Interplay

On this CD: 1. Interplay
Composed by David Balakrishnan
with Saint Marc Children's Choir, David Peters, John Imholz, Dana Rath, Paul Binkley, David Balakrishnan

2. Elements
Composed by Tully Cathey
with Saint Marc Children's Choir, David Peters, John Imholz, Dana Rath, Paul Binkley, David Balakrishnan

3. G-Song, for string quartet & synthesizer, or synthesizer & soprano sax
Composed by Terry Riley
with Saint Marc Children's Choir, David Peters, John Imholz, Dana Rath, Paul Binkley, David Balakrishnan

Interplay,David Balakrishnan,Tully Cathey,Terry Riley,Modern Madolin Quartet,Saint Marc Children's Choir,Dana Rath,David Peters,David Balakrishnan,D'note Classics,Chamber,Chamber Jazz,Contemporary Instrumental,Miscellaneous,Miscellaneous Music,Mixed Chamber Ensemble with Keyboard,New Acoustic,New Age / Meditation,Pop

Interplay

Tracks:

1st Movement: Secret Foundation
2nd Movement: Nature Spirits

Album Description

Visualize the most tranquil garden there has ever been... completely secluded and calm. It's filled with exotic flowers, plants, birds, and a small brook. Sounds of bubbling water and birdsong intertwine with the quiet tinkling of wind chimes, harp, temple bells and gentle Shakuhachi flute melodies. The natural sounds and gentle music creates a healing, stress-free environment perfect for yoga, massage and relaxation. A bestselling classic!

Customer Reviews:

Serene Beauty.......2007-08-05

This is one of my regulars in my CD player. I live on a student's income and don't have the funds to create a fancy surround sound meditation room but this album helps create a serene environment even out of my small CD player. If you fall in love with this album (which I'm sure you will) check out another favorite of mine by the Gordon Brothers, Soothing Sanctuary

Very Dull.......2007-02-21

I think I am being generous with one star here.
David and Steve excel in some genres but should stay away from pure environmental efforts. The waterfall/stream sounds on this CD are loud, harsh, and overdone. The sounds are monotonous and just go on and on and on until you just can't stand it anymore. I have a fair number of music/nature compilations so I know what I'm talking about...this one becomes just plain annoying after a while. There is nothing soothing or serene about it at all.
If you are looking for the absolute best quality nature recordings blended with music, seek out any of Dan Gibson's work and go no further.

Best CD I've found for getting to sleep.......2006-06-16

I have purchased about a half dozen relaxing/meditative CDs, have a clock with "relaxing sounds", and listened to many more CDs. However, Garden of Serenity is the ONLY music I've found which calms my mind at the end of the day and sends me off into a quick, peaceful sleep. It's almost pavlovian - I hear the first four notes and I'm instantly relaxed. I highly recommend this as a sleep aid.

Very soothing and relaxing the whole way through.......2003-06-25

As a massage therapist I was a little worried about buying this because one reviewer was annoyed by the chimes - but they aren't really annoying in the least. I not only use this for my own clients, but I will put it on for myself when I receive one. I'm going for Volume II.

Garden of Serenity.......2002-07-12

My tri yoga instructor uses this in our sessions. It allows you to breathe with the music at your own pace and is conducive to working toward slower, fuller breaths. The music is very tranquil.

Average customer rating:

A 'must'
Love it!
Great Music. Odd Credits. Be Forewarned.
Dance! Celebrate! Praise the Orisa!
Highly recommended!

Bata Ketu
Michael Spiro , and Mark Lamson
Manufacturer: Bembe Records
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

Cuba | Caribbean & Cuba | International | Styles | Music

General | International | Styles | Music

General | New Age | Styles | Music

General | International | Indie Music | Stores | Music
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Musica Yoruba
Bata Mbira
Sacred Rhythms of Cuban Santeria
Bembe
Raices Africanas

ASIN: B000005BAI
Release Date: 1996-06-25

Tracks:

Prelude
Elegua
Osain
Chango
Iroko
Ochosi
Ochun

Customer Reviews:

A 'must'.......2004-11-18

BATA KETU took the Yoruba-based religious music of Cuba and blended in the Afro-based religious music of Brazil to produce a re-meeting of the two cultures separated at birth.
BATA KETU is the achievement of years of experimentation with Orisha music and Afro-Cuban sound, and is a 'must' for any drum or Cuban collection.

