PASSENGERS

If you can forget the first two song ever existed, then what you have here is a great blend of folk-rock songs with a progressive twist. This album is probably Mostly Autumn most original work. However, that came with a price, which was the loss of the space-folk- prog they managed to transmit us on previous recordings, going for a heavier sound. This album is not as strong or cohese as others, but it is a good pack of some very good songs. The production is also top notch, although some might say the sound is too polished. The singing is more Heather Findley dominated than any album before. Like I said, apart from the first two, we have very good songs. "Another life" borrows some lovely guitar sounds from Pink Floyd's "Breathe". "Bitterness Burnt" and "Caught in a Fold" are the folkier tunes, the first a nice acoustic piece with ambient keybords in the back, the second similar to some charged-up song out of a Blackmore's Night album. These three songs are exclusively sung by Heather. "Simple Ways" and "First Thought" are two nice prog-rockers, with great solos from Josh, followed by "Passengers", a gentler tune also ending with a floydian performance by Bryan Josh. Then come the "mini-epics", "Distant Train/Answer the Question" and "Pass the Clock". "Distant Train" starts as a lovely ambient keybord experiment, that soon burst into an electric guitar monster, that begins to fade in the end, just to reborn as "Answer the Question" begins, carrying the tune, which features some barroque notes, to a typical Josh guitar solo ending. "Pass the Clock" finishes the album (or pack of songs, as I consider it) as a long piece, with lots a sound and harmony variations, culminating in a folky end that I am quite fond of. Overall, I would find this album good, but non-essential in a Progger's collection (especially if he's into Yes). But since I write this thinking of me, I prefer to raise the stakes a little bit and give it an "excellent addition" rating instead.