TERRACED GARDEN

I like to thank historian9 for pushing for this band to be included at progarchives.They do totally belong here,and I understand that it might have been a little tricky to categorize these guys.I was lucky enough to catch Terraced Garden live a couple of times and they were excellent.Great musicians changing between instruments between themselves.

Then there is psarro's great review of Melody and Menace.A very appropriate title I would say.His review is spot on on and there is no way I could better it.So in using his review to review these,here goes.

I am kinda gonna review there 3 albums in this review for Braille,cause there is no mistaking who's playing and the albums are sorta the same but yet with little differencies between the 3.

Melody and Menace is a band with some great ideas and putting them all on vinyl.It may seem a bit scattered but there is a lot of charm here.Between 3 1/2 and 4 stars.

Braille is my favourite.Sound has been tightened up,music is less scattered and it much catchier and easy to digest.Not a weak song here.4 solid stars.

Within,sound has been tightened up even more and at the same time they are rocking out more,but there is no mistaking who is playing here.Also between 3 1/2 and 4 stars.

So indeed ,if you are a fan of Gentle Giant,Happy the Man,The Moodies and maybe Gnidrolog you will be a happy camper with these guys.

Different sounding than most of the bands around the same time,Toronto-based TERRACED GARDEN were the brainchild of multi-instrumentalist Carl Tafel,who was a member of heavy sounding rock bands Ex Libris and Cardboard Brains.He began recording tracks for the band's debut in 1981 with the help of by drummer Peter Weeks,woodwind player Ian Colvin (from Ex Libris) and violinist Simon Jacobs.Tafel run out of money,the project stayed in hiatus for sometime,before returning the next year with Phil Dewhurst this time on drums and finishing the recordings and mixing of the album.Around Christmas 82' ''Melody and menace'' was finally released.

The album is a fantastic journey through the different streets of the progressive rock world with a band delivering a mixed but captivating bag of sounds.Sometimes I wonder if GENTLE GIANT or HAPPY THE MAN were formed in the 80's,how they would sound like?Perhaps ''Melody and menace'' is the answer.Filled with piano,mellotrons,violins,acoustic guitars and flutes,most of the tracks explore the sounds of symphonic music,jazz tradition and relaxed acoustic folk in one package.You can add the soft and ethereal multi-vocal harmonies and background choirs to the mix to get a soundscape of unmet beauty.On the other hand the band can play also some really intricate and dynamic guitar-based rock with an obvious fusion breeze,supported by the powerful drums and the pounding bass lines with nice keys on the background.Short tracks with fine interplays,dreamy vocals and adventuruous blend of instruments,sounding very modern until today.Can you ask for more?

Unfortunately this album never got a CD-reissue and propably that's a good reason why it remained in obscurity.Recommended to all prog fans who love KING CRIMSON,GENTLE GIANT,HAPPY THE MAN and ECHOLYN.