CERULEAN BLUE

"Cerulean Blue" is outstanding. No album has been more creative and outlandish in its ideas and concept within the past five years. Solo artist RAIN outdoes himself with lush harmonies, brilliant arrangements, thick, deep-rooted conceptual philosophies. These well-conceived intricacies arise throughout his debut album. RAIN approaches "Cerulean Blue", a concept album, in a graceful way, taking special care to construct mood with music while developing the plot with words. The concept itself is uniquely unscathed by the grandiose clichés that dominate the typical "rock opera." The music weaves tapestries of mood - dark and brooding - building a gentle tension that hooks the listener. In fact, it seems the majority of the album is building, building, building to a dramatic climax.

"Cerulean Blue" is about a young man named Rick, and his amazing journey across the United States. His story is told through postcards, intercepted by a mysterious man named Mr. Jaeger who is trailing him. Along the way, the listener follows Rick as he meets strange people in bleak situations. At one point, Rick joins a UFO cult, but believes it all nonsense, and leaves just before the group commits mass suicide ("Starcrossed"). The lyrics of "Cerulean Blue" contain complex symbolism that alludes to the personality of Rick and of Mr. Jaeger. The most intriguing moment of the album may be his encounter with a homeless person on the side of the street, who claims to know the meaning of life, and Rick buys them for a dollar. The album never says what these secrets are, but, in a way, they seem to change Rick, and he regrets not writing them down, as the next day the man died. As Rick saw it, "now no one had the answers."

Indeed, one will have to probe the album to experience the record's dramatic close, "Cerulean Blue," if they want to know how the story comes to an end on Alaska's Mt. McKinley. The music, while not as fanciful as the lyrics, is extremely well performed. Instead of a traditional band or solo artist atmosphere, "Cerulean Blue" has an orchestral feel, containing woodwinds, strings, and a choir, in addition to RAIN's vocals, guitars, bass, keyboards, and drums, which together give the album a very distinct atmosphere. Musically, RAIN explores space rock, art rock, and full-on progressive rock.

"Cerulean Blue" is crafted in a way that sets it apart from concept albums and progressive rock in general. The independent music scene has not seen anything as incredible since the debut of SPOCK'S BEARD. The album is available as a free download, as well as the lyrics. With the real album, however, one will get a quality recording of "Cerulean Blue" (the download on the website is in 96kb) and a 40-page discussion of the concept, and all its ins and outs, philosophical implications, and inspirations. In addition, included with the CD is a 5-minute video pertaining to the concept, entitled "Ashes," the lyrics, and absolutely beautiful cover art at an economic price with nearly overnight shipping. Check out the web site to get the lyrics and free downloads, plus a sample of "Ashes."

Rating: 4 1/2 stars

Source: RAIN information about Cerulean Blue written by Tom MacMillan 4/23/2005

"Cerulean Blue" ' of RAIN is at the least a very remarkable cd in different ways. There is not so much information about the man (he has some 'ambient' compositions on his account), but it's a fact that he plays almost all instruments, he has written all the music and the lyrics, he has conceived the artwork and he has also founded his own record label. And apparently he has released a poem cord, it appears to be too much for one human being.

The cd contains seven tracks, all of them introduced by Rob Brown, telling in a magnificent way the story of young man Rick on his travel through America. He's accompanied by a string quartet and numerous sound effects, you must have understood that this is all about progressive rock in the vein of the seventies, ambient, psychedelic, very melodic. References to early GENESIS and PINK FLOYD seem to be obvious.

The 'Lammas Lands' puts the tone, dark, melodramatic, beautifully sung, the drums gives the track some more energy. 'Parsifal' is being led by an intriguing saxophone and a choir. In the excellent 'The Silver Apples of the Moon' there are a lot of FLOYD elements, but vocally it tends more towards BLACKFIELD, which is not really a coincidence, as this album can be compared with 'Voyage 34' of PORCUPINE TREE, as well on a musical basis as for the concept. Sometimes the music has a Celtic touch like in 'Jerusalem'. Fairly impressive is also the accompanying movie "Ashes", with a frightening Rob Brown, truly a charismatic guy.

Don't expect musical-technical highlights (there are not so many solos), soundscapes are more important in this kind of music, an atmosphere is being created throughout the entire album, and RAIN succeeds wonderfully. Therefore, you should carefully listen to the music (and you have no excuse not to do it, like you will read hereafter). Just dim all the lights, switch on a candle and let the music overwhelm you, if you are in a romantic mood, you will love it.