Love it!.......2003-11-11

I just got done buying this C.D. for the third time (I've lost and damaged my others). This is, hands down, the best C.D. I've ever owned!

Great Music. Odd Credits. Be Forewarned........2003-07-26

I should plainly state that the music on this CD is phenomenal! An interesting mix of "folkloric" and "popular" music that inspires movement and smiles and all around 'upful' vibes. Not all of the songs are listed, however. There's part of a song to Oxumare in there that doesn't get credited. My biggest complaint with the CD, however, isn't with the contents, but with who gets credit for it. Michael Spiro and Mark Lamson are credited as the 'composers' but these songs and styles existed long before Spiro and Lamson were even a gleam in their respective father's eyes. Listen to any other Yoruba music and you'll find the same fundamental rhythms and chants.

Jorge Alabe and Bobi Cespedes are the cultural beacons here and it seems they - if anyone - would be credited on the cd cover. The fact that Spiro and Lamson plaster their faces on the label side of the CD itself (when they were, ostensibly the financiers of the project and, most assuredly, background musicians) indicates a severe level of cultural arrogance and Eurocentric insensitivity. Yes, it's a great CD, I just can't understand why two white guys get the credit for this African creativity. It would have been a grand gesture had they willingly taken the back seat and allowed the cultural context to speak for itself. Instead, they chose to amplify their limited input to god-like status. Things that make you go hmmm....

I'd give it a '5' if I didn't have misgivings about Spiro and Lamson's motives here.

Dance! Celebrate! Praise the Orisa!.......2003-06-29

When you walk in my home during bembe, ceremony or festival this CD is playing. When I am doing my house work or just relaxing this CD is playing. We that love Orisa ...will love this CD! Orisa children all over the world will love the inter-multi-percussion grooves and rhythms! Olodumare's children praising TOGETHER... In Brazil, ,In Cuba, In Africa, In the Caribbean and In the United States. How soon we forget 9-11 Brothers and Sisters. Its time to focus on what this CD has done in honor of the Human Family!Delight in Obatala / Osun / Sango creativity energy!Celebrate Orisa in spirit and in Truth. FOLKz this CD is the Bomb!

Highly recommended!.......2003-06-23

This album is a great accomplishment - and shows full respect for the Yoruban traditions, revealing how the traditional African rhythms traveled globally and were woven into other cultures. Bobi Cespedes' rich voice, Lamson and Spiro's percussion, along with many wonderful Brazilian and Cuban musicians, combined to produce a danceable masterpiece.

Average customer rating:

Another Prestige jam session...
Under-rated Bop Session
....?....

Interplay for 2 Trumpets and 2 Tenors
John Coltrane with Bobby Jaspar and I. Sulieman
Manufacturer: Ojc
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

Bebop General | Bebop | Jazz | Styles | Music

Hard Bop | Bebop | Jazz | Styles | Music

General | Jazz | Styles | Music
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Cattin' With Coltrane And Quinichette
Wheelin' & Dealin'
The Cats
The Believer
Bahia

ASIN: B000000YG8
Release Date: 1990-10-17

Tracks:

Interplay
Anatomy
Light Blue
Soul Eyes
C.T.A.

Customer Reviews:

Another Prestige jam session..........2005-11-19

This disc contains some fine performances from John Coltrane, Idrees Sulieman, Bobby Jaspar and Kenny Burrell, although the format was very typical of an off-the-cuff jam session so common to Prestige in the fifties. Like Gene Ammons' "The Happy Blues", this was a thrown-together session full of jams on blues and the changes of familiar standards with new melodies ("Anatomy" is really "All the Things You Are", for example). While the Ammons date is a good example of spontaneous inspiration, "Interplay" misses the mark somewhat. Pain ensues when one is confronted with the ballad "Soul Eyes" which clocks in at a whopping 17:29. Pity that the four horns are woefully out of tune with each other for the head because some of the solos are quite nice. Producer and Prestige owner Bob Weinstock wasn't always a stickler for quality control and this track is a fine example. Years later, Coltrane would cut a much better and considerably shorter version for Impulse! For completists, it's a piece of history. For casual fans, you can give this one a miss.

