NEWTOPIA

One-album band Pale Acute Moon represents the same keyboard dominated symphonic prog of the 80's as the better known Japanese bands Outer Limits, Pageant, Gerard -- or Teru's Symphonia, which the leader of PAM, keyboardist Motoi Semba, joined in the late 80's.

The sole album Newtopia may not be very remarkable or special, but its slightly orchestral sounding and melodic music is pretty pleasant. The bright vocals of Shinji Akahori are, in one word, girlish, but decent enough. The singing (in Japanese if I'm not mistaken, despite the English titles) doesn't dominate the album that contains also instrumental pieces.

The composing style has a little bit of the ELP/Wakeman-like, uplifting bombast, and some of the more romantic approach of Renaissance and the quartet-era Genesis, at least in small doses. The sound is however more of contemporary Neo Prog than retro- seeking Symphonic Prog. At times the keyboard sound reminds me of the Tony Banks solo debut A Curious Feeling.

I feel I should enjoy Newtopia more than I do. Perhaps the compositions are not memorable enough, and perhaps the sound feels slightly too 80's. The other musicians besides the keyboardist are undoubtedly competent too, but in the mix especially guitar and bass are often almost lost. If you want to explore more Japanese symphonic prog to accompany the more important bands mentioned above, give it a try.