SHORT STORIES

This is an accessible album where pop New Age and lite progressive music form a balanced whole. Jon Anderson's omnipresent & pleasant lead vocals are in the foreground. There are omnipresent drums parts, and the ensemble is neither monotonous nor linear. The tracks are rather short. Many bits are very beautiful and mellow, and rather romantic. It sounds a bit like a more catchy & sentimental version of Vangelis' "Opera sauvage", "China" and "Chariots of fire". Not flashy, this record has a more modest sound recording than "Friends of Mr. Cairo", where the sound is really crystal clear. Anderson's vocals are also very good here but they are a bit less flamboyant than on "Friends of Mr. Cairo". The keyboards are varied, often floating, magical, full of miscellaneous effects, and there are intense passages carrying pleasant emotions. I think it is a very underrated album. There is a sublime & dreamy volume effect applied on the keyboards of "Play within a play", like Vangelis used to include on his "China" album.