DESERT DREAMS

Banal might be the best way to describe my impression towards this album by prog rock newcomers Fusonic. Perhaps most influenced by the bands Camel and Pink Floyd, Fusonic is a group that focuses more on being laid back than impressing their listener with technical wizardry. In a way, this is a refreshing change of pace from the typical revivalist prog act of nowadays, who tend to sacrifice their feeling and warmth in exchange for cerebral achievement. Fusonic is a band that is certainly saying something with their music, yet I cannot say that they are doing it all that well.

At seventy-plus minutes- quite long for a debut- Fusonic jams away with a ton of brief and rather harmless tunes that each sound like they could be the soft, gentle part of a larger epic. Of course, none of these instrumentals enjoy that context. Instead, one after another, Fusonic plays slow to mid-tempo jam rock, led by some pleasant lead guitars. The drums and keyboard are here to provide a backdrop for the guitar work of Teo. It's a somewhat boring formula, but Teo's leads are rather enchanting. Sometimes, there are even melodic hooks that Teo crafts with his leads. I would rarely call his work here 'soloing', due to the fact that it is almost constant, and aims to be gentle, rather than showy. Had Teo simply shredded away- and his skills imply he certainly can- I don't think 'Desert Dreams' would have been even a modest success. On the other hand, a little more vivace to the leads could have made for a more interesting trip.

While the lead guitar is the main dish that Fusonic offers on 'Desert Dreams', the most appetizing thing that they offer is actually the piano, which gets a little more room to breathe than the quiet synth. The pianos here shine more than any other instrument in terms of feeling, including the guitars. Best demonstrated on the final track and highlight 'New Feelings', I feel like Fusonic has got some real potential to work with, and the pianos best demonstrate this. 'Desert Dreams' is a fairly lukewarm effort in any case, pleasant enough to listen to, but offering little in the way of thrills. If Fusonic could take their Camel/Floyd influences, and develop their compositions to the same extent that those bands to however, Fusonic could have something great on their hands.

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