SEA OF THE SINKING SUN

A late 60s mood is the first impression received by the opening track "Gone". Acoustic guitar, bass and keyboards for a song that has made Donovan pop in my mind. It could be an American band of the same period as well, let me say that I like this genre a lot, and despite being "retro", the production is very good.

"Outside Smile" is another good song, a bit longer and based on minor chords. I hear some psychedelia mixed with sounds typical of neo-prog. The gutar, in particular, could appear in the early Marillion or Fish releases. The second part of the track, with the drums appearing for the first time in the album has a sort of Mostly Autumn flavor but with a guitar less invasive than Bryan Josh's.

"Picnic In The Park At Summer Solstice" is the longest title for the shortest track. Nice acoustic guitar short piece.

A piano synth intro opens "Cold Under This Sky". More bluesy, it's catchy and the clean voice of Matt Heindorff is perfect for this song. There's also space for a bit of distortion on the electric guitar to turn it into a heavy prog song. Interesting the tempo slowing down for few seconds here and there.

Stormy winds open "North Sea Road". Chimes, bells then finger picking guitar. The melody is catchy, the voice is clean and the chord progression is very good even if the first major chord is kept for quit long. The late 60s mood is present also here. Lovely.

"Destiny's Midst" starts with a bit of recorded chaos and I'm not ashamed of calling it psychedelic rock. Only 2 minutes and half, unfortunately.

The closer is also the longest track, scoring over 8 minutes. More on the rock side, with guitar riffs and distorted electric guitar supporting them, but there are pauses, rhythmless moments made of keys and vocals, plus chaotic concrete sections.

In brief, a lovely album that I personally enjoy a lot, able to put me in a particular state of mind. I hope it works the same for you guys.