Kansas - The Absence Of Presence (2020) [Official Digital Download]

There can be few more unlikely success stories than that of Kansas, and yet 2020 marks 49 years in the business for a band who dressed like farmhands and adopted the violin as a de facto lead instrument. With notable exceptions, the songs of Kerry Livgren were what made Kansas great. Following the guitarist’s third and seemingly final departure in 2000, the Livgren-less configuration took 16 years to construct new music.

Their comeback album, The Prelude Implicit, proved a far better reconstitution of the classic Kansas sound than many had dared to hope. Four years later, they have once again done their own illustrious legacy proud with an imaginative, satisfying slice of pomp rock that could have been made by nobody but themselves.

And yet things start in an uneven manner. An eight-minute-plus title track is a creditable enough piece of music, though perhaps a little low-key for an introductory fanfare. The strident, lighter-waving Throwing Mountains would have constituted a far more emphatic greeting.

TRACKLIST

1. Kansas - The Absence of Presence
2. Kansas - Throwing Mountains
3. Kansas - Jets Overhead
4. Kansas - Propulsion 1
5. Kansas - Memories Down the Line
6. Kansas - Circus of Illusion
7. Kansas - Animals on the Roof
8. Kansas - Never
9. Kansas - The Song the River Sang



Thanks to the Original customer.