SEARCHING FOR THE LOST KEY

Four long 10 minute + epics make up the Emerald Dawn's sublime debut, entitled 'In Search of the Lost Key' , another prog-rock take on HP Lovecraft's symbolic book, 'The Silver Key' and what better gift can any progfan hope for than that! The Emerald Dawn are a trio from West Cornwall UK that features the amazing Ally Carter on green guitar and saxophones, Tree Stewart on green keyboards and not so green vocals as well as Tom Jackson on green drums. The album artwork is green as well, but joking aside, there is nothing green about these endowed musicians. While their style is difficult to pigeon hole, the sound is definitely neo-prog or symphonic, or eclectic or crossover or space or'well you get it! They cannot seem to find a specific home within PA which I must declare to be a winning proposition, as they do not seem to clone anyone. That makes them original, something the band now has proof of in terms of patience in finding a nest.

On 'Beyond the Wall', there is a fabulous echo in the production, as if seaborne mists have muffled the sound with salty desperation, cloaked in a spectral sheen that can evoke gothic tendencies, almost medieval in imagery. Dense carpets of lush keyboards, propelled by a classic one-two punch beat, adorned by some psychedelic guitar frills that instantly seek to charm the gruff listener into submission. 'Take a walk into the forest of your mind' provokes such liberation and immediately pervades the space between, the prog mechanism alive and kicking. Tree possesses a lovely hushed voice, inspired by some of the 80s synth bands such as Bel Canto, Opus 3, The Eurythmics, Yazoo, Propaganda and its ilk. The mood quickly acquires a hypnotic feel, closely drawing in the unsuspecting sailors, like some bewitching siren off St-Ives Bay.

Things get even spookier on the amazing 'Buridan's Lament', a lush symphonic evocation of Jean Buridan, a French priest and medieval scientist in 1300 who ushered in the concept of 'impetus' and the Copernican revolution. The atmosphere is again lathered in an almost monastery-like echo, a feature I find utterly fascinating. The vocals are deeply urgent, almost manic, as subsequently expressed by a saxophone solo that would make a repentant Nik Turner swallow his pride. Ally Carter then picks up his green guitar and flicks another series of simple but repetitive licks that blossom into a whopping solo that howls into the blustery winds.

But the killer track here is the scintillating 'Shadow in Light', a masterpiece of symphonic splendor that buries very deep into the soul, coached by a puerile drum beat and lathered by washes of celestial synths and a beseeching electric guitar rant that oozes emotion, sufferance and pain. Brooding, vaporous and mystifying like some fog-drenched moor, the meandering axe pleads, begs and cries with abject rage. Suddenly when least expected, a pool of delicate electric piano surfaces to better highlight the gloom, traversed by sizzling synthesizer slashes that verge on the histrionic. The moaning electric guitar sobs mightily, a strong emotional undercurrent rips through the speakers. Bloody fabulous!

The final piece is the title track and it hardly disappoints, giving the impression of witnessing a continuous work, even though there are some evident differences between tracks, such as the furry organ that rules over the arrangement, with Tree's haunting vocal firmly in command. There is a more ambient groove feel here, as if beckoning a new chapter to come, some new adventure or quest, now that the key has been found. Carter peels off a series of low-end blasts, very electric like old school Jeff Beck, and the sizzle fizzles into the warm Penzance night.

Similar to the unheralded Polish band Beam-Light, the music of the Emerald Dawn is a hybrid original , nothing overtly polished or over-produced, just fine music played with obvious passion and creativity. In some strange way, had this work been taken over by some high fallutin' wiz producer like Steve Wilson, the result may have been devoid of its natural charm. This kind of dedicated and honest artist is the paragon of our genre, why we need to encourage them further and beyond 'the lost key'. Love it!

