Cirrus Bay is for those mornings when I wake up and feel I'm completely in my own world. These are the mornings I would prefer to just go away somewhere and not think about any of the day-to-day stresses we all have to deal with. Their music appeals to a deeper part of me, the part that loves scenery and solitude. And the lyrics seem to extol the beauty of one's own individuality, with lines such as 'The color in your head, through the courtyard bled, so warm this world no longer dead', and so forth. The music of Cirrus Bay is as moody and picturesque as their name, with great sense of melody and surprising chord changes all over the place. Plus, the music is complex enough that melodies are not often repeated, giving way to other melodies, so that what some bands build whole songs out of, Cirrus Bay will accomplish in about 30 seconds before moving on. Such is the compositional approach of front man Bill Gillham, who plays the majority of the instruments as well.
The album, at over 77 minutes, begins with a short majestic keyboard piece, “A Different Courtyard” which right away calls to mind some of the dynamic instrumental passages on Tony Banks' A Curious Feeling, Perhaps that in “After The Lie” or “In The Dark”. This leads right into “Invitation”, a melancholy tune that, although strong melodically, doesn't quite work for me the way most of the rest of the CD does. The counterpoint vocals are well done, and the chords are rich, but given the strength of later tracks, this almost feels like a warm up.
Next, is “The Color In Your Head”, a 19-minute excursion into all sorts of places, some rhythmic, others pastoral, some parts decent, others brilliant. My only complaint is some of the vocals, where a couple of times Alex Brighenti doesn't sound quite on key, which is odd because he sounds amazing on the rest of the CD. That being said, there are some heart wrenching sections in here as well, and I'd say over half the song is instrumental, and all the instrumental parts are very good. I would also venture to say that there are more chord and key changes here than in at least 95% of prog today, and such changes are always accompanied by interesting melody. As to who to compare this track with, I have no idea. One part may start to sound like Bo Hansson or Anthony Phillips, before it changes to something completely different.
Track 4, “Crosswinds”, is where the CD starts to pick up. This instrumental does in fact remind a bit of Bo Hansson, after the marimba laden first half, with a ton of moodiness. I think of driving or riding horseback, with a sky full of color and texture.
Track 5, “Rainbow Hills”, is where the magic really starts to click. This instrumental features slide guitars over 12-string, like a Steve Howe-Anthony Phillips melding, until the drums kick in and the guitars sound like Tony Duhig of Jade Warrior. Some of the most passionate stuff I have heard in a while, for sure.
Next, “I Can Only Wonder”, comes in sounding to me like nothing on the first half of the disc. Kind of like a more rocking, guitar driven “God Only Knows”. The type of chords and melody of the Beach Boys classic is here, but with driving instrumental sections that would make this the radio pick of the album, if there was one. Alex Brighenti sounds great on this song, a touch of a Beatles meets Ray Davies flavor, with richness to boot. Another keyboard passage, very much in the world of what Tony Banks could do if he explored his strength of chord changes more, leads into “Through Stone Walls”, an instrumental that begins reminiscent of early King Crimson, like the intro to “Epitaph” or “In The Wake Of Poseidon”. The piece changes to haunting melody with deep minor chords and Anisha Gillham's sorrowful soprano. Another favorite.
“Slipping” is next up, probably the showstopper of the album. This is everything I love about prog, complex, rich and beautiful, both in the instrumental first half, and the completely different vocal second half. A bit like Genesis, but a lot more like .... Cirrus Bay, I'd say.
“One Day” is another gem, with warm chords and an instrumental passage in the middle that would surely impress Mr. Banks. I get chills every time I hear it. The blending guitars are a wonderful background for the voices of Bill and vocalist Sharra Acle.
Finally, a complex instrumental, “Beyond The Blue Horizon” sounds like just that. Music from another place, another time. And like no one else that I can think of, in this track. An inspiring piece of music, some of it yearning, some of it ecstatic.
I don’t know if I should comment that there are 2 beautiful bonus tracks as well, really nice songs too, with great vocals.
A lot to digest, too much to grasp in the first couple listens, definitely a lot to grow into and growing into it I have been doing with great pleasure. I suppose I would give the first three songs 3 of 5 stars, and the rest 5 of 5 stars, including the bonus tracks. One of my very favorites for 2008. Not bad for a debut.
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deedee - progressive ears