Imagine a young band with the musical insight, creativity and confidence to take Pink Floyd, The Beatles and Styx as influences, and bring their own twist to these icons.
That’s what this Canadian trio have done. With a sympathetic production from Rush stalwart Terry Brown, their debut is intelligent pop rock, with a strong streak of modern progressive and psychedelic interaction. The strident No More War has genuine depth and emotional attachment (brothers Sepp and Sol Osley were brought up in war-torn Iran, which makes the message all the more authentic). As the album develops, you get sucked in by the way the band can take simple melodies and use them to explore more exotic soundscapes. Long May You Run has a mature arrangement, built on fragile, charismatic vocals and some beautifully sedate guitar work from Sepp Osley. The Keeper sees all three members (drummer Ben Riley completes the line-up) engaged in loquacious instrumental banter, while the title track is a tour de force of finely focused psychedelic musings. All has been brought to the highest possible standard, on a debut album that will surely be one of the best of 2015.
