MORE THAN A DREAM

Aussie Art-Rockers Unitopia were found by singer Mark Trueack and keyboardist Sean Timms in 1996 in Adelaide,when they met each other through a mutual friend and find to share similar tastes in the music field.The two of them wrote completely the debut ''More than a dream'',but due to heavy professional commitments this work was not to be released in the next years.During these years Mark and Sean decided to expand this project to a full-time band.Eventually ''More than a dream'' would see the light in 2005 as a private pressing.

Unitopia sound a lot like a multi-influenced US band,the inspirations come from a wide range of music grounds,so you can find elements from Classical Music,Heavy Metal,World Music,Jazz-Fusion and even Pop.All these combined lead to a tight Art Rock amalgam,very accesible and rich sounding.Vocals are either expressive or a bit of a let down,depending on the track.Musically the album is close to a winner,as the two musicians succeeded to add complicated music structures and different ideas into straight compositions,which speak to your heart and soul.Some tracks are closer to the likes of Classic Progressive Rock,like the long ''Justify'' with its shifting moods or the two-faced ''Slow down'' with the easy going starting notes and the excellent thundering grandiose classicism,which follows later,other ones are more in an Art-Rock vein,simple structures wrapped with rich instrumentation and multi-vocal arrangements.But most of them are quite good and certainly well-crafted.

The experiment,which started between two guys in mid-90's,seems to produce some nice- tasted fruits with ''More than a dream''.Maybe the title of the album indicates exactly what the band was trying for.And the results were satisfying.A band to keep an eye on and a warmly recommended effort.

With high ideals of world peace and environmental conscience, Australia's Unitopia use their music as a staging ground for their ? yes I get it - Utopian message. Mark Truack and Sean Timms are the guiding light here, providing lead vocals, songwriting and keyboards. The band is very tight, and the production is clean and clear.

Unitopia seems to have three gears ?

First Gear: A slick, 1980's neo-prog sound used in "Fate", "Ride" and "More Than A Dream" reminiscent of The Flower Kings, circa Rainmaker or Adam and Eve, or even in places, The Police. Use of a Kenny G saxophone sound and over-repeating choruses amplify the resemblance.

Second Gear: A crunchy and spacey Porcupine Tree / Incubus sound used in "Common Goal" and "Justify". This makes the beginning of the album sound very different from the rest, and leaves one waiting for it to reappear.

Third Gear: All out symphonic with full orchestration and chorus like in "Take Good Care" and "Slow Down". These songs sound like a full orchestra playing pop similar to the Trans- Siberian Orchestra, culminating in a very enjoyable, sing-along chorus lead by lead singer Shireen Kemlani. And look for the superb African chorus sounding very much like the soundtrack to the Broadway show "Lion King". A clever and moving touch to their epic track.

Although the songwriting range is mostly a rather cookbook affair, the album has a message of environmental awareness and world peace, making it a positive outing often missing in the music world. Best of fortune to them all.

"More than a Dream" is the Aussie proggers Unitopia's first musical statement, supporting values such as environmentalism, positive spirituality and a "slow" lifestyle. Not much wrong with those, I suppose, and neither is there with the music. Reflective mellow parts, poppish passages and various percussions and wind instruments fuse with a more 70'ish prog approach, creating altogether a fine piece. While the songs stay a bit on the "safe side" there is still much to enjoy here, like the reflective "Slow Down", the rocking opener "Common Goal" or "Take Good Care" which would well fit as an anthem of Greenpeace or other environment friendly organization. The only real downside is "Lives Go Round" which has a very annoying chorus, putting the overall rating maybe down to 3.5 stars from a full four. I'll still rate it as four here, because it is better to see the glass half full than half empty, right? Especially after listening to this kind of an album. There is never enough positivity in the world, I guess.

This is Australian proggers' first album and it shows - the arrangements and songs are somewhat simpler than on later albums. But a prog beginner often begins where a pop music zenith ends. Unitopia plays catchy, accessible crossover prog, equal times laid back and rocking, but with a crunchy guitar. Production is not loud, but very clear. Distinctive features are incorporation of world music and a strong baritone of vocals - no whiners or high range bellowers here. Curiously, on one of the songs from the second album he does a Bon Scott from fellow Australians AC/DC, but I digress.

This album begins rather uncommonly with Common Goal with its almost hard rockish vibe and quieter vocals. Highlights here are the irresistible pop rock of Fate with an ethnic brass leads, the first stab at an epic, 12-minute Justified with both reflective and powerful sections, Afro-beat Take good care, and More than a dream, similar in tone and infectiousness to Fate, but slower. Both that song and Justified end with strong guitar solos.