YESTERDAY IS A FRIEND

The second effort by polish band Believe is a great step forward. While I liked their debut Hope To See Another Day, I really did not enjoy the way these guys handled the vocal duties. It was too ´grunge´ to my ears, even thought the musicianship was great. Fortunately their sophomore release is an improvement over that. Sure, there are some Alice In Chains-like vocals here and there (like in Tumor), but vocalist Tomek Rozycki is now using a more natural, clean, register which fits the music much better, at least prog wise. Also new are the good inclusion of the acoustic guitar on some tracks and the more even use of the keyboards (done by guest musician Adam Milosz).

Of course Mirek Gil´s trademark guitar solos are a highlight too. Together with Satomi´s fine violin likcs, they give Believe a very distinctive sound. Still sometimes the songs remind me fo Gil´s former band Collage, which should be taken as a compliment, since I love that legendary outfit. You & Me for example, could easily be on Moonshine, it´s simply beautiful. The tracklist has some ups and downs, the band is clearly still finding their own sounding, but none is hack. In fact, only the aforementioned Tumor and Danny Had a Neighbor are not on the same league as the rest of the CD.

I´m really glad to see how much this band has grown in such a short time. The arrangements are tasteful and varied, the production is top notch and the performances are very strong and emotional. This is the kind of CD that gets better with every new listening. If you liked their debut album you´ll be delighted to see how they improved. If you don´t know this band yet, this is a good starting point. A nice surprise. Four stars.