A CALL FOR FANTASY

This is a young musical whiz from Kolkata, India , proving once and for all that prog is a global phenomenon. Mahesh Arora is a talented multi-instrumentalist who began learning piano at a very young age and now in his very early 20s, he is ready to embark on a hopefully prolific career in prog. This 2024 album is 32 minutes long and he has released many more subsequent works since, though all under 40 minutes . I would like to take the opportunity to suggest to this stellar young musician, that while short can be considered precious and cute, prog fans generally prefer somewhat lengthier affairs, mostly out of habit but also because, they are not specific track but rather an album- oriented audience.

Opening up with the intro to the album title and second track, a piano sort of sets the tone, dominating the airwaves, with some vocals strangely reminiscent of Phideaux, a marching drum parade gently saluting in the background. The title track I had heard on Progzilla Radio on the Lazland show , which I listen to devoutly every Saturday, and Steve played this track. Its sensual ,nearly 12-minute run was quite an exhilarating experience, as Mahesh does everything here, including the high-pitched vocal chores. The epic arrangement is cleverly developed, with exemplary pacing, texture and mood. There are streaking melodic heights, suddenly swerving into ambient depths, as well as some sizzling lead guitar work, with endless detailed excursions into spoken word effects, echoing galactic sonics aided by spanning choirs and regularly reverting to the piano as the leader of the pack. Nimble drum work keeps the rhythmic tension constant, on the edge of falling off some precipice. The musicality surely parallels both the title and the evocative artwork, as if looking out of some cosmic porthole in one's mind. Surely an epic track for the ages. Another piano based etude that lurks behind pastoral trees and bushes, "Sage & Harmony" offers exactly what is advertised, choir mellotron in the background, and a lovely melody to boot. Keeping the mood pleasantly in the garden, "Flowers for All" supplies a dream-like sequence, with reverberating vocal moans, spindly guitar trimmings and that doggone piano glistening in the sunshine. Both exquisite little vignettes , that could easily have been further developed into more substantial epics or even joined like two lovers into one longer arrangement. Opting for increased classical music impact, "Polyphonic Walls" elevated the symphonics to blur the lines even further, increasing the prog quotient in the meantime. Drenched in sonic clouds of colliding streaks, the shrill voice pleads escape from some claustrophobic experience, surrounded by dark shudders of anxious temperament, as if trapped in some experimental Floydian nightmare. Pause. The orchestral feel resurfaces from the abyss, as if resurrecting past glories, yet still wet from the spectral tempest. A distant siren-like voice beckoning the sailors to visit her hazardous shores, the moment of fate has arrived. "Silk (extended version)" is the harbor where they hoped to find shelter, comfort and rest. As befits such a velvety smooth title, the piece evolves in comfortable numbness, a vaporous glide into golden slumbers and soon a distant point on the horizon. Well done.

Extremely thoughtful composing and obvious talent. Its is up to Mahesh to decide how to consolidate this miraculous talent and fit his craft into more concise and complete chapters that will hoist him up to a wider audience. 4 cellphone illusions

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