This act really covers quite a bit of ground here. I’d definitely consider it progressive rock, but some stuff doesn’t fit well into that category. Not everything here is as effective as the rest, either. Still, there are a few tracks that work well enough to make the whole set quite worthwhile.
This review is available in book format (hardcover and paperback) in Music Street Journal: 2015 Volume 5 at lulu.com/strangesound.
Track by Track Review
We Have Won
This high energy piece combines prog and something closer to a 1970s dance music. The chorus is very much prog. The verses are quite funky. There is a more straight rock instrumental break, too.
I Will Follow You
Starting with keyboards, part of this feels like Roxy Music. Other sections are soaring, more mainstream progressive rock. The guitar solo section is quite classy on this, but so is the vocal arrangement.
Lullaby The structure of this really doesn’t fall into the typical verse-chorus-bridge song construction. It’s more of a moving line kind of thing. While the vocals really drive it forward, the musical arrangement adds a lot. Some of the closing section even makes me think of Yes a bit.
When You Got That Feeling Not really proggy, this is sort of a straightforward 70s rocker. It does have a tasty guitar solo. Overall it’s pretty generic, though.
Stick to Reggae Piano starts this one. As the other instruments join, there is (as the title suggests) a reggae vibe. The soloing over the top of this instrumental, though, is all progressive rock. This is quite a cool jam, really.
Sky Racer The keyboard heavy introduction to the title track makes me think of a cross between Uriah Heep and Boston. As the keyboards solo over the top, though, it’s much more pure progressive rock. Another instrumental, this is energized and keyboard driven. It’s also one of the standout tracks.
Settlers to the West The opening section here combines psychedelia with progressive rock in a dramatic and rather trippy arrangement. From there it bursts into more mainstream rock, and the cut continues in an alternating alteration between those two sections (verse and chorus).
You Want It An uptempo piece, there is both a lot of progressive rock and a lot of funk in here. The instrumental sections lean toward fusion, really.
Streaming The mellower closing instrumental is built around a lot of picked guitar. It’s intricate, pretty and rather dramatic.