CULPEPER'S ORCHARD

The self titled debut album from the Danish CULPEPER'S ORCHARD is actually a fairly impressive entry into the early progressive/post-psychedelic ranks. Indeed, it's probably among the finest albums I've heard in this particular style. At once highly melodic and whimsical, the band has a sharp knack for dark, swirling psychedelia and stunning melancholy. Essentially, the sound is characterized by a hefty amount of overlaid clean, jangling electric guitars, punctuated by the occasional surging distorted riff or fuzzed out solo. Vocals are smoky and sublime, capable of some extraordinarily addictive melodies, fusing beautifully with the grace and atmosphere of the rest of the album. Having not heard much other Danish prog to compare this to, one pleasant surprise was that even though the lyrics are in English, there is scarcely an accent to be detected. Not sure if that's par for the course or not, but I wouldn't know this album wasn't from England unless informed otherwise. The lyrics are generally pleasantly eccentric, often strikingly evocative if marred by the occasionally embarrassing line.

Anyway, despite all the attributes of the album, there are some flaws, mostly having to do with a lack of consistency throughout. Had the strength of the first half of the album, particularly in the rousing "Mountain Music Part 1" and the stunningly gorgeous "Teaparty for an Orchard", been sustained on the second, this would be an unequivocal classic. As it stands, CULPEPER'S ORCHARD get less interesting from "Ode to Resistance" on, until we are rescued by the sweepingly powerful closer, "Mountain Music Part 2". Sure, the redundant refrains of "Gideon's Trap" and "Blue Day's Morning" may fly by unnoticed the first few times through, being buried in the middle of the album (as filler should be), but more frequent listenings do reveal a drop in quality towards the latter half. Still, a continuity is undoubtedly maintained through the general tone and atmosphere that renders the albums weaker sections more anonymous than offensive.