TelosMusic, the label of RAIN, has been founded to distribute and promote his own music. It is very special that he has made available the entire cd without any costs on his website, you can download all tracks (albeit in a modest quality of 96kbps). The idea of the artist goes as follows: 'it is impossible to prevent people from copying music, they have done it already for years and studies have demonstrated that people, downloading illegally from the internet, are buying six times more cds than the average consumer (!). Therefore it is better to give the consumer the opportunity to let him discover the music by means of the internet, if he likes it, he will be prepared to buy the cd with the highest quality with all the extras (artwork, movies, lyrics, a.o.)'. Not all the artist will agree with him, but it is a laudable initiative. It will give a totally different view on the distribution of music in the future. Think about it. and in the meantime you can download the entire cd here and decide if this music is appealing to you. You can buy it for only 8.5? (incl. shipment costs)

Review by Claude 'Clayreon' Bosschem

Every now and then an album comes by that totally blows my mind and that is certainly the case with "Cerulean Blue"... an album of epic proportions. Written and performed by an artist simply noted as RAIN, this concept album details the story of a man (Rick) and his journey across America as narrated thru a series of postcards. With his angelic voice RAIN and his cast of top musicians detail this journey and have written some simply beautiful music. RAIN's voice actually reminds a bit of IQ"s Peter Nicholls at times and shares a deep conviction for meaningful lyrics. The seven tracks on "Cerulean Blue" are carefully narrated as well by the deep toned laynx of Rob Brown which adds a certain degree of mysticism to the album. Musically this is a symphonic album with lots of orchestration and choral passages and features some stellar keyboard work, violin, viola, cello, sax and drums. This album is a work of art and comes highly recommended and can be ordered directly from RAIN's website at www.telosmusic.net.

After reading the three previous, very positive reviews from this album on Prog Archives, I decided to order it because I felt that this should be something very special. YES, IT IS!! During the first session I was quickly touched by the breathtaking beauty of this CD, what an emotional experience: the one moment you feel fragile and alienated, the other moment you feel warm and safe, like in a whoom! All seven compositions (between 4 and 11 minutes) start with male narration (and often wailings violins), followed by atmospheric music, embellished with wonderful musical ideas: soaring keyboards, sensitive piano and dreamy vocals in "The lammas lands", a Gaelic mood (female choir, strumming acoustic guitar and saxophone) and in the end a Floydian climate in "Parsifal", some flamenco guitar runs, twanging guitars, bells and swelling drums in "Starcrossed", compelling changing climates (from dreamy with soaring keyboards to bombastic in the vein of early Pink Floyd) in the highlight "The silver apples of the moon", moving with a xylophone-like sound, 'Jerusalem Pipes', lush keyboards and dramatic vocals in "Jerusalem" and dark with melancholical vocals and wailing violins in "the titletrack, a bit sad end, an omen to the future of this earth? THIS IS PURE, MOVING AND VERY ORIGINAL PROGRESSIVE ROCK !!

I'm not going to go crazy about this one like some have, but I am impressed by this album. It's a solid debut by a chap who prefers to remain mysterious. Rain himself has done most of the playing on this CD. It's a concept album about a young man's journey of self-discovery in the U.S. Why people are always going to America to find themselves is beyond me, but regardless, I find the story to be the album's drawback, as self-involved narratives can be a little....well, twee. Especially when the story is told through a series of letters at the beginning of each track narrated in an extremely plummy English stage voice. I find it a little intellectually pretentious and don't relate much to the character. Having said all that, I do really like this album. Most tracks are started by a peaceful string arrangement before proceeding into the songs, all of which are mid-to-slow tempo ballads with sweeping keyboards and occasional massed choral voices- those segments are particularly beautiful. Rain has a very nice tenor voice, in keeping with the greats of prog, the Andersons, Gabriels, Fishes and Nichollses (ses?) Much has been made of the approval of Genesis figures Hackett and Collins for this album, and yes, there's a bit of Genesis at their most mellow in here (say, Entangled). I enjoy the album, but the songs can carry themselves without the ponderousness of the narration. Next time, Rain should drop that stuff and let the music speak for itself. I'll look forward to his next effort.

