WHERE JOYS ABOUND

Where Joys Abound is the debut album by the British progrockers The Far Meadow and frankly, I think it's to this date their magnum opus. The songwriting here is truly remarkable. The band mixes a lot of styles, from jazz and groove (Where Joys Abound) to symphonic and neoprogressive rock (Pipe Dreams?) to even things like middle eastern sitar music and breakbeat (Of Feats), giving the listener a lot of memorable motifs and passages to enjoy. Eliot Minn's smart selection of keyboard palettes (and there is a ton of different delightful sounds used) enhances the flavor tremendously. Personally however, I think that this album wouldn't be so good if it hadn't been for Nok's theatrical vocals. His vocal sound is a perfect mixture of Fish's actor-esque vibe and Michael Schubert's (Kyrie Eleison) tone. His range is much broader than for instance Peter Gabriel's or Cyrus's and that's absolutely amazing. In addition to that, Jon Barry's guitar work on this album really shines. And, I mean, darn, really shines. The solos are simply beautiful. The guy has some serious chops. He's equally as good whether he's playing the fast shredder or the bendy emotional soloist. Last but not least: the rhythm section makes it all come alive. I absolutely adore these little funky bass and drum licks thrown in. Perfect!

Unfortunately, the band only managed to record this album with this particular lineup and one can only imagine what other amazing things they would've done had Nok, Barry and Mallatratt not left. What if....

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