much more. This is kind of like Yoav Goren's wide world of music, and it's a world well worth exploring.

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