The vast majority of reviews for this album already posted on this website praise it highly and rightly so but maybe don't tell the whole story. Most of these reviews include detailed descriptions of the music and the story that is told so no point in me repeating it here but I'd like to give a balanced picture.

Yes the music is beautiful in an ethereal kind of way but there's not a lot of it. A total time of 54:22 is not a lot for a CD anyway and when all the narrations are taken out we are left with around 40 minutes of actual music. Still that's what we were used to in good old vinyl days (and often less)!

On the other hand on their website they only want £5.99 for the CD including p&p so you can't really complain about value for money and you can have all the MP3s for free!

Some may find this the most pretentious album of all time. Indeed one reviewer I see refers to all the narrations as "rather twee" and suggests Rain leaves them out in future. This is undoubtedly an example of someone finding this aspect a tad pretentious and unnecessary and is an understandable and valid point of view. Personally I think this rather misses the point of the album as the narrations are an integral part of this whole concept. One man's pretentious is another man's profound and I prefer the latter description.

Musically it is more like poetry with backing music, (with the possible exception of "Starcrossed" - the most readily accessible songlike track on the album), and the melodies, such as they are, sound almost made up as he goes along. Don't expect virtuoso solo instrumental performances either except for a couple of shortish sax parts. This all sounds very negative but I have to say it all seems to work together very well.

You also get on the CD a short video based on the story told in the album, and some text files including the lyrics and a transcript of a very long and profound/pretentious (take your pick) discussion about various deep topics between Rain and another guy.

I think the best description for this album is "interesting". It has certainly made me sit up and take notice more than any new album has done for a while. Another reviewer likens it to hearing Spock's Beard's early albums for the first time - I would say exactly the same thing but don't get the idea that the music is in any way similar because it is not. Nevertheless at £5.99 it is definitely recommended.

RAIN is this guy from England who wrote all the music, as well as the lyrics for this album. He also had the idea for the artwork, and actually founded his own record label ! This is progressive music in the truest sense. It's a concept album about a young man named Rick and his travels across the U.S.A. We meet the people he meets and experience the experiences he goes through, all through the postcards that Mr.Jaeger (an old man) reads (apparently sent from Rick) at the start of each song. 7 postcards 7 songs. Mr.Jaeger is following Rick from place to place, like he's trying to catch up to him, until we realize at the end, that Rick and Mr.Jaeger are the same person at differant stages of life ! This is such an amazing project. Talk about making you think. And at the end of each postcard Rick say's "Wish you were here", which of course means so much more when you realize he's saying that to himself the old man. How emotional is that ?

I read where Phil Collins was listening to this record in his car and he had to pull over and phone RAIN (who he knows) and tell him how incredible this was. As for the music, you won't find anything too complex, it's all about creating moods, all about atmosphere.There is cello, violin and sax added to the keyboards, drums and guitars.

"The Lammas Land" is quite spacey, while "Starcrossed" is just a beautiful song, I like the lyrics "Hold my hand and I will take you into the promised land". "The Silver Apples Of The Moon" is PINK FLOYD-like. "Light And Magic" is one of my favourites, very hypnotic. Lots of violin on the title track.

This is well worth getting, you won't be disappointed.

Well what we got here huh?... Modern Poetry Meets Musical Inspiration into a movie trip?...listening the album and following the lyrics leaves you with that "worried" feeling...like the one you had after seeing those dramatic european artistic movies...similar happens here.

This is definetely one of the most successful expressive concept album i heard till now. It will recall you bands like floyd, genesis, Spock's Beard, etc... Things that for this album you dont need to know cause music here is a plus, the lyrics and the concept makes this unique. I would give his album 3 stars , but..because of the cacthing narration and the amazing chapter telling i will raise this up to 4 stars instantly...

I will not say this is a masterpiece, but its strongly heavy in Modern Prog history...this is not some lost jewel, or underrated album that is not enough popular, this kind of albums doesnt need fans anyways..i know it sounds weird but after getting into lot of music, artistic specially you realize how "stand alone" they are...

Many concept albums tells you a story using music and dimensioning the feelings through sounds...here it goes a bit far from what a concept album have been untill now. The end of the record reveals you something that weirdly was obvious in the songs, but not on the lyrics...the music is not "shaping" into something...its begins telling you a story that already had an end ... its all memories...i have travelled , and done once in a life time "adventures"... i would definitely use more "World Music" to describe the places, but as i said before the music reveals that it was made long after the years it happened.

