MOONMADNESS

Camel's Moonmadness. This album places just below CTTE for me, the whole album is an absolute masterpiece, and if you haven't heard it yet, let this be your sign. This album has a eerie, cold, dark sound that is best enjoyed in a thematically matching room. It took me *seven* tries for this album to start to do it for me, but I kept trying to enjoy it because of how much I loved Mirage. I can say with confidence I acquired the taste. I would almost say I forced it on myself, but that's not true, I just had to wait for it to hit. Paying attention to the lyrics helped quite a bit. This is an album you will have to hear multiple times, no excuses. The synth work, guitar, and as a highly unpopular opinion, the vocals (being the best part) are absolutely impeccable. I don't want to dull my point, but this is just beautiful.

Aristillus: This is in my honest opinion, the weakest track of the album. It is completely instrumental, and the sounds don't quite match the rest of the album thematically. Despite this, it is still a very nice sounding track, and contrary to what the thematic discrepancy would have you believe, sets up for the next track well. Not much to say about such a short track. 8.5/10

Song Within A Song: This is after careful consideration, my personal favorite on the album. The vocals are really what do it for me. This is thematically my favorite song ever, you cannot beat being in a dark room with your eyes closed and listening to SWAS. The percussion rides over the slow eerie vocals, the amazing synth work and the climactic jammy instrumental part through the end make this song absolutely amazing, and the reason this is the second review I post. 10/10

Chord Change: This track will really catch you off guard. I chose not to spoil this when I showed it to my friend for the first time. He was indeed surprised. This is a groovy, almost upbeat track. After the trance that SWAS will put you through, Chord Change pulls you right out and yells at you to tap your foot. About halfway through there's a nice pace change, and overall, although not a standout track, it's very memorable, and because of it's surprise attitude in the context of the album, has almost developed a personality in my mind. One that I'm fond of at least. 9/10

Spirit of the Water: Although not particularly memorable, this track is both theme cohesive and defining, and the vocals are once again present, making for a very pretty and slow moving, cold track. another good one to listen to in the dark. I'm not sure why it's so forgettable in my mind, it doesn't really seem to be the fault of the contents of the track itself, as they're awesome even in isolation. The flute work in particular really shines through, and maintains a great sound. Unfortunately, for that lack of memorability, this track will get a small deduction. 8.7/10

Another Night: A return of SWAS like vocals pull you right into that same trance. this time it feels a little less smooth, but it's still awesome. It's actually pretty hard to criticize this track for being sudden or harsh when Chord Change gets off scot-free. I also have to admit, I absolutely love the start, where it slowly fades in, only to surprise you with that amazing riff, foreshadowed by the faded drums. The difference in the vocals from SWAS makes this track feel new and like they're using the same theme, with a new sound to keep you interested. I like it, and the slow breaks are shockingly beautiful. I strongly believe that this track has earned a high rating. 9.8/10

Air Born: This was one of the few tracks that I could tell was special in the first couple listens. It really shows off what Camel did right with the vocals on this album, and I honestly think it's haunting beauty may match SWAS. Like so much of the album, the flute pairs nicely with the synth and ambient sounds. There's really not much that can match the sound of the instruments fading out, before everything comes in at once, leading to another climactic song ending, that is melodically and thematically very pretty. 10/10

Lunar Sea: This track is another absolute banger, the synth and percussion, as well as the guitar make this track a stand out instrumentally for the atmosphere of escaping the darkness, it feels like things might warm up someday, and the bright work of all instruments make this an even more groovy track than Chord Change. Although I think they missed out on the chance to have another beautiful vocal track as the finale to such a wonderful album, it's nothing against this amazing song. 9.5/10

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