PRESETS

Sylvan their previous album entitled Posthumous Silence was my first musical encounter with this German band. It was a very pleasant one, I enjoyed the varied and tasteful blend of progressive pop and neo-prog.

This new album sounds different, the emphasis is more on carrying away the listeners with often melancholical atmospheres, from dreamy to often compelling with an important role for the singer. Also because of the emotional vocals the music reminds me of Coldplay and U2, pleasant progressive pop. The colouring of the music is quite subtle like distorted vocals and sultry bass work in One Step Beyond, violin-Mellotron in Signed Away, a swinging rhtyhm with cello in For One Day, beautiful orchestrations and way-wah guitar in When The Leaves Fall Down and sensitive piano and warm vocals in the dreamy Words From Another Day. The long final track Presets (almost 13 minutes) is Sylvan their most progressive effort featuring lots of shifting moods and dynamics and some prog metal elements.

Personally I am more pleased with their previous CD because at some moments the songs on Presets sound a bit similar and less adventurous and varied.