PAPER WINGED DREAMS

To begin with, all songs have lyrics, even if Suite has only a few in contrast to its length. All vocal content is religious one,without any metaphors or expressive words. It's a pity a band which managed to create such complex instrumental passages, chose lyrics worse than the ones chosen by pop singers. The 7 songs of this Christian oriented album, released by the 70s trio which has replaced some of its members in the 80s, feature extended guitar jams which fuse with keys and several effects,peaceful passages alternating with fussy ones. ***Dead sleep at night*** -> quite melodic and warm beats, dominated by guitars - lead,rhythm and bass,drums and keys all over the song,filling its background. Vocals are also warm : Everyone has someone to care for/Everyone has someone who needs/You and i, should have stayed together/You and i, should live in love forever . **End of the road** - simple instrumental loops, rapidly played, which alternate with soft and calm ones used when the lyrics are sung. *Etude - Fields of clay* -> the rain, the darkness, fall to your knees and pray and classical guitar intro, followed by soft sounds which ..ruin the song. ****Illusion - Paper winged dreams**** -> the typical Hammond sound in the beginning,then Paper winged dreams repeated as lyric, followed by keys and vocals again. *****Suite in five movements***** -> finally some complex passages made by guitars and keyboards, as the ones from this mainly instrumental 18-minute-long song. The first part starts with guitars and Hammond organ with low notes. After 1/2 minutes the Leslie effect becomes noticeable, then comes some finger picking guitar work which is followed by guitar with short Wah-Wah effect, bass and jazzy guitar. Next, some lyrics in which gratitude words are brought to our friend/our father/our saviour You gave us strength/Yes my friend you gave us strength/You have done well/Yes my friend you have done well/You've kept us together/That's the only thing that matters .. followed by synthesizer made wind effects and jazzy guitar. 07:20 - Hammond organ - beautiful sounds, fuzzy guitar with synth and hihat drumming, 10:00 - classicguitar playing with bass - this is the passage where lyrics are continued : But father take me to your arms/Show me i'm not alone/I feel the end is near/And still i am alone. The song continues with a mixture of Hammond, fuzz guitar and synth and has a beautiful straight end, not with the oftenly used fade out effect. **Visions of autumn** -> sad and dreamy lyrics on acoustic guitar and harmonious keys background : And we lived to dream/Yes we lived to dream . *Song of love* -> seems like a bunch of cowboys is singing at a farm - really fussy annoying instrumental. (3+2+1+4+5+2+1) / 7 = 2.5 stars. For the ones who like Christian content and peaceful lyrics,this can be a very pleasant,even complex album,but due to its overall tone which is within my musical taste range,i will give it 3 out of 5. (2 if it weren't for Suite and Illusion)

Another band with one and only album, and unrealized potential. Very good for a debut!

Dead Sleep At Night: Cool pop-rocker with late 60s aesthetics. The rhythm section is spectacular, they are elevating a rather mediocre song to something worth listening to again!

End of The Road: Built around a catchy keyboard riff that reminds me of Styx. It enters the realm of prog mainly due to some irregular time signatures near the end of it. Fun, but not special.

Etude/Fields of Clay: This one reminds me of Traffic, but mellower. Again, the rhythm section is the protagonist of the song, elevating it to a new level.

Illusion/Paper Winged Dreams: Oh, that piano intro is great! The rest of the song is very interesting too, again close to the style of Traffic. I like it much better than every other song so far!

Suite in Five Movements: The main reason the album falls under the prog spectrum. A lengthy, jazzy composition, 70% instrumental, and the rest sang in a religious way. The keyboards pay tribute to various well-known compositions around the middle of the song, playing J.S. Bach's "Toccata and Fugue in D Minor, BWV 565" among others, generally known as the Dracula theme. It's almost 19 minutes long, divided in 5 different parts, and worthy of a listen by any prog fan! Not exactly my kind of music, but I get it!

Rating:

A good album. I already made clear how much I like the rhythm section, but the keyboardist is pretty good too. One listening session is definitely not enough, the album has things to offer! 3 stars from me.