This is a more interesting album than a good musical piece to have in the collection, for people that have interest in life and knowing more about the world, nature, ourselves (humans), themselves, the ones that "appreciation" means almost a lifestyle... and not for those who only listen music as some hobbie.

I could say more but just after listening to the album the words would make sense to ones reading the review, and i wish this kind of albums stories tellers" could keep coming and telling me other realities i ignore, but since this sounds like the first on its kind ill have to wait till more start to born....

If you want something special go get this album...and again i dont mean it because of the symphonic music...

Stay Classy

Do you remember the first time you heard one of your favorite albums from the Golden Age of Prog? Do you remember the sense of wonder you had when you realized that a band could sound like that or play like that? I think this is the key to the warm reception that Cerulean Blue has met with here. Not only is Rain one of the relatively few artists who is making music in the vein of the best of prog rock from the Golden Age, he has also managed to capture the sense of wonder that few bands since that time have been able to recreate. That's the key there: somewhere in this grand story of a search to understand a man is the grandeur and wonder we found in Rael's wanderings or in the bombastics of Keith Emerson's keyboards or Jon Anderson's vague and spacey lyrics. I can't in good conscience give this 5 stars; it's not a masterpiece save in the sense that I can think of no other album that packs so much concept into so little space. 4 stars it is, but is also one of only a handful of albums so far in this century to truly capture the spirit of the Golden Age of Prog Rock.

Once in a while comes an album with a kind of silly outlook, a naive and mildly "pretentious" disposition, a really outlandish approach, and a very unorthodox style. I'm not talking about these outrageous avant-garde RIO bands that are infinitely unique: no. I mean something that sounds childish, and is very easy to dismiss by the general public: narrated pieces of work with really unusual concepts, for example. This kind of music, that I am trying so hard to describe to you (in futility, no doubt) lights a missed magic, a romantic, secretive spirituality that lights in a child's eyes when downloading video game music or movie scores. I guarantee most of you have no idea what I'm talking about (even those of you who may think you have a clue). Rain, for me, rekindles that lost childhood magic, with the utterly surreal and otherworldly atmospheres, and an ultimately difficult concept. Not only does he rekindle it, but he combines it with mature poetry and excellent songwriting. However, the music is sometimes painfully slow and drawn out, that many listeners will be bored or unstimulated by it.

The album Rain has chiseled masterfully here is filled with really touching, uplifting things: lyrics beautifully crafted (I think I heard The new King is crowned, and Elysium found in there), balanced by the lush, orchestral aspect and the complementing piano. Choir chanting and even almost-ethnic-sounding pipes counter the neo-prog guitar and the passionate vocal performance from Rain himself, to make a stunning balance. The only complain I could possibly put forth is that the sound quality (on the drums in particular) is not ideal, but neither is it atrocious. Musically, it's soft and soothing, with beautiful and captivating textures being the focus. And of that petty, self-praising, impulsive music, there is no trace. Again, the lyrics are not only interesting artistically, but personally, with topics the general population will be able to relate to.

Conceptually the album is a tad vague (to me, anyway) and half of my being wishes it to remain so (because as we all know, there is something genuinely pious and intriguing about an obscure concept) as to preserve the magic this album rouses in me. (A movie looks more interesting when you haven't seen it, doesn't it?) But the general story is of a man named Rick (whose postcards are brought to life by Bob Brown). His travels bring him across America, with some quite interesting adventures along the way. His postcards are intercepted by a mysterious Mr. Jaeger (which happens to be my mother's maiden name: another factor to the supernatural tone this album contains [for me, specifically]).

The classical instruments have a large role on the album, showing up in every song. Phenomenal sax, courtesy of Iain Ballamy, along with eastern-sounding acoustic guitar, keep things sounding absolutely fresh. There's even a few keyboard driven classic-symphonic moments in there. In the end, the result is an album whose compelling atmosphere never falters, whose magic is perpetual, whose ethereal and vaporous nature is heartily stirring. The best album I've ever received for free (excluding gifts) is, very possibly, Rain's Cerulean Blue.

An impressive debut of melancholic and beautiful music supporting the story of a man's journey in search of enlightenment.

Yes, it's a cliche, but it works because of the story's twist, which I will not spoil. The music is truly beautiful, as RAIN uses elements of symphonic prog such as organs, chamber orchestras and choirs to suggest the journey. A judicious choice of sound effects at the start of each song helps us orient ourselves to the geography of the record.

