THE SEARCH FOR JOY

"The Search For Joy" is clearly a beautiful work, with layers and subtleties that require additional listenings. I was amused by the reviewer who was reviewing it as he listened to it for the first time on bandcamp. It took several listens for me to really appreciate the depth and beauty of this album. But I don't think this is an album for everyone. The darkness and dissonance that appeals to many today is found rarely here. This is overall much more of an uplifting album, a bit like Moon Safari or early Flower Kings. I find the music a bit more appealing than either for some reason. I suppose the melodies hit me harder, and though I don't think Bill Gillham plays quite in the league of Roine Stolt, his playing, apart from being less flashy, is certainly tasteful enough, and more importantly, the feeling of the actual music is very strong.

I really do like the viola solos, which I hear in about half the songs, notably 'Out of the Box' and 'A Door Into Yesterday', and these are two of my favorite pieces on the album. The keyboards are lovely too, but what could make the album a bit stronger are the vocals. They are pleasant, but apart from Sharra Acle's gorgeous voice in 'Out of the Box' and guest Amy Darby's voice in 'Waking Wild', are not quite worth 5 stars for me. But the music is very heartfelt and enjoyable for me, and I know I'll get a lot of mileage out of this one.