After three bizarre, yet enormously creative and conceptual albums, Vangelis had opened the new chapter in their career with the album that went on to become undeservingly marginalized. However, Direct is undeniably realized idea of Vangelis’ modern sound that enriched the music scene of the 80s. Listening to the album, you will be surprised of the current quality of their symphonic and electronic textures. So, this throwback is reserved to what Vangelis did best - functioning like a channel that manifests as a chaos of sounds.
The 1998 record unfolds with The Motion Of Stars, solid but static number that comes off as less interesting than the rest of the album. The following The Will Of The Wind shines through with its strong kibernetik rhythm and flute that perfectly fits in this audio surrounding. Just this flute is a sufficient evidence how tentative Vangelis were to create innovative music. Metallic Rain associates with its title from the very beginning and it transitions into a heavy rhythm-driven imitation of electric guitar numer. You can hear the progression of complexity in this track, and that is why Vangelis were one of a kind.
This development of ideas hits stronger in the album’s strongest assets, such as Dial Out, growing from dramatic bridge to the bodybuilding-dramatic version of the introductory theme. Certainly the diamond of the album is in the form of Message. Although Vangelis avoided their repetitive mechanism throughout this album, this composition have brought it up to the higher level and offered a gorgeously complex evolution of the melody that jumped over the whole spectrum of music motives. The essence was not lost for a single moment, and the whole tune sounds like a classical composition Vangelis put through electronic filter.
Glorianna (Hymn A La Femme) uses female opera vocal in the service of drama Vangelis was known for. Despite a beautiful melody, a substantial level of predictability does not make this track particularly impressive. Vangelis swim the best in the repetitive waters, so it comes as no surprise that Elsewhere and Rotation’s Legs sound impeccable. Sensitivity permeates meditative The Oracle Of Apollo and First Approach, giving the whole record a necessary dose of humility and humbleness, and making it much more interesting and diverse.The closing track Intergalactic Radio Station catches attention from the first to the very last note, with the gradual melody that makes for the perfect closure.
Vangelis had a clear vision of cybernetic future and made an album that does not come off as obsolete even thirty years later.
