Arjen Anthony Lucassen – Songs No One Will Hear (Album Review)

By Jordan Blum

Whether it’s with his solo work, his main project (Ayreon), or his other projects (such as Star One, The Gentle Storm, and Guilt Machine), Arjen Anthony Lucassen has continuously proven to be a top-tier musical craftsman. Seriously, virtually no one else fuses exceptional songwriting with equally imaginative, vibrant, complex, and dynamic instrumentation as distinctively and distinguishably as him, and just as importantly, he regularly finds the best performers in the progressive rock /metal world to bring his creations to life.

Naturally, that holds true for Songs No One Will Hear, as well.  Framed around an admittedly routine topic – apocalyptic devastation and the end of mankind – it stays true to its designation as a singer/songwriter solo album by feeling more like a follow-up to 2012’s superb Lost in the New Real than like an expansive Ayreon epic. (That said, it does evoke 2017’s The Source a bit, too.) It’s certainly a great entry point for newcomers, and while longtime Lucassen fans will know what they’re getting before they hit “play,” it’s still a very satisfying journey as only the Dutch maestro could create.

Diving a bit further into the background of the LP, its premise – and press release – asks audiences one simple question: “What would people do if they only had five months left to live because of an asteroid impact?” Expectedly, Lucassen explores that prospect with his signature mix of poignancy and lightheartedness, tapping into a wide array of styles that’s bolstered by the talents of both fresh faces and prior collaborators (including Floor Jansen, Marcela Bovio, Joost van den Broek, Irene Jansen, and narrator Michael Mills). As usual for Lucassen, Songs No One Will Hear is enjoyable after the first listen and becomes exponentially more satisfying and commendable with repeated playthroughs.

From purely a songwriting and instrumental perspective, the collection knocks it out of the park. For instance, the cautionary laments, mournful acoustic guitar arpeggios, and influx of progressive metal trickery that coats “The Clock Ticks Down” are immediately captivating, as is the operatic majesty of “The Universe has Other Plans.” Elsewhere, the tongue-in-cheek logic of promiscuous romp “Shaggathon” and the Magical Mystery Tour-esque psychedelia of “Dr. Slumber’s Blue Bus” are just as fetching for different reasons.

Of course, Lucassen’s mastery of concluding his sagas with emotionally charged multipart suites shines through, too, via the tellingly titled “Our Final Song.” Like prior finales “Lost in the New Real” and “The Sixth Extinction,” in particular, the nearly 15-minute climax is the wholly absorbing culmination of everything that’s previously stood out on the record. From its crestfallen bookends and cataclysmic sound effects to its traversal of progressive rock, blues rock, folk rock, and other styles (complete with stampeding rhythms, dreamy synths, dejected keyboards, wistful acoustic guitars, piercing electric guitar solos, and feisty flutes), it’s another phenomenal demonstration of Lucassen’s characteristic skills as a composer and storyteller.

Credit must also be given to his fellow performers, especially Bovio and the Jansen sisters (who – individually and collectively – enhance the elegance, gravitas, and tragedy of “The Clock Ticks Down,” “Our Final Song,” and “We’ll Never Know” among other tunes). One of Lucassen’s greatest attributes has always been juxtaposing and uniting male and female vocals (including himself from time to time), and he does that wonderfully here, too.

Likewise, his occasional use of narration as a lively cinematic framing device works well here, too, with the one-of-a-kind eccentric charm of Michael Mills – as an adrenaline-fueled podcaster – popping up around tracks to offer a play-by-play account of what’s happening outside his home. (Fortunately, Lucassen recognizes that Mills’ interruptions may not work for everyone – and that sometimes, you just want to hear the songs themselves – so he’s also releasing a version of the album without Mills’ commentary.)

Honestly, the only major setback of the sequence (which only diehard Lucassen devotees will notice) is its reliance on common techniques and tropes. That’s not in relation to its intentional callbacks – such as referencing Dr. Slumber and a cool The Source easter egg – but rather the overarching subject matter and several stylistic templates.

Specifically, and for as pleasing as it is, “The Clock Ticks Down” quickly evokes Ayreon’s “The Day That the World Breaks Down.” Similarly, “Just Not Today” might as well be an alternate take of “When I’m a Hundred Sixty-Four,” whereas the undeniably familiar trudging riffs, weathered verses, and stagey choruses of “Goddamn Conspiracy” conjure a handful of prior pieces (including “Everybody Dies” and “Out of the White Hole”). To be clear, these tunes are still enjoyable, but listeners who know Lucassen’s work well may ask themselves: “Wait, hasn’t he done this before?”

Nevertheless, Songs No One Will Hear is another excellent entry into Lucassen’s catalog that – for better or worse – contains precisely what fans want and expect from such a unique and consistent artist. There’s certainly a lot to discover and applaud with what he’s doing differently, and even at its most conventional and recognizable, it can’t help but appeal simply because Lucassen is so damn good at what he does. In other words, Lucassen’s latest LP won’t blow you away with its freshness or unpredictability, but it absolutely will deliver a trademark batch of stellar songs that everyone should hear.

Order the album here:
https://ArjenAnthonyLucassen.lnk.to/SongsNoOneWillHear-Album

CD Tracklisting:
1. End Of The World Show
2. The Clock Ticks Down
3. Goddamn Conspiracy
4. The Universe Has Other Plans
5. Shaggathon
6. We’ll Never Know
7. Dr. Slumber’s Blue Bus
8. Just Not Today
9. Our Final Song