THE SILENT CORNER AND THE EMPTY STAGE

This one has the highest rate of PH albums for a good reason. At least everyone who digs VDGG should love this, clearly the closest in style and sound to VDGG's classic albums and also featuring other VDGG members. The second in a trilogy where Chameleon in the Shadow of the Night has more acoustic approach and quite a rough sound quality, and In Camera carries on deeper in the extremes of sanity and experiment (I admire that too, but it's a bit harder to enjoy).

'Modern' is a frantic classic? track which I rather skip. 'Wilhelmina' is as an emotional ballad to a little girl quite different from the overall tone. To me the magic of this album begins with 'The Lie' (inspired by the named church art) and continues all the way to the ending of 'A Louse Is Not a Home', a gorgeous 12- minute study of alienation which would be perfectly at home in Pawn Hearts (get the mp3!). 'Forsaken Gardens' is very touching ("there is so much sorrow in the world"... "thru the grief, thru the pain, our flowers need each other's rain"). David Jackson (fl,sax) makes 'Red Shift' sound a lot like Godbluff which appeared the next year. In a word: a treasure for fans of VDGG!