SALANDER

Salander's fourth and final album was released in 2015, and a concept album about an 8 year old girl living in Iceland called Silja, based on a story written by Dave Curnow. The album comes with a PDF of the story, which is well-written and interesting, and there is no doubt that a great deal of research has gone into it. The first song on the album is "Aldri Sakleysi Er Farinn" which translates from the Icelandic into "Never Innocence Has Been", with a spoken word introduction that is frightening and compelling all at the same time. This leads into "Cold Icelandic Winter", which starts with an Icelandic line before Dave Curnow sings the rest in English (thankfully). Although the vocals are treated, this is one of the numbers where they brought in the use of a live human drummer, and there is something about this upbeat pop/prog number that is really compelling. The emotional lyrics are totally at odds with the tempo and style, yet they combine together to produce one of my favourite songs from the band.

The following song features just Dave Smith on vocals and synths, and although related musically to what has gone before it is also quite different in many ways. The whole album is like this, as they move and change the styles as they go through, being symphonic here, or more rocky there, or bringing in more pop styles if that is the right thing to do. The music can be smooth, or incredibly angular and jagged, almost as if Talking Heads are attempting prog. I would have liked to have heard more from Frank Urbaniak as there are still some songs where the drum machine has been employed, but overall this is a much more polished release than the previous 'Stendec'.

Also available for 'name your price' on Bandcamp, it is available in its original form or as a remastered version that also contains some bonus songs that date back to 2005, and what finally led to the forming of the band. Definitely worth investigating.

Salander were the duo of Dave Curnow (Lead Guitars, Rhythm Guitars, Bowed Guitar, Vocals) and Dave Smith (Keyboards, Acoustic Guitars, Rhythm Guitars, Bass, Drum Programming, Vocals), and in just a few years together they released four albums and a couple of singles. 'Stendec' was their third album of 2014, and was announced with the following email 'Ladies and Gentlemen, It gives me great pleasure to announce that at 8.04pm this evening Salander gave birth to a new album. Everyone is doing fine. We have called it STENDEC. It weighs in at 65 minutes and we hope it will have a bright future.' Okay, so this may have sat in my review pile for far longer than is usual, but I blame being sent too much material, plus writing books (which took may way longer than I ever expected!). It also means that I know that Salander are no longer in existence, with Dave Smith moving to Lanzarote and then forming Birzer Bandana (who to date have released two albums).

This release is a crossover album in its very truest sense, mixing progressive music with pop tendencies, acoustic singer songwriter with symphonic. They are quite Floydian at times, especially on some of the guitar solos, with are full of depth and emotion. In some ways this is at odds with the sound of the rest of the album, which feels little flat and without depth. I am sure that much of this is down to the use of programmed drums, and overall the album does come across as a home studio recording as opposed to something more professional. Some of the vocals have also been treated (I hesitate to say auto tune as it is so obvious that I am sure it must have been a deliberate effect), which isn't to my personal taste either. But, there are times when it does all come together in a way that is really impassioned and quite wonderful. It would have been interesting to hear what these songs sounded like in a live environment and a full band, as that would have been quite different I am sure. But, the album is currently available for 'name your price' on Bandcamp, so why not give a try yourself?

Review #14 The following review was writen by my wife Nihal, who is the co-host in the radio show Prog & Roll, and she's singing in 2 songs in the album. (I'm puting this review under my name, because I have an account here).

Opening to the wise words of Jacob Bronowski, the latest concept album of Salander 'The Fragility of Innocence', is an experience to me on a personal level. Inspired by the heartbreaking story by Dave Curnow himself, 'The Fragility of Innocence' sets a fictitious stage on what you first think to be Auschwitz before you realize that the album in fact has got nothing to do with WWII but is about brutal, involuntary medical experimentation and corporate greed. As a matter of fact the story takes place in modern times, in a remote part of Iceland, where a helpless mother and daughter are ripped from their homes under false pretenses, to be brought and placed in a ghetto of experimental nightmares, satisfying men's almost carnal desire for immortality. In a way, both the album and the story is a bitter reminder of how close we are to the evil that is humankind. No German SS soldiers, concentration camps, guns and trenches are needed to be reminded that, mankind, regardless of nation, religion, intelligence and statue, is capable of sinking the lowest levels of beastliness in order to achieve their ambitious goals where remorse, much too our distress, comes too late if it comes at all. And such is the story of Fragility of Innocence.

