Debut album review

This album from Area 39 is an intriguing listen, blending electronic and progressive music with spoken word, voice samples from NASA archives and soaring female vocals, powerful rock guitar with subtle keyboards, all underpinned with some thoughtful and where necessary dramatic and powerful drumming.

The album tells a story in a subtle yet dramatic way, from the dreamy, gentle opener, "The Dreamer Dreams" through the full on rock of "Through the Eye of a Telescope", to the conspiratorial closer, "The Dreamers Dreamed", the album takes you on a dramatic journey of discovery, wonder, and possible conspiracy.

Ray Turrell, whose ideas developed into the Area 39 project, is joined on the album by John Gosberg (Keyboards), Wayne Sowden (Drums), Gavin Fletcher (Guitar), Paula Cunningham, David Roy and Nicki Allan on vocals, they have contributed in their own way to an album of cleverly blended rock, progressive rock and electronic style music.

This album is different from the ‘crowd’, fairly new ideas blended together with a little more daring and flair than some bands, add a distinctive style and structure, sprinkle in the superb use of the vocal samples from NASA and you have music for the mind not just the ear, full of tension and drama but with a gentle sense of fun and a dash of mischief.

Find out more at www.area39project.com.

Paul Baker

ARFM