Under-rated Bop Session.......2005-02-04

What makes this an interesting disc is the contrast between Coltrane and sulieman, two post-bop era players with plenty of fire, and Jaspar and Young, two players more oriented in the cool miles davis school. I think Prestige was trying to get a different mix of players in their studio and that's why these spontaneously thrown together jam sessions were created. The Horns are backed by a classic rhythmn section of Mal Waldron(Piano), Kenny Burrell (Guitar) Paul chambers(bass), and Art Taylor(Drums). All of the tunes are originals by Waldron except for the bonus track "CTA" by Jimmy Heath which came from a quartet session in leadership of pianist Red Garland. The title tune, "Interplay", is based on the Chord Changes of "I Got Rhythmn" and the line-up is Suliemen-Coltrane-Young-Jaspar, they repeat this order three times. I, being a guitar player, am not too fond of Kenny burrell but I have to admit that He whips out some fine lines on this album. "Anatomy" is also based on the chords of another popular standard "All the Things You Are." "Light blue" is a Blues and for the first 5 or 6 choruses, the rhythmn sections gets into a groove before the horns come in with the theme. "Soul eyes" is over 17 minutes long and is the only drawback on the album. "CTA" done by a quartet of Coltrane, Red Garland, Paul Chambers, and Art Taylor, is a swift moving, hot tempered cooker and Coltrane blows a fine solo as does Garland.

....?...........2000-06-14

If you are a fan of jazz, or of Coltrane, than this recording is one that you should own. It will become an integral part of your jazz/Coltrane/music collection. You will find yourself listening to it almost every day.

Average customer rating:

Another Underated Masterpiece!
Unusual and Good
Bill Evans Leading a Quintet!
A rare quintet date
Beautiful Ballads

Interplay
Bill Evans
Manufacturer: Ojc
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

Bebop General | Bebop | Jazz | Styles | Music

Cool Jazz | Jazz | Styles | Music

General | Jazz | Styles | Music

Modern Postbebop | Jazz | Styles | Music

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Empathy/A Simple Matter of Conviction
How My Heart Sings!
The Paris Concert, Edition One
Know What I Mean?
The Paris Concert, Edition Two

ASIN: B000000YH9
Release Date: 1991-07-01

Tracks:

You And The Night And The Music
When You Wish Upon A Star
I'll Never Smile Again (Take 7)
I'll Never Smile Again (Take 6)
Interplay
You Go To My Head
Wrap Your Troubles In Dreams

Amazon.com essential recording

Bill Evans had recorded only sparsely with horn players when this session was cut in 1962. His performance on Miles Davis's Kind of Blue had portended a certain minimal presence when playing with horns, but Interplay defies the earlier recording's hints with particularly strong playing. He's perhaps egged on by Philly Joe Jones, who seemed always able to throw Evans into overdrive (just listen to the Secret Sessions for plentiful confirmation of this). Here, you have Jones pushing Evans, and guitarist Jim Hall adding harmonic depth and brittle latticework around the edges while trumpeter Freddie Hubbard joins in the fray. The instrument mix is odd, but Hubbard plays lyrically enough that he sounds snug in Evans's ever-surprising chord voicings. As for Hall, he sounds genteel and then engaged and then snapping as the band pushes hard on several standards. --Andrew Bartlett

Customer Reviews:

Another Underated Masterpiece!.......2007-02-26

I purchased this excited because it had such a great line-up. It's hard to turn down anything with Bill Evans and then once you throw Freddie Hubbard in the mix, forget about it, you know it's gotta to be great. Not to mention the rest of the quintet - Jim Hall, Percy Heath , and of course Philly Joe Jones - not to shabby to say the least! Jones seems to be the guy everybody else feeds off of, especially Evans. This one cooks! And it even exceeded my great expectations. Did Bill Evans ever not make a great album every time as a leader? This is one is no exception.

Freddie Hubbard is the man! He is so great on this album that any fan of his needs to make this purchase. Heath and Jones make up an all-star rythym section and the chemistry between the two shines. And Hall is just his steady, lyrical self which is a perfect fit. Bottom line, all of them deliver and I just can't figure out why this album isn't more popular than it is.

All in all, add this one to the Bill Evans classics archive. I wish I would have found this much sooner than I did. It's right up there with "Waltz for Debbie", "Sunday at the Village Vanguard", "Portrait in Jazz", etc...etc...! I think it's easy to sometimes forget just how many amazing albums this great talent had. Thank you Bill for bringing so much joy to my life!

