THE SEARCH FOR JOY

Cirrus Bay returns with their fourth and finest album to date, a significate step up from their last album for a number of reasons. From repeated listens on their bandcamp site, I notice several things right away. First of all, the inclusion of viola in many of the tracks is a wonderful addition, playing many heartwrenching melodies, infusing warmth and an organic feel throughout. The playing in the album's instrumental, 'A Door Into Yesterday' helps make that track an immediate favorite for me, and seems to me to be perhaps the track that I always wished Tony Banks would write. It sounds like something he could do, in a prog setting, and with the right musicians. Other favorites include 'Learning To Fly', 'Out of the Box', and 'Me and Wokara'. I also have a soft spot for 'Cotton Skies', especially the last minute of the song. In fact, just about every song has an excellent last minute or so, so if one were to skip through tracks without hearing them to the end, they would usually miss the highlight of the track. Other strengths of this album include the backing vocals, the overall sound, and the contributions of guests Amy Darby and Phil Mercy of Thieves' Kitchen. Inconsistancies of their previous album 'Whimsical Weather' are gone. There is a warm, spring/summery outdoorsy feel to this highly emotional and beautiful album, which is definitively their best, and will certainly be among my favorites of the year. And no, I am not a friend of the band as the one condescending reviewer so snarkily asserts must "obviously" be the case of anyone who gave this cd 5 stars. I don't give 5 stars often, but do for a few deserving cds each year.

Cirrus Bay is my favorite band right now, and my wife, not really a prog fan, even likes them. As she puts it, "They have a lot of emotion." And I guess that's what I like about this album more than anything else.