From his EPK, “Leaving the comfort zone of your own band to embark on new musical paths requires courage. MARCO GLÜHMANN, the singer of one of the most successful German Artrock bands SYLVAN, should not lack this, as he is used to being in the spotlight. It is a testament to his enormous creativity that he used an extended break from his main band to try something new without the necessary compromises, guidelines and restrictions of his fellow musicians. The result is a fantastic album, full of energy and esprit, which moves somewhere between Rock, Artrock and sophisticated Pop Music. After his SYLVAN bandmates Volker Söhl and Johnny Beck presented the VIOLENT JASPER project last year, we can now look forward to their frontman's work "A Fragile Present.”

“Hear Our Voice” is first. It has a flowing, melodic and sturdy structure that is melancholic in nature, capped with emotive vocals. There are also fragile tones, until the big punch in the chorus, augmented with harmonized vocals. “Never Say Goodbye” has a bigger kick in the seat, and comes at you with a lot of energy and melody. Every instrument works together in a bigger picture here. There are progressive elements, but they are subtle, and he lets the melody do the talking. The closing leads are full of emotion as well. “Reach Out” has a simple but very effective melody, and you can really hear the expressions in Marco’s vocals. This song could easily be on the radio, and it has a big, catchy hook. “Look at Me” has sadder tones, almost like a person who feels vulnerable is being truly seen for the first time. The gazes are both uncomfortable and pleasing at the same time.

“At Home” is a piano led song, and Marco is clearly not afraid of pop melodies. I have no issue with Pop music either, as long as it is meaningful…and meaningful this song is on many levels. I immediately find myself wanting to sing along to soak in the sound. “For a While” has a whimsical feeling to it, as the title suggests. I picture someone just relaxing on their front porch on a day off of work, just soaking it all in. He truly has way with memorable melodies. “Black the Shades Out” is a way of just shutting off the outside world, as well as something we should all try once. It has darker melodies, but is still quite catchy. “Running Out of Time” has some psychedelic elements mixed in with a strong bass line. It reminds me of the skies after a storm…the winds are still dying down and the skies are still cloudy. Again, he nails a big chorus.

“My Eyes are Wide Open” closes the album, and it drips with emotion…the kind of drips from a favorite ice cream cone that you don’t want to go to waste. The melodies are wide open here for the taking. Not being familiar with his main band, I took Marco’s solo album on its merits alone, and it is fantastic. He clearly doesn’t shy away from melodies that border, and in some cases, jump head first into the Pop music category. What results is an album has that substance, character, and artistry, with complexities that are subtle and don’t take away from an easy listening experience.