WHIMSICAL WEATHER

The third Cirrus Bay is most welcome, a lovely release of beautiful melodies and somewhat complex arrangements and not far from their last release, 'A Step Into Elsewhere'. Like that album, it is the first and last songs that are the true classics, rooted in the 70s tradition of artists such as Camel, Anthony Phillips, Steve Hackett and Renaissance, with occasional lapses into something almost Canterbury-sections that are quite complex and beautiful at the same time, examples being the instrumental sections of 'Across The Cobblestones', the albums dynamic closer, and the curious instrumental 'Gathering Clouds'. Half of this album is the best music Cirrus Bay has released, and half is lesser than anything on 'A Step Into Elsewhere', in my opinion, notably 'Boundaries', while having some great ideas and moments, has some drawbacks, such as the vocal effects, and 'Wanderlust', which is heartwrenchingly beautiful during the mid section of the song, but the conclusion could have been more dynamic. Still overall a great album, one of my favorites for the year, and probably as original as 'symph' can be (the heading of neo-prog is inaccurate, and probably earned over the weaknesses of their debut album). Favorite songs: Across The Cobblestones, Circles and Seasons, Gathering Clouds and Me & The Wind.

Edit: after many listens, I have upgraded to 5 stars. 'Circles and Seasons' is just breathtaking.