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Edenya

Another Place

Review by Gary Hill

I previously reviewed another set from this act and liked it quite a bit. I think this is the better album of the two. In fact, I think there is a good chance that this will wind up on my "Best of 2023" list. Its brand of progressive rock is timeless and yet fresh. It's also very compelling.

This review is available in book (paperback and hardcover) form in Music Street Journal: 2023  Volume 2. More information and purchase links can be found at: garyhillauthor.com/Music-Street-Journal-2023.

Track by Track Review
Impossible Meeting
An acoustic guitar based arrangement brings this into being. They build on that with some great prog style. The non-lyrical vocals beg comparisons to Renaissance.
Somewhere In My Dreams
While this has more of a mainstream pop rock angle to it, it's still proggy, too. There are some folk angles. This is classy stuff of the AOR variety.
The Tree
Mellower and more decidedly proggy, this does build up toward the sun at times. It also has delicate movements and sounds.
Inside Your Walls
I really love the bass sound as this gets underway. This cut goes through a number of changes. There are some soaring AOR prog movements. It drops to that bass for another section of vocals mid-track. As it grows back out from there it gets some tasty proggy textures. An acoustic guitar based movement again makes me think of Renaissance to some degree. At over nine-and-a-half minutes, this is the epic of the set, and they really put all that time to good use. There is even a killer rock guitar solo further down the road on this thing.
I Hope
Intricate folk music in this driver's seat on this number. It gets into more rocking zones after a time, as the main themes are expanded upon. This is a powerful folk prog piece.
Garden
Piano and symphonic strings paint wonderful melodies and textures on this classically tinged instrumental.
Another Place
Mellow electronics serve as the instrumental backdrop on this. The vocals soar above, painting slow moving lines of magic. Electric guitar rises up to take it in a new direction with a solo that is meaty. The song drops back down to where it came from there to continue. It turns to a hard rocking prog number beyond that, really kicking it. This becomes so powerful in its symphonic prog with hard rocking guitar stylings. We're brought into a mellow motif based on acoustic guitar further down the road.
The Shelter
Intricate folk meets prog magic is on display as this gets going. The multiple layers of vocals work well, but so does all the powerful instrumental work. They take this through a number of twists and turns, and it gets positively driving and flying as it continues. This really has an epic structure to it. It is one of the highlights of the set.
The Other Side
More straightforward and AOR based, this is another potent and effective rocker. There is a drop back later to some trippy jazz rock jamming.
Let Me Go

This is a song that makes great use of the contrast of mellower and more rocking stuff. It has some powerful moments and the dynamic range is a big selling point. This makes for quite a satisfying close to the album.

 
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