Posts Tagged ‘Xavier Boscher’

Xavier Boscher is a very productive musician. He was born in 1979, and has so far managed to release 14 albums/compilations. But believe me, for this musician it is never about quantity. When listening to Xavier Boscher’s music you’ll notice the quality production and his attention to details.

Hydrologic is the name of his most recent album. It is a collection of laid back songs that simply crawls under your skin and relaxes your soul.

In a genre where the piano it the most frequent instrument, a fresh guitar lead is always welcome. One could perhaps compare Xavier Boscher’s music to Pink Floyd’s more ambient segments, where the analogue synths intertwine with gorgeous guitars, but a better comparison is with art rock like Yes or Tangerine Dream. The main ingredients are a foundation of larger-than-life synths and steely guitars on top. It is as beautiful as it is relaxing.

Hydrologic starts with the track Serenity. Within 15 seconds the listener is introduced to Xavier Boscher’s powerful guitar, which adds colors to every song on the album. The thing I like the best is the way the atmosphere changes from track to track; some are positive while other are darker and more complex (like the long closing track, Mind Therapy, which really has is therapeutic qualities).

Hydrologic is, apart from the general heaviness of the synth pads, quite minimalistic in style. I am sure that rock fans who normally don’t like new age music will enjoy Hydrologic. In many ways it is prog rock meets chill out and new age; it is as good in the background as it is for active listening. The strong guitar makes it interesting, and the variation in sound gives it almost endless replay possibilities. And – best of all – it has a quite liberating no-nonsense approach to dreamy music; let’s call it guitarlogic.

It is a collection of laid back songs that simply crawls under your skin and relaxes your soul.

Sample the album on CDBaby.