ESCENES

This is a surprisingly light and airy album in the vein of Camel or even Harmonium, and almost completely devoid of electric guitars, although it is Latin music so there are of course acoustic guitar tracks interspersed throughout.

The prevailing sounds are keyboards, flute, piccolo, and an ever-present bass line. The compositions tend toward a jazzy feel, with the overall theme apparently being based on nature scenes and moods.

Guitars aren’t the only thing is short supply, as this is also an all-instrumental record. If this album had been released a decade or so later it might have been considered new age or even a nature mood recording, but considering the timeframe I would have to say there was a lot of Camel influence, as well as probably some of the more traditional Italian symphonic music of that time.

There are only a couple of standout tracks, the first being “La Revolucio” with its playful martial rhythm and mild Tull leaning in the flute and measured claps. The other is the almost comatosely mellow “Historia d Una Gota d Aigua”, also the only track that features both electric and acoustic guitar. Neither is overly prominent though, as here again the keyboards and flute dominate, and the song finishes well with an upbeat transition and nicely-overlaid percussion. This is a beautiful piece of poignant mood music that would be a great backdrop to a quiet evening with a loved one.

Normally I wouldn’t be too keen on such a laid-back record, but this is one of those bands that didn’t leave much history in their wake, and so have become a bit of a curio. I don’t imagine the original vinyl is even available anywhere except the collector’s circuit, but the reissued CD version seems to be generally available and modestly priced. Well recommended to Camel and Italian Symphonic fans, and probably to Francophile fans of similar Canadian bands. For most progressive music fans this would likely be considered good, but not great. Three stars.

peace