Moonbound – Peak of Eternal Light
Second album of the pop-prog project lead by bassist and vocalist Fabio Trentini, ‘Peak of eternal light’ sees this time collaboration of drummer Pat Mastelotto on all tracks. Touch guitarist Markus Reuter is also back, while special guest Dave Gregory (of XTC fame) plays the guitar on a few songs. The album was co-produced by Markus, Fabio and Pat. Musically speaking, this album continues in the vein of the previous one, i.e. catchy pop songs yet with a progressive dimension (through the use of various keyboard sounds, assorted percussions by Michi dei Rossi, Fabio’s mate in Le Orme’s sessions for ‘La via della Seta’, and some syncopated drum rhythms). The overall feel is close to Genesis’ self-titled album and ‘Calling all stations’ (the connection with the latter is especially blatant on the syncopated and flashy “Flash through the brain” and on “Here in wonderland”), crossed with melody-driven prog rock acts like Orphan Project or Sound of Contact.
Fabio put a lot of effort in the choirs for this album (especially on the optimistic “Our Day will come”, the twisted “Here in Wonderland”, the punchy “Dreams are funny sometimes”, and the bombastic “He says, she says”). Most of the songs are catchy with memorable chorus, including the cover of the Blue Nile’s “Heatwave”, originally a quite sad song, here more akin to the cheerful version of Barbara Gaskin and Dave Stewart, thanks to passionate vocals and merry guitar/keys interplay. The uplifting “Hold me” with its sharp chorus deserves the first place in the realm of catchy songs. This profusion of hooking melodies brings to mind the best pop songs released in the 1980′s, Mr. Mister’s drummer presence, and the echoing guitars (think Andy Summers with Police or Alex Lifeson on Rush’s ‘Power windows’) reinforcing this feeling. Two songs though are in a more reflective league, with their aquatic vibe – “A reason to Hope” (with echoes of Daniel Lanois but also Phil Collins’ “Take me home”) and “While we sleep”. Moreover, the self-titled track is an intriguing instrumental piece of prog rock. All three songs interlock perfectly with the rest of the album.
Moonbound’s first album, ‘Confession and release’ was already a very good start, but with ‘Peak of eternal light’, the combination of pop catchiness and prog thoughtfulness reaches its heights, and will be hard to top!
Tracklist:
01 Our Day Will Come
02 Flash Through Your Brain
03 Heatwave
04 Here In Wonderland
05 A Reason To Hope
06 Peak Of Eternal Light
07 Dreams Are Funny Sometimes
08 Hold Me
09 The Right Day For Goodbyes
10 In The Country Of The Blind
11 He Says, She Says
12 While We Sleep
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