Dave Curnow and Dave Smith, who were kind enough to let me participate in a few songs on vocals, worked musical wonders on the tragic story. The lyrics and the weeping guitar by Dave Curnow vividly portray the pain, struggle and desperation of the family while the mellotron, synths and bass by Dave Smith create a chilling Segway between our age and the recent history that we know only too well.

The first of the nine tracks, Aldri Sakleysi Er Farinn (Age of Innocence is gone) calls to us listeners from the depth of modern history, while the music slowly works its way into universality and modern ages. Aldri as a song is the first glimpse into the main idea that is hidden within the core of this album. The second track, Cold Icelandic Winter has got ironically paradoxical warm melody in order to display how nature's cold is in fact warmer than the coldness of an evil heart. The tunes are innocent at first much like the child of the story, with a hint of impending doom or an unspoken fear that is to come. The third and the fourth tracks 'Tomorrow is a New Day' and 'Leroy's Tale', are about false hopes and deception. The music is full of hope excitement and happiness, to display how innocent and pure hearts are the easiest of preys by default because they deem others just like themselves. The fifth song Internal Doors is our first step into the reality that comes uninvited. When one door opens, the other closes eternally much like death itself. The song beautifully portrays the threshold and the transition from innocent dreams to harsh reality. The next song, And So to Sleep, is by far my favorite of the entire album. I find it impossible not to cry at. The helplessness, the desolation, sorrow, loss, it is all there all too nakedly. The downfall has reached its peak at this song, there is no future or hope left as is felt throughout the tragic, almost ethereal tunes. Malansky and Evil Doctor which are the seventh and eight tracks are two sides of one coin. Two doctors of the same corporate project, one embracing most humanly emotion which is remorse, the other consumed by greed and ambition, incapable of ever becoming human again' The last track of the album Race Against the Machine in fact feels like a race against both the literal machine and the machine that is the humankind. The race is lost but something is gained before it all ends in the same innocent melody of Cold Icelandic Winter. In remorse somebody rediscovers the innocence of the heart at the very end.

All in all I have to say that the concept album The Fragility of Innocence speaks to the humanity and its emotions through the most universal language above all: The Music! All the songs are in perfect sync with what they convey as an idea and Salander's vision of this story is beautifully mirrored in what they created: An excellent Album. As for my rating, I would give a solid 4 stars Nihal Eleftheriou (Radio producer in the radio show Prog & Roll)

Review #12 I'm sad and glad at the same time to be able to say that this piece of music was recorded for our dog Bailey, a wonderful 4-year-old Golden Retreiver who died so young from cancer. The story goes like that: Me and my wife (who you can hear on the song) are hosting the internet radio show 'Prog & Roll' which both members of Salander are listening to on a frequent basis since September and on. (They even recorded a special song for our show's 2nd birthday).

Anyway... When Bailey passed away, we were really sad as you can understand, and we wanted to do something for his memory. At that point came to my mind Big Big Train's song 'Hedgerow' in the middle part, where there is someone whistling to his dog saying 'come here boy'. So I wrote them an e-mail, asking if they could record a small piece of music 1-2 minutes top, in order to make a small video for our dog.

They result was this 7.5 minute long piece, because let's face it, if you are a progger it's impossible to write something under 5 minutes long. :) The woman's voice you hear belongs to my wife, and the child's voice in the end is our son's. In case you don't understand what he is talking about, is because he speaks in Greek, saying something like 'mommy will feed him now'.

We don't have words to express our gratitude to Dave & Dave of Salander for the song they agreed to compose. For sentimental reasons, (but not only), I can't give nothing less than 4 stars. Thank you for reading

I enjoyed Salander's Stendec album quite a bit, and I was glad to hear something new by them. This tribute piece commemorate's the life of a beloved dog, Bailey, and was commissioned by the grieving family. It begins with a woman calling, "Bailey! Bailey! Come on boy. Come here! Come here!" Bailey responds, and the music begins. The next seven minutes takes us on a cinematic journey of bittersweet remembrances of canine explorations, familial memories, and loss. While Dave Smith's keyboards initially focus on the fondly remembered romps through the countryside, Dave Curnow's emotive guitar reveals the grief this family is experiencing. The piece ends almost abruptly with a child's voice saying the dog's name, and we're reminded that, for this family, life will go on.

I've lost beloved pets, and I found the music completely in keeping with its purpose: to provide solace and to stimulate the release of grief. It's a nice piece.

