TORTOISE

The band got their name by combining "trio" and "mellotron". Yes they are a trio consisting of two members of FLAMBOROUGH HEAD and the drummer from ODYSSICE. And mellotron samples are all over this recording.This is an all instrumental album that is fairly light with guitar, cello, drums, and flute being the main instruments.This is a concept album about a tortoise that you can read about for yourself in the liner notes.

These are some of the highlights for me. First off "Tortoise" has a melody of light drums, mellotron and guitar before keys come in. A nice extended flute solo follows. "Hindsight" begins with a slow pace with acoustic guitar, flue and cello creating the soundscape. The song picks up a notch, and the mellotron and lazy guitar are great.

"Jemetrion" opens with acoustic guitar and flute as light drums and mellotron come in. Halfway through the song gets louder and this contrast continues. Some beautiful guitar after 5 minutes. My favourite song is "The Seagulls" and the sounds of seagulls fade out as some mournful cello takes over. This is followed by a guitar as the mellotron flows. Nice. Flute and acoustic guitar are up next, and the uplifting guitar solo 5 minutes in is terrific. "Endgame" has some more cello and soaring guitar melodies.

I think 3.5 stars is an accurate rating. A lot of the songs start out so mellow and tranquil, and then become more pronounced before they end. I did find I was losing interest in this record before it ended. After repeated listens I appreciated the beautiful sounds these guys created, but would have prefered some variety.