UNDER THE BIG TREE

This is the solo album from Nick Peck, an ex member of Episode. Something that may not tell you anything. But this is a free downloads album so go to the homepage and download it yourself.

Nick Peck has worked on this album for ages. It is not unreasonable to assume that this concept album is his biography and what he leaves behind when his time is up. This album most certainly feels like it because no stones has been left unturned to make this a special album.

That also means it is a very diverse album. From neo-prog and AOR passages to symph prog to raga-prog (Indian music, no less), space rock and progressive metal to avant-garde and jazz. You find all of it here. It is kind of one of these compilation CDs you get free when you buy the Classic Rock Presents Prog magazine these days. But everything here has been written and recorded by Nick Peck.

All songs here are really good. The diversity of the material.... Well, the album is too diverse for my liking and it is easy to drop out of it altogether. Label this album as a challenge and give it plenty of time. The other problem I also have is that not all material here is great. Some material is great though and some are not. It is a good freebie though and worth the megabytes. I regard this as a good, challenging album.

3 stars

Nick Peck, Episode's keyboardist, has done a number of side projects after the dissolving of Episode, most of which are available for free (legal) download off www.underthebigtree.com. The keyboardist, who I consider to be more of a composer than anything, has made a mainly solo project with this one (though his real solo projects are electrical ambient music). This album took a total of three years to record. That is huge! That knowledge alone suggests that a lot of work went into the record, and that it clearly meant a lot to Peck, and therefore we should give it a listen. The 12 tracks are all connected, and, as the website would suggest, is a bit of a concept album concerning the question "Where do we connect?" which indeed is one of the track names. That question may mean different things for everybody. As I understand, the lyrics are a bit of an autobiography of Mr. Peck (but don't quote me on that, I may be wrong), and the musical styles of this album span from straight-up symphonic prog, to experimental near-ambient, with a huge array of musical textures including orchestra, sitar, and even the revered mellotron.

The compositions are all great, but I'm a bit sad to say that I do not think that singing is Peck's strongest musical ability. The heart is there, but I just think he was born to play them keys. And that he does! He is quite an avid keyboardist, and an equally good composer. Again, some of the playing is a tad stale and uninspired (though, that may be the production...), but the compositions are always great and the heart is always there! Sometimes is catchy, memorable and edgy, and other times is softer, more touching. But I guarantee you all, this is some very good songwriting. Especially since the music is available for free download (ever song!), please check out this record! Considering this album has been out since '97, and it took three years of Peck's life to make this, I'm sad I am the first to review this.