THE DREAM OF THE MAGIC JONGLEUR

I was fortunate enough to get a physical copy of this album from the man who is the creator of THE PSYCHEDELIC ENSEMBLE. I can't tell you his name because he has chosen to remain anonymous, but I have talked to him. He told me that with his music he tries to retain the spirit of classic Prog while introducing those Classical and Fusion influences that he has studied over the years. I have to say that this is a classy release with lots of info in the liner notes with lyrics and a discussion about the album's concept. Also there are some beautiful pictures which are related to the story. I've made it no secret that i'm not really into concept albums but this is one I can get lost in. As far as the music goes my only complaint is that the synths are very dominant at times. I love spacey synths but these are more in the style of Rick Wakeman showing what he can do. A minor complaint and one that is about my tastes only. I actually feel the same way about the synths in "Romantic Warrior" by RETURN TO FOREVER. Not bad company right ? The compositions here though have left me shaking my head in appreciation. This isn't what I was expecting at all. This isn't what i'd call Neo, in fact I thought of YES more than any other band. A lot of these tracks blend into one another as well.

"Overture-Into The Night" opens with church bells and atmosphere before it kicks in around 1 1/2 minutes. Vocals follow then synths. Atmosphere and vocals then lead before a beat and lots of synths take over. Atmosphere and church bells end it. Great start ! It blends into "The Quest" which opens with the church bells still ringing from the previous track before synths come in swirling as we get some bombast. The guitar makes some noise in a good way and the drums seem to be all over the place. It settles late with atmosphere and blends into "The Secrets Of Your Mind". Vocals lead with a beat and synths before a minute. Church bells ring briefly after 2 minutes then we get some guitar. Vocals are back before 5 minutes. "The Benefaction Of The Noble Wizard" reminds me of Wakeman as the organ leads throughout. "Listen To Me" opens with guitar before drums and synths kick in along with bass. Vocals join in and it eventually blends into "Stones To Flowers" where it settles down with vocals and picked guitar.

"Magicking" is led by intricate guitar then we get "The Riddle" where we hear some fiddle along with synths and more. I like this one a lot. "Dream And Premonition" has some powerful atmosphere and it turns experimental and dark before kicking in somewhat.Great stuff ! "Strange Days" is another killer tune. Strummed guitar, flute and vocals lead early. Very cool.Synths after 3 minutes. Drums, organ and guitar follow and check out the passionate backing female vocals. "End Of Days-Epilogue" ends it and what a way to finish ! This is my favourite track and the longest at almost 11 minutes. It's raining as the thunder booms. Church bells and atmosphere follow. A heavy soundscape takes over before 2 minutes. So good.Vocals and more later. The synths rip it up 4 minutes in. Lots of synths as it brightens late.

This is one of the more interesting albums i've listened to this year and a solid 4 stars.