FADING BEAUTY

I just discovered this obscure gem a couple of days ago and I can't stop listening to it. This is gorgeous, mellotron-drenched prog goodness. One thing I particularly like is the absence of vocals through most of the "Autumn Fantasia" suite. Unfortunately, as with a lot (most?) prog, the vocals and lyrics are the weak link. The songwriting throughout is excellent, as is the musicianship.

IMO, the band they most call to mind is Gabriel-era Genesis. In fact, I keep finding myself imagining Gabriel singing over the arrangements. It would be a fantasy of mine to give these tracks to him and let him record some lyrics over them! At other times, the music is reminiscent of early King Crimson and "Yes Album"-era Yes. One difference between Faithful Breath and those bands though, is that Faithful Breath rarely employ complicated, unorthodox time signatures. Which actually is kind of nice for a change.

This is a 3.5 to 4 star album. If it had a singer/lyricist like Gabriel, Anderson or Lake on top, it would be very close to a 5.