SONG FOR AMERICA

Second album and the first appearance of their usual logo on a striking eagle, ready to pounce on unsuspecting listeners. Behind that memorable artwork(maybe influencing Rush's Fly By night), the group returns unchanged with a more determined symphonic approach, compared to their debut album.

SFA is a worthy successor to their first opus, but it strikes that the band is keeping space for shorter tracks, in case they can strike for a hit single, which SFA doesn't have any. But it has three longer or four epics (or mini-epics) including the title track, the 8-mins+ Lamplight symphony (corny title, but we are in the prairies) and the 12-mins Incommudro/Altman thing, which happens to be among my fave things from the band. All three of these tracks hold many Yes-like moments, but the pupils manage to not sound like their main influence, or at least not appear derivative. Plenty of instrumental passages over a generally high-energy rhythm section, the group seems more confident on the louder passages, but it is on the quieter ones that they truly convince.

The three shorter tracks are of a lesser interest, with only Lonely Streets garnering a bit of airplay ? I guess, because it was the only track I knew when I first laid my ears onto the vinyl in 76. Both Down The Road and the Devil Game sound a bit of fillers to me, but Ibet mosts fans would clearly disagree. Plenty of goodies available on this second more symphonic effort, but personally I prefer the debut's freshness.

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