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The Unseen Guest
has done it again with their second album, Checkpoint. The musicianship is astounding, the vocals are delightfully synergistic and the songwriting is genius. The mix is clean; there is a colorful blend of instruments and a brilliant rhythm section. The lyrics are profound and extremely poetic.
It opens with “Miracle Mile.” The vocals on this track are reminiscent of Morrissey and it includes a gorgeous harp solo by Curtis King. “Place Your Bets” is wonderfully danceable. “Don’t Let it Show” is sweet and haunting with a fabulous hook. “Ancient Greek” is a finger snappin’, toe-tappin’ ditty with an insanely innovative string section featuring the magical work of Manikandan and Prasad. Despite the title, “Love Song” is anything but a ballad. It’s a rollicking number with intelligent lyrics. (The world needs a lot more love songs like this one.) “Reduce it to a Kiss” is extremely catchy and playful with a great beat. “Black Hole” is nice and gritty, featuring some fine saxophone work by Raju George. The final track is a gorgeous (and somewhat heartbreaking) rendition of Leonard Cohen’s “Everybody Knows.”
If you’re in the mood to experience a fresh, exotic mix of sounds with lyrics that will really make you think, Checkpoint is a captivating listen.
