Music composer and guitarist Al Kryszak recently released his album, Murmur Rations, on the 3rd of September. The body of work is the sixteenth album from the artist and was released under the imprint of SONY-affiliated record label, The Orchard/FilmTrax.
The upcoming album is mostly rock and it can be classified under any of Alt Rock, Prog Rock, Experimental Rock, Political Rock, Protest and Film Music. The album features elements of music created with acoustic, classical, baritone electric and strat guitars. The production also features solid keyboard lines bouncing off the walls, aimed at piercing into the soul of the listener, & the solid drumming of Buffalo, New York legend Mike Brydalski, to drive the louder tracks.
Describing Kryszak’s 2018 Soft Clowns of the Sea, Mark Hughs for Dutch Prog Review said, “The album is mostly acoustic and instrumental. Each track showcases Kryszak’s compositional mastery and his prowess on guitar, bass, and keyboards.”
The album is targeted towards every new music listener and hardcore fans of Radiohead, Pink Floyd, King Crimson, and Peter Gabriel. Al Kryszak also aims to be a major promoter of Experimental & Prog Rock, a genre of music still developing and evolving regardless of technology. With Murmur Rations, things are looking up for the genre as more people’s attention will be drawn towards it. Al Kryszak’s artistry has continued to receive rave reviews in genres including silent film on KINO & Turner Classic Movies as well as concert music like 2020’s piano collection Lux Internum featuring pianist Svetlana Belsky.
Allan Kozinn of Classical Voice had this to say about Soft Clowns… : ”Greatest strengths lie in the instrumental works, which have an exploratory feel, and offer a broad range of textures, to say nothing of an improvisatory sensibility that offers a measure of vibrancy to counter the album’s overall dark spirit.”
In the same vein, Guy De Federics of BadArtFilm said, “The guitar flirts, antagonizes and soothes the music, as busy and constant as a dragonfly over water.”
Kryszak has already built a reputation in theatre and film music for the last 30 years, which many have described as personal and relatable. Sustaining a solo career for that long is somewhat a feat that many of his ardent listeners have grown to respect, which explains why his work has received rave reviews..
Kryszak credits his musical influence to the Prog bands he listened to as an aspiring guitarist in the 1970’s. His influences include Steve Hackett and Pete Townshend, and he said that these musical icons ignited the composer in him and made him pivot into experimental concert and film music for Turner Classic Movies, KINO, and Lincoln Center.
“I can say for a fact that I was influenced by multiple forces of nature. Neil Young and John Lennon instilled in me the importance of saying anything I believe and Floyd, Crimson and Genesis paved the path for music that transforms.” he said.
Al Kryszak sees music as a tool to reach a variety people. In coming years, he hopes to work with many artists and musical entities promoting Prog and supporting human rights & independent artists.
Listen and Stream Murmur Rations on Apple Music and YouTube.