So, the story. Rick is travelling America, reporting his discoveries on the back of postcards, which the narrator (Mr Jaeger) reads and comments upon, reflecting on the 'rank underbelly of the American dream'. We go to Hollywood at one point ('Light and Magic', a thinly veiled reference to George Lucas). No explanation is offered for the particular places Rick visits, not why he ends up on Mt McKinley in Alaska ... but I won't say any more about how the album ends.

The overall effect is subtle. There's no bludgeoning the listener over the head with music or lyrics. Unfortunately the compositions, while interesting at certainly atmospheric, are too lightweight to support the concept. I do listen to the album occasionally, but nothing on this leaves you humming afterwards. One also gets the feeling that the incessant TV fx running behind the narrator's voice is nothing but an artifice to create a FLOYDIAN atmosphere. Certainly at times RAIN injects deliberate ROGER WATERISMS into his vocal delivery.

There's a great deal of promise in this debut. I can only hope RAIN gives us something that builds on this interesting start.

Rain, hmm Strange name for a musician but I guess it's more a moniker than anything. That is pretty progressive, no? emm...No. But the man is certainly talented, a multi-instrumentalist who can also sing with a highly pleasant voice. So let us move onto the music, as the story seems pretty obscure to me, lots of philosophizing about the human condition, as each piece is introduced by some spoken word references ("Wish You Were Here, Rick"). A jet plane comes screaming in for a landing, you almost expect the first bars of the Beatles "Back in the USSR" but instead, a soft cello/violin/viola lament ushers in the postcard saga involving the travels through America of a dude called Rick and realizing that it's a land of extremes and paradoxes, just like anywhere really, including Eden or Shangri-La when you come to think of it! Piano and atmospherics provide the backdrop for some sad observations on "The Lammas Lands", a teeming Floydian exercise that weaves, soars, ebbs and flows, inexorably growing in exalted fervor, leading to "the Promised Land". "Parsifal" suggests the furious extravagance of New York, the moody saxophone making its sexy appearance, partnered by a massed choir that elevates this to Empire heights, gushing with obvious melancholia, until Rain unleashes a vibrant lead vocal that initiates some immediate goose bumps, especially when the sax underscores the pain with some spirited wailing, then twining with the majestic choir again. Very tasty indeed. "Starcrossed" has some accordion, sounding almost a little folksy, with a hint of psychedelia, only thing missing is a sitar in the background but Rain prefers acoustic guitar and marching drums, relating to a trip to the now "Promised Kingdom". Corny, in my opinion, where is Rick? Lost in Iowa? Not my cup of coffee. Thankfully, the next track "The Silver Apples of the Moon" infuses more Pink Floyd innuendo (together with another "Wish You Were Here, Rick") but plods on without any true explosion even though the mood gets kind a heavy briefly (a ripping guitar solo would have been welcome (to the Machine?). Something is missing here but it is pleasant nevertheless. The following almost 11 minute "Light & Magic" is too lengthy, with little contrast or attention grabbing hooks with subject matter being the crass Hollywoodian dream machine, a long central vocal theme atop a haunting choir mellotron splashed all over the musical "silver screen", slowly spiraling towards a crescendo, with some nifty final action sequence from a suave saxophone and finally, again missing a guitar solo that would of made this so much better. . "Jerusalem" sounds almost like a Roger Waters outtake, verging on plagiarism but with more choir sonics (with a title like that, what would you expect?) attempting to provide the lead vocal with a platform to convince. The lack of dynamism is glaring, good music gone linear, dousing whatever spark that might ignite the senses. The title track "Cerulean Blue" (a beautiful color) is an Alaskan mournful goodbye, "the crows are in the cornfield" Rick says... I agree, while there are a lot of positives with this release, I cannot help feeling that it could have been so much more rewarding. When I first heard it, I was left with a feeling of mysterious lack, like Chinese cuisine and being hungry 30 minutes later. Disappointment looms sadly, just like the despondent Rick, as he delves deeper into the American Dream, which is how I feel about this odd release (or lack of...) I guess prog can be a land of extremes and paradoxes also. 3 slushy drops.

