SHOOTING ALBATROSS

The Electric Garden Festival 2011 was my first introduction to Abel Ganz, what an amazing revelation it was. I cannot recall a time where I was so impressed by a live band that I had never heard of and when I purchased "Shooting Albatross" it surpassed my expectations. This is an album that feels like a classic prog album and listening to it you may be telling yourself that there are bits that feel like something you have heard before, but you haven't, it is just a flavour of some of the classics. Sure there is a bit of piano that sounds like Wakeman and a keyboard thats a bit Banks, but they don't feel derivative or cloned. In fact some of the flavours are less obvious, the subtle guitar sounds evoke Anthony Phillips and the layering reoccuring melodies sound like Oldfield, in fact I thought I heard the Piltdown man in there! I have to say that my favourite part is the sound of pipes and the crashing of waves on the shore is possibily the finest part of the album, I cannot listen to it without feeling like I am driving my car through the highlands or sitting on a Scottish beach looking out to sea. Yes this album does deserve 5 stars, as prog albums go there have been fewer finer releases than this offering.