RICK ARMSTRONG

Infinite Corridors RANDOM DISTURBANCE

Spacey solo debut from Edison’s Children man.

Aside from being astronaut Neil Armstrong’s son, Rick Armstrong is known chiefly as the guitarist in Edison’s Children. His fine solo debut is rooted in the style of Tangerine Dream, and even Ozric Tentacles at their mellowest, possessing an epic soundtrack feel that conjures memories of the rippling musical backdrop to Blade Runner.

Armstrong’s keyboard prowess is showcased on atmospheric opener Hypernova and pulsating Chaos Theory, which have an airy swagger rare in the electronic genre. The doom-laden keys on Timespiral provide a sense of imminent foreboding, with the mechanical Sunstorm being similarly engaging.

Armstrong shows restraint in unleashing his guest musicians, with contributions from Marillion guitarist Steve Rothery, John Mitchell and King Crimson bassist Tony Levin only appearing on the final two tracks. Of these, the Floydian Shifting Sands evokes flickers of Shine On You Crazy Diamond. That’s not to imply the track isn’t highly original. It just contains similarly spacious, mournful music that is performed with rare care and precision. It all adds up to an impressive statement of intent.