Beautiful

Rain came out of nowhere with his debut release, Cerulean Blue in 2004. This multi-instrumentalist, singer/songwriter and television director is a fairly mysterious figure being that his website really doesn't offer much information on him. That's not really what matters though - how does the music sound is what all we proggers are thinking about. Well, Cerulean Blue is a gorgeous effort by this man - and one of those kind of albums that can really be called ''an experience'' instead of just ''an album''. The soundtrack-like music, the haunting spoken word intros to the songs, the chorus of sad voices - these all add up to something that calls you back for more and more and can really get your emotions going after a couple of listens.

If we're talking about what it sounds like, the music is kind of hard to describe. A comparison that comes to mind is like a dark Moody Blues in terms of storytelling (the 60s version) meets Phideaux-like orchestration. As stated before, every song starts with a spoken word intro and launches into the actual song. These spoken word parts could have royally messed up the album but really wind up lending to it well. The chilling story-teller's voice reads letters aloud and makes comments on them. They tell some very sad stories, and combined with the melancholic choice of chords make for a very emotional album.

Like many prog albums, this one is more of an album-album. No songs really stand out on top of one another here, and they all work in tandem while being their own entities. The opening The Lammas Lands is a very soothing (yet still sad song) with one singer and a multitude of instruments while Parsifal has an almost church-like feel to it with a chorus of voices taking over for the majority of the song. The narrator sets up the mood once more, ''playing the fool to the wounded king...'' and the music comes in once more to enforce that. Vocals come in and turn the song into a thing of beauty. The Silver Apples Of The Moon is another very sad song as is Light and Magic, a song which is likely fueled by 'Rain's day-job (the television and film industry). The twist at the end of the album (story wise) is yet another heart-wrencher with the title track ending the album majestically.

The entire thing is very sad. Sad voices, sad chords, sad narration - and yet the album is so vastly enjoyable without becoming downer. Strange how that works, really. Oddly enough, the beauty of the album really takes over and none of the melancholy sinks in until the very end of the album. No one can call this album robotic or shallow, that's for sure.

This album is going to get what it deserves - 4 stars out of 5. A wonderful, amazing album that works on so many levels with the listener's emotion. Recommended for all, but people who are into heavier (more metal) music may feel left out of the experience. Still, it's worth a shot. This one is another one that's for free on the artist's website. A lot of those have been let downs when it comes to quality, but this one really is not. Everyone should at least check this album out since the price it right - you won't soon be forgetting it.

Cerulean Blue is one of those albums that you always wanted to write a review about... Quite strangely, I first listened to their songs on a prog radio (!) which caught my attention instantly. The story refers to a journey of a man discovering himself, but you really need to listen to the album carefully to understand the whole concept... I couldn't until recently.

I can find a lot of negative arguments for this album: 'the music is too simple to be prog', 'a lot of time is wasted in narrations and not music', 'there are not many tempo changes', 'dull', 'melancholic' and many other relevant... While lots of these might be true, the beautiful atmosphere counter-balances them all. Each track is based on an initial narration (describing the man's journey) which 'visualises' the story. In addition, a constant slow pace is maintained throughout the record, borrowing elements from 90's symphonic prog. Choirs, sax, violins and cellos are used in such a way to contribute to this 'magical' and 'eccentric' sound, built on 'soundtrack-like' melodies; indeed, you could easily feel like watching a movie.

The tracks are relatively long (8 min average), building on the initial melodies and evolving on the same tempo. The only direct influences I could notice on the music are from 80's and 90's Pink Floyd albums, primarily on the vocals section and the sad, melancholic melodies. My favourite track is Parsifal, with its enchantic choirs and the subsequent acoustic guitar break while the few 'latin' influences on Starcrossed don't alter the overall character of the album.

Concluding, this is a pretty well-worked and composed album, with straightforward orchestrations and arrangements, mainly based on non-sophisticated melodies built on clean acoustic guitars and keyboards. 'This does not really sound prog and innovative enough', one might argue, but surprisingly this is the something different a prog fan might be looking for in his music. This definitely works for me... I will be interested to see how RAIN's next album will sound like.

Progressive in its simplicity? Well, I leave it to you to find out...

Cerulean Blue is a musical and lyrical journey of one man (Rick) and a journey across America. The lyrics are thoughtful and poignant, and the orchestral mood of the album flows beautifully through the tracks. Although some of the compositions may dawdle a bit musically and seem underdeveloped, there is still great wonderful music to be appreciated. The appeal will probably be towards more classic prog fans, because it combines the layers of sound and haunting instrumentation of space rock with more mainstream lyrical attributes like those found in crossover and some symphonic and eclectic bands. It is by all means worth checking out, since it is for free on Rain's website, though some listeners may be dissapointed, even though there are wonderful pieces to be found on the album.

