FOR BAILEY

I enjoyed Salander's Stendec album quite a bit, and I was glad to hear something new by them. This tribute piece commemorate's the life of a beloved dog, Bailey, and was commissioned by the grieving family. It begins with a woman calling, "Bailey! Bailey! Come on boy. Come here! Come here!" Bailey responds, and the music begins. The next seven minutes takes us on a cinematic journey of bittersweet remembrances of canine explorations, familial memories, and loss. While Dave Smith's keyboards initially focus on the fondly remembered romps through the countryside, Dave Curnow's emotive guitar reveals the grief this family is experiencing. The piece ends almost abruptly with a child's voice saying the dog's name, and we're reminded that, for this family, life will go on.

I've lost beloved pets, and I found the music completely in keeping with its purpose: to provide solace and to stimulate the release of grief. It's a nice piece.

If you aren't grieving, "For Bailey" warrants 3 stars for being largely a very melodic mood piece. If you are, then this will be of some comfort: 4 stars. I'm assigning 4 stars for this piece's target audience.