FOR GIRLS WHO GROW PLUMP IN THE NIGHT

After hearing the highly appreciated In The Land Of Grey And Pink I acquired a taste for Caravan music that could only be satisfied by yet another album purchase!

Since there are only two other album's have been as generally praised as the band's third album there wasn't much deliberation upon my next pick. Unfortunately it was quite difficult to find If I Could Do It All Over Again, I'd Do It All Over You at the time especially since I didn't start purchasing music online until the end of 2007 which meant that I had to rely on the limited supply of the downtown music stores. Imagine my joy once I actually found For Girls Who Grow Plump In The Night in one of the record stores!

This album's track-listing features a completely different line-up of compositions where none dares to go beyond the 10-minute format but there are quite a few medleys which still seemed promising enough when I first glanced at it. The opening Memory Lain, Hugh/Headloss just so happens to be one of these numbers and it features an interesting transition halfway through the performance. Although this composition is considered one of the album's definite highlights I've never given it more than a lukewarm reception because the best is yet to come!

C'Thlu Thlu is a surprisingly dark performance by Caravan standards since it features a distinct electric guitar melody and atmospheric background sounds. This is of course only a temporary disguise and once the vocals kick in you're once again in the familiar territory. What I really love about this composition is its instrumental section towards the end which is just fantastic, but I'll keep the details a secret since the description just won't do it justice!

The Dog, The Dog, He's At It Again is another favorite of mine just for the top notch melody and I love the music arrangement. The instrumental passage in the middle of the performance is an added bonus since I would have loved the song just as much even without it.

This album does have a great deal of interesting moments but the material doesn't hold together all too well for me. Come to think of it, I also lacked this consistency on In The Land Of Grey And Pink but that album's second side made it into a masterpiece. As for this record, all the magnificent moments still definitely make it worth a while but do expect a bumpy ride.

***** star songs: C'Thlu Thlu (6:12) The Dog, The Dog, He's At It Again (5:38)

**** star songs: Memory Lain, Hugh/Headloss (9:14) Be Alright/Chance Of A Lifetime (6:35) L'auberge Du Sanglier/A Hunting We Shall Go/Pengola/Backwards/A Hunting We Shall Go (10:05)

*** star songs: Hoedown (3:18) Surprise, Surprise (4:05)