Unusual and Good.......2004-12-07

The neatest thing about this album is Bill Evans' inclusion in a quintet format (rather than his usual trio" and the rarity that represents. Also unusual is the makeup of the quintet: in place of the usual second horn, there is an electric guitar. The tempos are unusual for the cooler, laid-back Evans. However, desptie all these deviations from the norms of Evans and teh jazz quintet, the album is, in itself, quite compelling. The music is fun to listen to, first and foremost. It also displays Evans' characteristic near-telepathic tightness: where the imporvisatory sequences of John Coltrane or even Miles Davis will grow sloppy occasionally (with various players tripping over each-other, so to speak) this never happens with Evans, particularly on this album. The improvised material is seamless enough to be through-composed, but inspired enough not to lose the spur-of-the-moment flair. The musicianship is also of high quality, with all of the players being highly skilled at their craft.
Definitely for the open-minded fan of jazz and music (although considerasbly less radical than "Kind of Blue" or "A Love Supreme"). Evans fans looking for the usual Evans fare: beware!

Bill Evans Leading a Quintet!.......2002-10-08

You may be slightly put off the first time you listen to this CD if you're only familiar with Bill Evans in a trio or from 'Kind of Blue'. The combination is unusual, maybe even unique, for Evans and it may take a few tracks to adjust. But if you haven't embraced this CD by the last notes of 'When You Wish Upon a Star', then the blues 'Interplay' will nail it for you. Some critics have pooh-poohed Evans' ability by saying he couldn't swing. I really don't understand that criticism at all, but for those who contend Evans couldn't play the blues, 'Interplay', which Evans wrote, proves he could. The personnel are all first rate, particularly Jim Hall and one of my favorite drummers, the fantastic Philly Joe Jones. The others, Freddie Hubbard and Percy Heath, are up to their usual high quality, too. My favorite tracks are 'Interplay', 'Wrap Your Troubles in Dreams', and 'When You Wish Upon a Star'.

This disc, like so many of Bill Evans' works, is one of those that one can be enjoyed over and over. Even so, I have been listening to Evans' music for many years and I don't recall meeting anyone who owns this CD. That may be due to the fact that many view it as an experiment that failed given that Evans didn't lead another quintet like this again. I don't know if Evans and the other players considered it an experiment, but it surely was no failure. It is one of my five favorite Evans CDs.

A rare quintet date.......2001-09-19

This one really should be better known than it is, if only because it shows off Bill Evans in a rare quintet context. Rarer still, that he led the session. Imagine how the Miles Davis band circa '56-58 might have sounded with a guitarist (here, Jim Hall) instead of Coltrane, and you'll have a fair idea of what to expect from this '62 date. Freddie Hubbard does his best muted Miles impression, and the presence of Evans and Philly Joe Jones only helps complete the illusion that you've discovered some lost Miles session.

Beautiful Ballads.......1999-10-27

This is the first Bill Evans album I ever bought & is still my favorite. He and Freddie Hubbard play perfectly together.

Average customer rating:

Brilliant masterwork from Dutch guitarist

Passion
Jan Akkerman
Manufacturer: Crystal Sound Records
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Jazz | Styles | Music

Progressive Rock | Progressive | Rock | Styles | Music
ASIN: B000CA8ZJQ
Release Date: 2003-01-07

Tracks:

Suite 1: David's Harp Song/Wildflower/Across the Bridge/In Amorata
Suite 2: Monkey/Sweethearts/Close Enough/Central Park/AB-So-Rockin ...
Mon Amour
Tranquilizer
Classic Gaz/Gate to Europe
Fellini's Restaurant
Passion
Countess of Pembrooks Paradise
Muy Linda
Knight of the Lute
Whispering/Liebestraum

Customer Reviews:

Brilliant masterwork from Dutch guitarist.......2007-07-30

One of my "Desert Isle" albums (you know, if you could only take 10 albums with you...), Passion is an absolutely gorgeous guitar album. This is probably the most cohesive, consistent of Jan Akkerman's solo albums, entirely played on steel string acoustic. The mood ranges from ebullient to introspective, in style from classical to jazz and many places in between. Suites 1 & 2 alone are worth the price of admission!

Average customer rating:

Eight Little Feet
Randy Porter
Manufacturer: Heavywood Records
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Jazz | Styles | Music

General | Jazz | Indie Music | Stores | Music
ASIN: B00005A0M2
Release Date: 2001-03-13

Tracks:

Jig With A Pig
A Little Kindness
Inside Your Mind
Cindy Lynn
Groove Thing
Do You Know What It Means To Miss New Orleans?
Savor
Eulogy
Giant Stretch
Be Still
Eight Little Feet
First Snow

Album Description

On this latest HeavyWood release, Steinway artist Randy Porter Draws from a rich palette of sonorities found within his imagination and the depths of the piano. This CD of mostly original music from the veteran pianist/composer/arranger exudes...as Chuck Berg of JazzTimes puts it: "...a confidence that allows the music to breathe deeply."