If you aren't grieving, "For Bailey" warrants 3 stars for being largely a very melodic mood piece. If you are, then this will be of some comfort: 4 stars. I'm assigning 4 stars for this piece's target audience.

I like this! It deserves a review, so here goes:

I was inspired by the idea of two 50+-year-old guys writing three albums in about one year, so, after listening to samples on their website, I bought this album. Of all of the albums I'm listening to this month (e.g. Biosphere's "Cirque," IQ's "Subterranea," Anathema's "A Natural Disaster," Farpoint's "Paint the Dark," and SBB's eponymous album), Salander's Stendec is the one I keep coming back to. I highly recommend it.

Stylistically, the music is a nice cross of symphonic prog and pop music with an emphasis on melody and emotion. I especially like the emotive guitar work: crying, despairing, bubbling with hope, and occasional pouts of angst. The moody, sometimes ambient, sometimes grand and orchestral, keyboards are also very good. The drum programming works surprisingly well, although there are at least two moments where it seems dangerously out of sync with everything else - and this is especially cool in Zeitgeist, where I feel like my heart is skipping a beat in anticipation of disaster that never comes; it sure got my attention and gave the song added depth. The vocals are honest and sometimes raw with feeling. It all works, and I like it.

Tracks 1, 3, and 7 are love songs, of relationships gained and lost. "Ever After" is especially poignant to me, as mortality looms ever larger and the specter of loneliness becomes more tangible. At times, they remind me of songs by Everon.

Track 2 explores religious subjugation and liberation. It feels like an epic, and I enjoy many parts of it. It's not a favorite, though.

Track 4 is an instrumental, a nice little experiment.

Track 5 is a good track but doesn't stand out in my mind at the moment. Nevertheless, by the end of the track, I'm quite satisfied. The album initially feels like it should end here. However, the longest track follows.

Track 6 opens with a nice instrumental and then transitions into something reminiscent of The Proclaimers! The last two sections are instrumentals of very different moods and good ones. It's a quirky track, but I've grown to enjoy it.

Track 7 is a very good ending, picking up the threads of lost relationships and bringing us full circle.

For the work of two men who haven't been making albums for long, this is a remarkable and inspiring achievement. Its themes of growing old and being alone resonate with me quite a bit, and I'm tempted to call it a masterpiece. However, I'd prefer an actual drummer to the drum programming, and the songs could sometimes use a bit more lyrical depth or complexity; however, I'm afraid such upgrades could rob this music of its emotional honesty. Growing old isn't for the faint of heart, and it certainly makes you feel like you're getting rough around the edges - quite in keeping with this. I'm not totally sold on tracks 2, 5, and 6 yet, but they will grow on me, I'm sure. I conclude this deserves at least an excellent rating, maybe 4.3-4.6. I'll play it safe and give 4 stars. Excellent!

It seems that the two middle-aged men from Durham were producing music like passionate teenagers throughout 2013.And that's because during the recordings of ''Crash course for dessert'' plenty of tracks were left out, not fitting with the concept.These leftovers were made available by the duo in April 2014.Needless to say this was anoter free downloadable bandcamp release by Salander.

This collection of tracks carrying the title ''Don't worry I'm not going to hurt you'' can be split in two particular styles.The one is close to the likes of Steve Hogarth-era MARILLION or COSMOGRAF, featuring synthetic soundscapes, downtempo electric textures and expressive voices, often delivered via slight distortions, definitely following a modern Neo Prog style, where accesible songwriting has found some space among the emotional guitar solos, the deep lyricism and the heavy, pounding grooves ala PORCUPINE TREE.The most obvious influence from the 70's appears to be PINK FLOYD, the combination of layered keyboards, melancholic atmospheres and sensitive, electric moves is the best proof for this.Not much of a personal music guide, but these pieces contain some pleasant moments.A few tracks though, and here comes the other side of Salander, follows a Pop Rock style, which I personally dislike.Tracks like ''Dropping rhe catch'' or ''Connections'', based on acoustic textures, irritating vocals and featuring some discreet rural climates are characterized by questionable songwriting and a rather pale, poppy sound with not much to offer to a Prog listener.On the other hand the guys seem to have established a semi-original musical background, when they propose their soft electric touches with some cool Electronic ambiences.

So, this review shoudn't be taken seriously, as this is a bunch of leftovers, which Salander brought to light for free.What should be taken seriously is the band's general style, which bursts some modern Neo Prog mixed with old FLOYD-ian echoes.A band to keep an eye on...2.5 stars.