The concept can feel a bit choppy sometimes, since each track begins in a similar way, with Rick describing the new American city he has come across, ending each letter with "Wish You Were Here". However, the music starts up well enough in each track, some better than others. Sometimes the intros are a bit cheesy, like in the beginning of "Lights and Magic", telling about a director in Hollywood trying to lure the narrator to be an extra in one of his films. Most of the time though, the tracks begin spectacularly, and the music matches well too. There is a soft orchestral backing of "Parsifal", about New York, with an excellent saxophone on top of the rest of the music. "Jerusalem" has a spectacular build, and ends up with a sound similar to the crossover acts like Peter Gabriel. Those who have listened to the album will also note the wonderful though sad ending "Cerulean Blue", about the end of the narrator's journey on top of Mt. McKinley in Alaska.

Of course, there are a couple problems with the album. It doesn't really flow all together, as tracks are pretty separate musically, and though this shouldn't be a problem, songs don't seem to fit together sometimes. Also a lot of the tracks are horribly drawn out and extended beyond what they should, with the tracks averaging around 7 minutes in length with their only sound a couple ideas and repeated orchestral or instrumental themes.

Of course, this is still a really good album to check out. Fans of softer prog should definetely enjoy it. Those who like more energetic, technical, or heavier music may want to stay away, though they should keep an open mind. In any event, there is no reason why one shouldn't give at least one listen to it, as the musicianship, lyrics, and composition are excellent. After all, it is for free.

An excellent addition to any prog collection. RAIN comes out of nowhere with an album that sounds as matured as century-old wine. It's probably not the best choice for the eclectic or heavy prog fans, delving mostly into violin-based soundscapes, which remind me a bit of PHIDEAUX. However, the album is very dark and melancholy, and I found it difficult to listen to the whole thing in one sitting because of this. Maybe this problem will go away sometime. This does not mean it is any less fantastic. For a debut CERULEAN BLUE is a great album. Without going into too much detail about each song, 'The Lammas Land', 'Jerusalem' and the title song are standouts.

It is free for download from RAIN's website, so I really don't think there is any reason for a true prog fan not to pick up this album. Most highly recommended.

Cerulean Blue is one of the more depressing albums one might hear. Despite the lengthy track times, I do not consider this progressive rock. Most of the songs tread along at more or less the same pace and do so with few modifications. In terms of instrumentation, the album is more akin to New Age music than symphonic rock. The lyrics are impressive, if inscrutable. Perhaps the overall project is indulgent, but I do not fault it for that- it is a whimsical, if sad, journey. Cerulean Blue is a hypnotically beautiful experience, if somewhat burdened by its own sedateness.

"The Lammas Lands" After an airplane passes, bittersweet strings enter and the narrator speaks. Sparse, mournful music with piano serves as a thin foundation for the lovely singing of mystifying words. The music builds appropriately and gradually, developing passion. I am reminded of Kate Bush on Hounds of Love.

"Parsifal" Following more strings and narration, deep, resonant saxophone ushers in a cold choir. A passage during the second half of the song is somewhat heavier, with organ, louder drums, and a jazzy saxophone. The repeated last two lines are hauntingly enigmatic.

"Starcrossed" The narrator describes a skeptical encounter with a suicidal cult. The music is bright and acoustic guitar-based. It's a brighter song with some Near Eastern flavor.

"The Silver Apples of the Moon" The narration here is incredibly chilling, especially with the woman. The pedant in me wishes to point out that "the pursuit of happiness" is not in the Constitution- it's in the Declaration of Independence. The music here begins on twelve-string acoustic guitar and piano- very shimmering. However, the vocals are dull and spiritless for me. The fiercest part of the piece seems to invoke Eloy before becoming calm and gentle.

"Light and Magic" This piece opens with strings and narration. The song proper is like light jazz with an easygoing groove but a Mike Oldfield-like synthetic background that doesn't seem to fit the rhythm. To me, the overall song sounds like Radiohead- laidback, mournful, and mysterious. An amazing saxophone solo punches through the airy music- an unexpected treat.

