TALES FROM THE INFLATABLE FOREST

Amazing debut of this "one-man band".

The Owl Watches is the name of the project leaded by Phil McKenna who shows all his talent on different instruments in this surprising debut album where the music is definetively aligned with the most classical jazz-rock sound but with delicate avant garde influences.

The opening suite, "Tales From The Inflatable Forest" are a great example of the mixture of genres that runs through the album. Some of the sections reminds me the work of Isildurs Bane and Ezra Winston, with all the complexities and strange atmospheres that this kind of musical experiment generates.

Second song, "There Ain't No Such Things As Spooks" keeps the same style of the opener but includes a stronger rhythmical base which reminds some Goblin mid-70's works turning this track into a mini-epical. "Perfect Picture In Reverse" is another great piece, with some sections that reminds the jazzy age of Colosseum and full of suprising changes and twists. The last two tracks, "Healing of A Heart" and "That's All He Wrote" stays in the same line of the previous songs, with an incredible work on guitar solos and rhythmical sections.

Anyway, a very interesting album specially recommended for fans of the bands that I mentioned before. A great and attractive project (with three albums by now) but it's necessary to discover it since this first production. 4*...

The Owl Watches begun in 2000 as a project of Tony Island's bassist Phil McKenna.Coming from Atlanta, Georgia, he took care of all instruments, recording his project's debut, including guitars, bass, synthesizers, Mellotron and drum programming.The album saw the light in 2000 as a private release, entitled ''Tales from the inflatable forest''.

This work sounds a bit messed up with monotonous and minimalistic textures followed by richer and more elaborate arrangements in the process, all alternating between dreamy and darker atmospheres.Most tracks are long but with really ovestretched ideas, although there is some competitive music included as well.The Owl Watches apparently sound a bit like a US version of ANEKDOTEN, though with a stronger modern edge and less references to the 70's, which however contain also KING CRIMSON as an obvious influence.One negative factor is the dull drum programmed sounds, but the album has a decent diversity from dark Psychedelic Prog to more symphonic themes and a light Fusion touch in the guitar section.However the sum of McKenna's compositions sound too jammy and abstract with little cohesion.Unrelated sections seem to be connected in order to form long and sinister compositions, which only partly work well.The best moments are definitely the interesting Mellotron-drenched passages with a fair, old-fashioned aura, the sweet, jazzy guitar solos and some cool, dynamic grooves of an otherwise quite laid-back delivery.

''Tales from the inflatable forest'' ends up as an incosistent album, that needed to be worked more properly to offer really interesting material.It's the fans of the darker side of Prog though that propably will appreaciate some of the album's moments and McKenna's evident but poorly developed composing talents...2.5 stars.