Comments for Bolland Project, The, Darwin - The Evolution

I love the Falco songs: Genie und Partisan and Metamorphic Rocks a lot! Classy songs! 10+++!

This is definitely an Alan Parsons paint by numbers effort: the Bolland brothers, Rob and Ferdi, well known producers in their own right, have really ripped off the sound, but it`s good anyway. In keeping with the theme they`ve unearthed a lot of rock dinosaurs to sing for them (see listings) and they do one vocal each themselves. The "Project" addition to their usual names, "Bolland" or "Bolland & Bolland," both indicates that this is a departure from those albums and a distant relation to APP. Thematically it is close to the approach of "Freudiana" and "Gaudi," but soundwise is closer to EitS, AA and VC era APP. Colin Blunstone sings two tracks in his breathy voice and Barclay James Harvest sing "Stand Up," which has an environmental message. The opening and first track are very APPish, with sustained bass, reverbed saxophone, bits of real orchestration, etc. This trademark APP bass/guitar sound is revisited throughout the album. The guitars overall are fairly Bairnsonesque. Robert Pot`s four instrumentals sound okay: very sequenced with guitar integrated nicely on "The Beagle," vocal sounds on "After the Rain" and a Vangelis-like piano melody on "Origin of Species." It`s a pity there isn`t more use made of real orchestration but this is consistent with the VC type approach to many tracks (one sounds very similar to "Sooner or Later"). The vocals are generally in the rock/pop area, but are fairly diverse (Peter Hoffman sounds a bit like John Cashmore in the "Gaudi" musical. The cover is half red and half green, one half with Darwin`s face and the other half a chimpanzee`s face. The booklet includes lots of black and white photos of all the artists. While the lyrics lack Eric Woolfson`s master touch they certainly have their moments. Falco is a bit of a shock but after repeated listenings the whole thing comes together quite well. It may be a bit long overall but is a commendable effort (even if derivative) and appears to have helped fill a niche in fine studio concept pop/rock at a time when Parsons and Woolfson were themselves in transition from their Project days. For fans of concept/projects it`s worth seeking this one out. (Ian C. Thomas)