THE WINDOW OF LIFE

"The Window of Life" is my second foray into Pendragon's discography. I began with "Not of this World", and was absolutely floored by the melody, the soaring atmosphere, and the profound statements. Naturally, this album will be compared to "Not of this World", though they are about 7 years removed from each other.

This album. *Sigh*. This album is gorgeous. After hearing it once, I thought it inferior to "Not of this World", but after many spins, I believe them to be perfectly aligned. Pendragon just has a way of bringing beautiful melodies, spurts of technicality, emotive and meaningful lyrics and ideas, and relaxing vocals all together to form an epic setpiece that pulls at every string in my heart. The acoustic guitarist is again spectacular, but I was even more impressed by the electric guitars and drums in this album. The drummer, Fudge Smith, really had his way here with amazing fills and awesome passages. Nick Barrett is always fantastic with his voice, and he is really leaping up the ranks of my favorite singers. Finally, I LOVED the inclusion of some rarely used instruments, such as the harmonica and the banjo (?). The harmonica sequences are soulfully delivered, and perfectly placed for maximum effect.

"The Window of Life", as best as I can make out, is a celebration of life. It's like looking through a window to see snippets of other people's lives. We see their dreams, their sorrows and pain: We see their hopes and loves, and their longings and losses. Most of all, we witness the wonder in every day life: something that many of us forget to see. It's difficult sometimes because our lives can seem so mundane. You know what? It's a wonder we are even breathing! Little things make our Creator's world wonderful, and this album is a monument to all that makes us laugh, cry, scowl, and smile. This album, with its musical brilliance and thematic vulnerability, moves me in ways that I don't often find in other music. Thank you, Pendragon, for such a stunning accomplishment.