PERPETUAL MOTION

Cary Grace is releasing albums since 2004, experienced in composing and guitar playing. Her new production now appears as a double CD album - a really refreshing discovery as for my impression. When starting to listen to the opening song The Scarab first you may think of such a singer/songwriter girl we have plenty of. It's a really mellow acoustic ballad - 'from horizon to horizon ...' - a nice refrain - whoops - but then you will soon take notice of synths and psychedelic guitar coming up which sounds quite off the beaten path. This is interesting and makes curious.

The songs are instrumental half way through although Cary has a charming voice. This might convey that she doesn't make the most with her talents. But obviously there are other preferences too - the cornucopia of VCS3 synthesizer elements and the compositions as such which are not fitted to herself exclusively - it's the whole ensemble which impresses on 'Perpetual Motion'. Finally the result is variety based on a collective work and covering diverse progressive rock styles.

For example we later hit upon the spacey chilling Cassiopeia, 1572 provided with a looping behaviour and wonderfully swirling and bubbling goodies all around. And the long track Queen of Pentacles definetely can be redefined as 'Queen of Perpetual Motion' if it was up to me - wow - a mainly improvised monster track contrasted by some vocal passages. What an energetic performance developing from floydy psychedelic to jazz rock(!) over the course of time. Synthesizer, electric guitar and violin are harmonizing as well as duelling - this is amazing!

Second disc starts with one of several short interludes you will find named Between the Pages - seemingly representing something like a backbone for the whole production. The folk tinged Dreamcatcher brings another new facet as well as Helleborus - more blues coloured for the start and evolving to another nonchalant jam with Graham Clark's violin support. Very impressing up to this point - and the title track is still missing ...

... 'it must be a perpetual motion' - they let it flow and take time for more than twenty minutes! An exciting laid-back spacey one basically, repetitive bass, hypnotizing synthesizer and hallucinogenic guitar appearance. There's so much tension here - hard to describe. Someday I decided to put on my headphones to listen once more - and realized that I was definetely too hasty to assign the crown. Not a song which unfolds its beauty at the first glance - but then ...

'Perpetual Motion' is delivering structure and improvisation quasi emancipated, a well-balanced progressive rock production consisting of a bunch of impressions. A great step forward compared to what I know from her previous albums. This foreshadows some other surprises just trying to be a little bit visionary. Highly recommended by all means - don't miss that - 4.5 stars really!