"Jerusalem" The narration tells a sad story of a man selling the secrets of life for a dollar. I am reminded of The Final Cut from Pink Floyd, particularly "When the Tigers Broke Free." The singer this time around sounds like Andy Tillison of The Tangent. A bagpipe solo (which could have proved more triumphant) concludes the song.

"Cerulean Blue" The final piece consists of a mournful, Alaskan goodbye with strings playing what may as well be funeral music.

If I was going to rate an album only based on its concept, the profundity of Cerulean Blue would easily warrant five stars. I have yet encounter another album whose concept is simultaneously so deep, so well realized, so multi-faceted and yet so understandable. The mechanism by which this is all possible are the detailed narrations which precede each of the tracks. The most superficial layer of the story is in seven postcards which chronicle Rick, a young Brit's, journey across the United States from New York to LA and up to Alaska. Following each of the post cards a now older and much less optimistic Rick, Mr. Yeager, retraces his footsteps and provided his weathered and jaded addendums. The juxtaposition between old and new is a constant on the album.

Deeper yet, the album dissects the United States and the American dream from a very British perspective. Our narrator is actually Rob Brown a British born jazz man who now lives in New York City. Many British metaphors are used most overly Avalon and Jerusalem (as in the Hymn). Ultimately the evaluation proves a bit unkind.

Further on down, it's simple to note a third duality; that between reality and fantasy. Each of the first 6 tracks focus on a form of escape: utopianism, myth and dreams, death, space travel, Hollywood and religion. These notions much more than the old/new concept form the basis for the songs themselves. On the seventh track Rick decides to face reality at the top of Mount McKinley in Alaska, North America's highest peak.

I dare say there's likely even more to it, but I may not be properly equipped to delve into that. Shades of Kierkegaard's material, moral and spiritual phases of life creep in and there is explicit mention of Karl Jung. Other subtle references like the opening rain (also the name of the band) and closing wind and snow are riddled throughout. If you are looking for an intellectual and continually engrossing listening experience look no further.

Notice how I said listening rather than musical. The thing with Cerulean Blue is that so much of the delivery is through the narrative to the point that the songs almost come off as an afterthought. They are for the most part mellow, psychedelic and a little depressing, but they aren't same-y. All 6 of the songs are quite good in my opinion. The seventh track has a little music, but it's mostly narrative and it concludes with an unfortunate three minutes of swirling winds.

The highlights of the album are the uplifting "Jerusalem" and "the silver apples of the moon" which is delightfully loaded with references to the geography of the moon. The nice thing is that these tracks don't simply blow the rest of the album away. It is very consistent, and consistently good at that.

So where does that leave us? As if it wasn't all astounding enough. Rain isn't even really the work of a band, it's mostly just one guy who wrote the whole thing and played pretty much all the instruments. Cerulean Blue is a dense but rewarding concept album which is best listened to as a whole. In one final duality, the weight of the concept is also juxtaposed against the almost weightless music. Who would I recommend it for? Anyone. Give this one a go. Even if you don't end up liking it I think you'll want to have heard it. For my part I think there are a few glaring flaws in the delivery especially in the almost needless 7th track, but it doesn't stop me from really liking this album. I can't go far enough to call it essential but its damn close. Four out of Five.

P.S. The best line of the album is on the 7th track. "I'm going out now. I may not be back for some time."

Interesting concept, yet unable to pass production. One third of this record is composed by storytelling done by spoken voice, another third is composed of mourning strings and the last third is (finally) decent Wilson-esque kind of Prog. I am currently reading Ballard's "Hello America", which is also about a kind of journey, so I can really relate here. I like the story, it's intelligent, philosophical, witty and full of ironic remarks. But the more important thing is the music element, which is in lacking. This album is Prog by the way of thinking, by its way of moving, not by how it sounds.

2(+), for the story (the main star) and decent supporting "band" of the main star (the music).

A beautiful album. Everyone seems to have a favorite tune, mine is the first track. I used to not like the narration, but it ties the album together, and makes a nice listen when driving.

As far as influences go, wow. Is this Marillion's follow-up to BRAVE? No, wait, maybe it's a Roger Waters-penned album, with Jackson Browne (?!) on vocals. No, wait, it's Talk Talk, with Mark Hollis leaving behind his minimalist phase and embracing lusher orchestration.

EDIT: If you're looking for this on Spotify, the album is under the name Rain Jaeger. Did a Google search to see if there's more info about him, but he's still a mystery.