PLACES UNSEEN

Beautiful pure symphonic prog, with some departures from previous albums. As stated by other reviewers, "Places Unseen" offers much in the way of instrumental music, notably in the lengthy "First Departure" and "Second Departure", aside from some wordless voicings by newcomer Tai Shan. These two pieces are clearly in the Genesis/Hackett/Anthony Phillips vein, with both lively and slow sections, impressive solos and some very strong melodies, somewhat in the vein of previous Cirrus Bay albums, but only somewhat, as "Places Unseen" is more proggy and varied than previous albums, even more so in the other instrumentals, "Dimension 7" which breaks new ground, progressive in the true sense of the word, and "Horseback to Hanssonland", which, yes, does recall Bo Hansson, albeit a bit more dramatic. Brendan Buss' sax and flute work here contribute well to this feel. Elsewhere, the title track and the similar "The Sheltering Cove" recall a mix of Renaissance, Genesis and Caravan, the latter having an especially playful flute and piano interaction during the lengthy instrumental portion. Finally, "Songs Unheard" and "Boats" provide the contrast in being more song oriented, and arguably the only 2 tracks that resemble their previous album, "The Search For Joy". A solid 4.5 or more, rounded up, definitely one of my favorites of the last couple years