4.5 Jade Mornings

Nice psychedelic jam-style prog music from Devon. Kind of 1970s STEVE HILLAGE-like. A bit unpolished and under-engineered but left raw is kind of good. Vocals and lyrics are nice but sometimes feel out of place. The dated keyboard and guitar sounds used are sometimes grating for the fact that you know that there are better sounds available--and better recording engineering possible--but the overall framework for the free-for-all guitar jams is good. I find myself tuned in by the foundational keyboard parts and then enjoying the play of the talented and energetic guitarist. It is, unfortunately, the rather rudimentary keyboard sounds and recording techniques detract from the overall effect of the songs.

1. "Beyond the Wall" (12:05) feels quite a bit like listening to early CURE (with EVERYTHING BUT THE GIRL's Tracey Thorn singing) drawn out in HAWKWIND/ELOY fashion. (8/10)

2. "Buridan's Lament" (10:50) has trouble getting started and throws one off a bit once the Goth-sounding vocals of the male lead come in. By the third minute guitar, backbeat, and chord sequence have finally established themselves--but are barely interesting or engaging enough to draw the listener in. The Hackett/Hillage-like lead guitar play is the most interesting part of the music--before the piano arpeggio establishes a new key and the sax enters and takes over. Nice Dick Parry sound. Then simple 'church organ' takes over--with nice effect. Previous sections are repeated. It feels a bit overdrawn. (8/10)

3. "Shadow in Light" (10:14) an instrumental guitar jam, is my favorite song on the album despite (or, perhaps, because of) the fact that the entire song sounds so much like COLLAGE's 1995 classic, "Living in the Moonlight." (9/10)

4. "In Search of the Lost Key" (11:06) is just testing my tolerance for the same guitar lead played over slightly varied rhythms and chord progressions. The presence of murky female vocalist and organ does little to bring this song up to higher status. (7/10)

A band with A LOT of potential and a lot of growing/maturing, practicing, experimenting to do. I hope they stick with it cuz I do like their sound.

Some time ago I had a chat via Facebook with Ally Carter, the guitar-playing multi-instrumentalist of the Scottish band The Emerald Dawn. It was obviously about writing reviews and to make a long story short: he sent me all their albums digitally and I'm going to review them all. Although I largely focus on CDs from my own collection with Prog & Rock, I also find it a challenge to occasionally write about albums that are unknown to me, such as the work of The Emerald Dawn for example. I'm going review their albums one by one, starting with "Searching For The Lost Key" from 2014.

On this debut album, the band still operates as a trio. In addition to Ally Carter, there are singer Tree Stewart who also plays keys, flute and acoustic guitar and drummer Tom Jackson. Well, from an early retired professor of moral philosophy and from a circus artist and trapeze teacher, you can expect well thought-out and idiosyncratic music and that's what you get. The Emerald Dawn makes music that comes across as a psychedelic jam full of neo-progressive atmospheres that are dark, mysterious and always appealing to the imagination.

The album has only four songs, epics that all clock over ten minutes. Opener Beyond The Wall even puts just over twelve on the clock. What is immediately noticeable is that Carter goes crazy on his instrument in a Steve Hillage-like way. Also noteworthy is Stewart's dark, almost declamating vocals that seem to have run away from an 80s wave band. All this takes place on a surface of constantly present woolly synth sounds and falling organ attacks. In the ensuing Buridan's Lament, Ally Carter takes care of the lead vocals and that is almost necessary since it is a lament from a monk in the 12th century. In the song there is a beautiful passage with Carter's deep dark saxophone and it is here where a contrast is created. The instrumental Shadow In Light may count as the highlight of the album, not least because guitar and keys meet so blissfully. It drags and it pulls into the song where melodic guitar splendor turns into vehemence and where the subdued degenerates into exuberance. When the melodic Hackett guitar line resounds from the beginning, you are happy with what you have heard. The album closes with Tree Stewart's In Search Of The Lost Key. Her part in this epic is in any case remarkably large because in addition to singing, she also comes with catchy organ chords and graceful loops. A large part of the song is also reserved for her flute. Tree for president.

It is a bit of a joke to say that a search for an identity is the key word on this album. The opposite, however, shows more realism. The band members of The Emerald Dawn did not have to look far at all, they just stayed very close to themselves and you can hear that. Uncompromising passion.

Orginally posted on www.progenrock.com