Those musical brothers Kurt and Rick Reil are at it again, after revisiting and remastering the debut album and the last studio release “Giant On The Beach,” the band produced this massive double CD set stocked with great power pop and pysche pop gems. Joined once again by Kristin Pinell (guitar) and Michael Kelly (bass) the band devoted one disc to Kurt’s songwriting and the other to Rick’s compositions.
The band’s opening tunes are a culmination of influences, and they are no longer pinned down by one type of sound any longer. “Speed Of Life” is a joyous sonic celebration of rock and things are more akin to classic Yes than The Byrds (although that 12 string sound is still there). The heavier meaty rock of “Don’t You Believe It” is right along with the Who or Golden Earing playbook. The bands smooth harmonies on “Be Here Now” never sounded better and Kurt’s acoustic skills shine on “Sun Shower.” The Beatlesque “Twister” is a another catchy gem you shouldn’t miss.
It’s tough to sustain a listeners interest through one disc, but the band succeeds in doing this with disc 2. Rick’s opener “Coming and Going” is more mid-tempo and his songs have more of a psychedelic flavor. A great cover of Todd Rundgren’s “Hello It’s Me” is followed by the energetic “Truth Is (Hard To Take).” Another perfect psyche pop melody is on “Used To Play” with it’s multilayered harmonies in the chorus. The instrumental fills are very short and support each disc nicely, without any throw away songs. Throughout the entire album you will hear bits of Fleetwood Mac, Love, Cream and Todd in spots. In short, they have evolved and this album should be savored like a fine wine. Yes, five years is a long wait — but boy was it worth it. My last interview with the band was while they were building this work of art. It gets a top ten album nomination for 2010, easily. Best of all you can get eight songs from this great album FREE right here.
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