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Lands End - Pacific Coast Highway CD (album) cover

PACIFIC COAST HIGHWAY

Lands End

 

Psychedelic/Space Rock

3.63 | 42 ratings

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Mellotron Storm
Prog Reviewer
3 stars This is better than the follow-up record "Terra Serranum" in just about every way imo.The negatives are the vocals which are not the bands strong point, and as James Unger points out, the production and editing are weak too. Having said all that, there is something very compelling about this their first studio release that is hard to narrow down. It may be the fact that California is the focus of this record, along with the ocean of course. It's called "Pacific Coast Highway" and this band happens to be from California as well. There is a lot of samplings of waves on this record, as well as those PINK FLOYD-like soundscapes with spacey synths and soaring guitars. Also there is a Neo-Prog flavour that pops up once in a while.

"Conspicuously Empty" opens with the sounds of someone walking before synths and drums take over before a minute. A good beat arrives a minute later. A calm 4 minutes in as vocals then keys come in.The tempo picks up 6 1/2 minutes in. Guitars after 7 minutes. The beat is back after 9 1/2 minutes and vocals are back too. It blends into "Neptune's Last Tear-Part 1:Pacific Coast Highway" is a short piece of waves, synths and sea gulls. "Requiem Of The Sea" opens with a beat as synths wash in followed by acoustic guitar. It changes after 3 minutes as we get a calm and ocean sounds. Synths come in then vocals at 5 1/2 minutes. More ocean sounds 11 minutes in as it settles. A fuller sound with drums before 12 minutes.Vocals return and some good guitar.

"Persistant Memories" opens with not much going on until the guitar arrives at 1 1/2 minutes, vocals follow. A calm 4 minutes in then it kicks back in. "At Land's End" opens with keys and synths before drums come in and start to lead the way. It settles with guitar before 4 minutes.This contrast continues. Another calm before 9 minutes. The guitar after 10 1/2 minutes is fantastic. The guitar rips it up until around 13 1/2 minutes when synths and drums take over. Piano ends it. "The Last Word" is spacey with synths and drums. Guitar and vocals a minute later. It becomes really spacey after 4 minutes. The guitar after 7 minutes is crying out. Nice.

I hope one day to drive on the "Pacific Coast Highway" but until then this will have to do.

Mellotron Storm | 3/5 |

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