TALES FROM SHEEPFATHER'S GROVE

Johannes Luley was the guitarist of Moth Vellum. This is a nice album, big surprise for me! Much of the album is lush and pastoral in nature. Luley plays on all instruments, except the harp. Lead vocal handled by Luley, saved for some female backing vocals. The first one, two part track "The Stab the Sea" strongly influenced by Jon Anderson' s album,Olias of Sunhillow, because we can hear multple vocal parts, harps and tribal drums. "The Guardians of Time" is a classical guitar dominated song with touches of folk. The next one is a folksy number also with much acoustic guitar in vein of Anthony Phillips with helped by synthesizer. "Give and take part one": nice vocal with harp, Vangelis type carpet of keyboards and oldfield-ish guitar playing. "Give and Take part two" is a short number with tribal drums and some keys. "The Fleeting world" is beautiful acoustic guitar based composition, as if we would hear Steve Howe. "The We are the one": sounds like a good outtake from a Jon & Vangelis album! The beginning of the ten minutes, four parts suite, "Atheos" is classical oriented and soundtrack like. Middle of the suite we can discover some oldfield-ish guitar playing and delicious vocal parts with feeling of a small dose of world music. Sound of synths float with a womans'wishper in end of this long number. The closing "Voya" is a relaxing love song. I offer this album to those who like the acoustic guitar based progressive rock music what bordered with New Age.