Average customer rating:

Interplay

Manufacturer: Webster's Last Word
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD
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Lori Bell

ASIN: B000BN4DH2

Product Description

Dave Mackay-piano & vocal, Lori Bell-C flute & Alto flute, Ron Satterfield-Guitar & Vocal

Average customer rating:

Ohio Lunch
Dan Faehnle
Manufacturer: Heavywood Records
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Jazz | Styles | Music
ASIN: B0000A0WIT
Release Date: 2003-09-09

Tracks:

Ohio Lunch
I Wished On The Moon
The Hand
The One I Love Belongs To Somebody Else
The Last Time I Saw You
Domination
Rosetta
Caminhos Cruzados
Brigas Nunca Mais (No More Fighting)
Confession
The Touch Of Your Lips

Average customer rating:

Echolyn - Dark And Depressing But Another Winner
Amazing.
Inspiring
Echolyn is still progressive rock's best hope for the future
This is the band that's forging to the front of the prog world today.

The End Is Beautiful
Echolyn
Manufacturer: Dark Matter Distribution
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

Pop Rock | Pop | Styles | Music

General | Vocal Pop | Pop | Styles | Music
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Second Life Syndrome
Mei
Fear of a Blank Planet
As the World
Spock's Beard

ASIN: B000BWA4D0
Release Date: 2006-08-01

Tracks:

Georgia Pine
Heavy Blue Miles
Lovesick Morning
Make Me Sway
End Is Beautiful
So Ready
Arc of Descent
Misery, Not Memory

Customer Reviews:

Echolyn - Dark And Depressing But Another Winner.......2007-02-11

From the opening track "Georgia Pine", with it's chorus of "I'm gonna get high as a Georgia Pine", you know you are in for something different from Echolyn. This is arguably the bands hardest rocking album, and the subject matter for the most part is dark and depressing. The lyrics feature character studies of people who are either trying to cope with the mess that their lives have become or people who have lost all hope altogether. This is certainly a departure from previous discs finding a band that appears to be in a completely different space on this CD. Thematically I find a lot of similarities to Ray Weston's solo album "This Is My Halo" from 2004. The songs on "End" are more fleshed out by the full band, but the two albums could almost be bookends for each other in many ways. Musically it is the rhythm section of drummer Paul Ramsy and returning bassist Tom Hyatt that really drive the whole of this album. It is arguably their finest performance with the band. The songwriting on this disc is simply outstanding. The partnership of Weston and Kull once again prove what a formidable duo that they are. Like "Cowboy Poems Free" the images and characterizations portrayed in these tracks are overtly real and at times downright creepy. The listener gets the feeling that at least some of this material is autobiographical in nature. Highlights for me include the opener "Georgia Pine", the title track "The End Is Beautiful" which is a graphic song about a relationship that ends in tragedy. "So Ready", again a departure for the band, where they use the act of sex as a rostrum for more than what may appear on the surface. The track has an almost funk vibe to it that is instantly infectious, and again very different from things they have done before. Brett Kull's "Arc Of Decent" about a man contemplating suicide in a Midwest hotel room is another winner. The album closer "Misery, Not Memory" may be the most depressing of all with lines like "I've eaten pills no one should swallow. Wound up naked on the floor. Used a gun that wasn't clean. Now I wonder......" Again the song paints a very graphic lyrical and musical portrait. I like this album a lot and I think some of the individual songs are as good as the band has ever done. Echolyn never play it safe and "End" is another example why they are one of the most important bands in America today.

Amazing........2006-02-28

I hate to compare bands, but if you took Tool, Primus and Spock's Beard and Steely Dan, and tossed them in a blender, the result might sound something like this; Echolyn's style is very difficult to describe. This release is definitely heavier than most of their other material, and as noted in other reviews, the lyrics are certainly darker. The tunes have incredible hooks, though, and the virtuosity of the band is amazing. Anyone with an adventerous ear will get a great buzz from this one. Truly amazing.

Inspiring.......2006-02-18

On occasion an artist creates something (book, movie, music, painting, etc.) that just clicks with you. This disc is like that. The musical talent and compositional skills heard on this disc are staggering.

