PARADISE SQUARE

An interesting album this. Having heard that it was 'Genesis with a modern, Swedish, twist', I thought I would indulge myself and buy it. Well, the links to Genesis are tenuous, to say the least, although there are moments on the keyboards when Tony Banks is called to mind. Musically, it is a concept album, and quite a well done one, as well. The vocals take some getting used to, as the singer has quite a strong accent and does not possess the best voice I have ever heard, but the music makes up for this. I won't single out any tracks, as they are all part of the story, but there are some nice touches here and there, although the use of the gong once or twice rather drowns out the music going on around it. The guitar work is probably the weakest thing here, sounding far too modern and heavy for my liking, and indistinguishable from many other modern guitarists. Not bad technically though. Bass and drums are up to scratch, but, as mentioned before, the, at times Banksian, keyboards make up for everything else, with some nice melody lines and intricate playing going on. Fast and slow passages, quiet and loud passages, these are all present here, and the record deserves a listen at least. It wouldn't be easy, however, to listen to a single track on its own satisfactorily, as they should all be heard together. The album needs listening to in one go. Not the best cd I have heard, but nowhere near the worst either. One I played today, in fact, and one I may play again in a month's time. Best not to try comparing it to other bands, best just to listen to it for its own sake, and on its own merits. As I said at the start, interesting.