FAINTLY BLOWING

Faintly Blowing was the second and last Kaleidoscope album at the time they were active, since the band would change its name to Fairfield Parlour and would change its style to folk progressive rock. As Kaleidoscope, their music is pure british psychedelia. Compared with their debut, Tangerine Dream, Faintly Blowing is a clear progression in psychedelic techniques and studio wizardry. The songwriting is strong as in their first album, so it has everything to be a good album.

The first song, Faintly Blowing, is a psychedelic affair, with heavy use of distortions, feedback and electronic effects in an upbeat psychedelic song. Poem is completely different. It is a song with only acoustic song, ethereal singing and sound effects.

Snapdragon is a psych folk song, with very good acoustic guitar and bass work, with some experimental parts inserted in the song. A Story From Tom Bitz is a psychedelic song, resembling the songs of their debut. The guitar work, both acoustic and electric, is very good and there are some strong drumming parts. (Love Song) For Annie, surprisingly, has hard rock arrangements during the verses, with good keyboard and guitar. This part alternates this with a mellow chorus, with chimes, acoustic guitar and mellow singing.

If you so wish is a beautiful song, with great acoustic guitar arrangements, some orchestral arrangements, woodwinds and beautiful vocal arrangements. This is the most beautiful song of the album. Opinion, the following song, is very short, just 20 seconds. Then comes Bless The Executioner, a folkish song, with philosophic lyrics and good acoustic guitar work.

Black Fjord is another psychedelic song that relies heavily in the orchestral arrangements and sound effects, that enrich the melodies of the rock band. The Feathered Tiger is clearly inspired by The Sky Children, from their previous album. It is a long stotytelling song, with a nice guitar riff. The long lyrics and the singing shows a strong Dylan influence.

I'll Kiss You Once is a short folkish ballad, that has less than one minute. Then comes the last song and most experimental. Music is a shining jewel of psychedelic rock, with strong rhythm section and powerful guitars dressed with distortion, phasing and feedback. From the middle to the end, the song becomes avant-gardish, with lots of effects and studio trickeries.

The CD version comes with a lot of nice bonus tracks, including new songs like Do It Again For Jeffrey, which is a nice psychedelic song, Let the World Wash In, which was the theme song of 1970 Isle of Wight festival, inluding sitars and flutes, and Mediaeval Masquerade, a medieval instrumental song, that suits better Fairfield Parlour.

So, while not a masterpiece as their debut, Faintly Blowing is still a excellent album of Kaleidoscope. The album is more psychedelic and more folkish and points slightly to the direction Fairfield Parlour would take. And songs like Music, The Feathered Tiger, If you so Wish and (Love Song) For Annie make the album essential.