The stomping groove of "Georgia Pine" is the perfect beginning. The jazz tinged "Heavy Blue Miles" is loaded with great vocals, horn playing and arrangements. More terrific arranging gives the grim ballad "Lovesick Morning" hope. "Make Me Sway" is another great rocking tune. "The End Is Beautiful" has a little bit of everything and the talents of the band really shine. The chorus is awesome! "So Ready" has a funky groove thing going on. The lyrics of "Arc Of Descent" are a bit depressing but the music is uplifting. The disc ends with the up-tempo "Misery, Not Memory"... another great tune.

This disc won't click with everyone but all music lovers should give it a listen.

Echolyn is still progressive rock's best hope for the future.......2006-01-04

To me, Echolyn's last two albums, "Cowboy Poems Free" and "Mei", are the best progressive rock albums since 1980 by anyone, anywhere. "The End Is Beautiful" isn't up to that standard, but it's still a fine album. The title cut, "Heavy Blue Miles", and "Georgia Pine" have already lodged in my head for days at a time. It rocks harder than any previous Echolyn album, though the lyrics are their most downbeat. After four months, I'm still not sure whether this is a very dark concept album. It goes from a war veteran just looking to get drunk ("Georgia Pine") to heartache ("Lovesick Morning"), toxic relationships ("The End Is Beautiful"), and finally suicide ("Arc of Descent" and "Misery, Not Memory"). Tom Hyatt, who didn't return when the band re-formed in the late 90s, is back now, and takes over most of Ray Weston's bass duties. Echolyn produced the album themselves, and the mix doesn't leave as much open space as William Barnes did on the last two albums. But it's not cluttered, and it rewards repeated listenings.

(1=poor 2=mediocre 3=pretty good 4=very good 5=phenomenal)

This is the band that's forging to the front of the prog world today........2005-12-24

I'm always more than a little suspicious when a reviewer says, "You have to listen to this cd a few times before you like it." It usually means that they needed time to convince themselves that they did not make a sub-par purchase, so watch out for those cd's as a general rule.

And yet, I think it's a testament to the complexity and multi-textured quality of Echolyn's unique brand of progressive music that each album DOES sound better every time you put it on. Personally, I've liked every Echolyn cd I ever heard on the first listen; their music always contains enough melodic hooks, tight musicianship, and thought-provoking lyrics to give you the first impression that the cd is pretty good. But subsequent spins reveal the genius and cleverness that only true masters can produce.

"The End Is Beautiful" continues the diverse catalog of published music that Echolyn has graced us with for almost 15 years. This time it's not the 1970's retro-prog of "As The World", or the Americana folk-prog of "Cowboy Poems Free" (still my favorite!), or the contemplative symphonic prog of "Mei". This most recent effort is darker, somewhat heavier, sometimes even "urban"-sounding, with a more raw "live in the studio" feel to it, confidently driven along by the up-front drumming of Paul Ramsey. Their caustic lyrics of abuse, regret, death and despair on this cd make the musings of the late Kevin Gilbert and Shaun Guerin sound almost cheerful!

But don't get the idea that this is dark prog like Anekdoten or Tool or the like. You can still count on the melancholy love songs (albeit with UNhappy endings!) sung beautifully by Brett Kull and Ray Weston. Some of the great vocal harmonies and major chord progressions that occur in the refrains sort of contradict the unkind lyrics they're singing. And Chris Busby gives the darker subject matter some welcome light with his typically inventive keyboard touches that accompany his heavier use of Hammond organ throughout this cd. There's even some small brass band sounds that creep in on some of the tunes - cool and different!

I love the second-guessing refrain in "Heavy Blue Miles" ("It's O.K., I'm not O.K..."), the sweeter songs "Lovesick Morning" and "Arc of Descent", and the great instrumental sections of "Make Me Sway" and "Misery Not Memory".

This is a great rock album in the progressive genre - "progressive" both in the choice of instrumentation as well as in the way new ground is broken. It's time to admit that Echolyn's songwriting is clearly some of the best in the world today, and combined with their virtuosity, it sets them apart as one of the premier progressive rock bands around.

The end might be beautiful, but this part of the Echolyn journey is pretty awesome too.....Give it a spin.

I value interesting music that is played and recorded well. This cd's rating was based on:
Music quality = 9/10; Performance = 9.5/10; Production = 9.5/10; CD length = 10/10.
Overall score weighted on my proprietary scale = 9.3 ("5 stars")