ACQUIRING THE TASTE

As a newcomer to Gentle Giant's music I have found this album to be a particularly wonderful introduction. The brother's Schulman and their cohorts put together a finely tuned and well crafted second album. Every song is a creative force in its own unique way that allows the listener a fresh experience upon every hearing. The opener Pantugruels Nativity is a wonderful way to begin the album and projects a full, rich atmospheric tone that haunts the soul and enlightens a keen mind with its dark vibrance. Other key tracks are The Moon is Down and Black Cat, the latter brings a jollyness to the dark, thought- provoking mood of the rest of the album.

Honesty, the album should be listened to moreso as one whole song. It's not necesarilly a concept album but certain themes and sounds appear at different times throughout that paint a unified picture. For example, the singers in the band have voices that are full and powerful and convey a specific mood to each piece. Each song has the correct singer for that song and this is very important because the human voice is the most diverse and beautiful instrument. Overall, It is a captivating picture that should be given time and repeat listens in order that it may fully be seen.

One last note is the final song Plain Truth. This is a song that I do not care for mainly because it is too repetitive in its nature. However, it does fit the rest of the album and is not a completely bad song, though I feel it does lack the eloquent construction of the other tracks.

This one is a treat. One to really soak up!