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Highlighting in album tracklistings denotes 'contains Mellotron'. On 'multi-part' tracks I've tried to indicate which parts contain 'Tron, although this isn't always possible.
Ratings:
The * rating (½-5) is my personal, entirely subjective and completely partisan rating of the music.
The 'T' ('Tron, of course...) rating (0-5) is an only slightly more objective indicator of an album's Mellotronness.
By the way, if you know of any Mellotron albums that aren't listed here, please look at my albums page first! Thanks.
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Medicine Head John Mellencamp Mellow Mellow Candle |
Neil Merryweather Message Method |
Metropolis Meredith Meyer Midlake |
Midnight Circus Midnight Oil Mikromidas |
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One & One is One (1973) ***/TOut on the StreetHow Does it Feel Instant Karma Kid Another Lay Blue Suede Shoes - To Train Time One & One is One Morning Light I Know Why All the Fallen Teenangels |
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Medicine Head are probably best remembered these days, if at all, for being the first band to release an album called Dark Side of the Moon, a whole year before the, er, 'better known' one. They were an odd little band; a duo of vocalists John Fiddler, who played drums and guitar simultaneously (!) live, and Peter Hope-Evans, who played harmonica and other mouth implements. They were exactly the kind of outfit that appealed to the very much-missed John Peel, whose status as 'champion of the underdog' led him to sign them to his fledgling Dandelion label, named for a pet hamster of the same name. Peel released their first three albums, the final one being the aforementioned, before they moved to Polydor for another three records before splitting in 1977, Fiddler going on to front the rather dull British Lions, including members of the recently-defunct Mott the Hoople.
One & One is One was their fourth album, and first for Polydor. So; whassit sound like? I hear you cry. Well... Try to imagine a pub-rock band playing vaguely folk-rock material, infused with the ramshackle spirit of early rock'n'roll, and you might be getting close. I don't know if it sounds anything like their other albums, but I wouldn't be surprised. I can't say it's a sound that's dated especially well, to be honest, although going by the live track at the end of side one, Blue Suede Shoes - To Train Time, they were a lot of fun in a hot, sweaty club.
Tony Ashton, of just about everyone, not least Ashton, Gardner & Dyke and, briefly, Family, augments the duo here on various keyboards, including a very nice Mellotron strings part on what could be the album's best track, closer All The Fallen Teenangels, although that's your lot, sadly. So; you're unlikely to buy this for its 'Tron content, but students of arcane early-'70s British rock (are there such things?) may wish to hear this to see what people were listening to at the time when they wandered off the musical beaten track. Fiddler is still playing to this day, and still has hair (albeit white) halfway down his back, resurrecting the Medicine Head name every now and again, although I've no idea whether he still plays guitar sat behind a bass drum. We can only hope so.
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Mr. Happy Go Lucky (1996, 47.42) ***/T |
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| Overture Jerry Key West Intermezzo (I Saw You First) Just Another Day This May Not Be the End of the World Emotional Love Mr. Bellows The Full Catastrophe |
Circling Around the Moon Large World Turning Jackamo Road Life is Hard |
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It took John Mellencamp a decade to work his way from Johnny Cougar, through John Cougar and John Cougar Mellencamp to arrive at his real name, always claiming that 'Cougar' was landed on him by his manager, the legendary Tony DeFries (David Bowie). After his early-'80s burst of Springsteen-ish hits such as Jack And Diane, Mellencamp rapidly moved in a rootsier direction, particularly on 1985's seminal Scarecrow, unwittingly helping to invent what eventually became known as Americana a decade later. Mr. Happy Go Lucky, his 14th album, is allegedly more 'dance orientated', but simply sounds like a roots-rock album to yours truly, albeit one with a pretty modern sound for the mid-'90s. Good songs all round, but something about it can't compete with the likes of Wilco or, say, Beachwood Sparks.
Despite a serious complement of tape-replay players, there seems to be very little actually on the album. Mellencamp regular Mike Wanchic plays Mellotron, while co-guitarist Andy York plays both Mellotron and Chamberlin, although the only obvious parts are what sounds like 'Tron cellos on Jerry, and definite flutes on Mr. Bellows, which isn't to say there aren't more parts hiding somewhere in the mix. So; Mellencamp fans will love this, Americana fans should give it a go, everyone else should probably not bother. It's actually a pretty reasonable album, although its tape-replay's a bit thin on the ground, to be honest.
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Another Mellow Summer (2000, 42.12) ***½/TTT½ |
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| Shinda Shima Paris Sous la Neige (single version) Another Mellow Winter Sun Dance Instant Love Mellow (part 1) Violet Mellow (part 2) |
Lovely Light Mellow (organic version) Paris Sous la Neige |
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After some 'Net research, I believe I've finally straightened out the confusion over French electronic duo (who said Air?) Mellow's three albums, '99's Another Mellow Winter, 2000's Another Mellow Summer and 2001's Another Mellow Spring. It seems that Winter was the original French release, Summer was the slightly amended UK one, and Spring was the barely-altered US version, with a further Japanese version with more tracks. Confused? You should be. Unsurprisingly, Another Mellow Summer is the version I've tracked down, making me rather unwilling to shell out for another two or three very similar albums. The general consensus is that they're a low-budget Air, with one member (the rather un-French sounding Patrick Woodcock) actually being ex- of that band.
I'm actually of the opinion that they're more like Air crossed with King Crimson in places; Shinda Shima actually sounds like a rewrite of Epitaph, to be honest. Woodcock's Mellotron use isn't always easy to spot, and it's a moot point as to how real it is, too; 'Tron flutes are the first sound you hear on the album, and they're the overriding sound on Mellow (Part 2), but they're also the easiest to sample. I'm assuming the female choirs on Paris Sous La Neige (Single Version) and Another Mellow Winter are 'Tron, but I could be mistaken, but all the other highlighted tracks have flutes, at greater or lesser volume.
Anyway, a decent enough album, loaded with Fender Rhodes (should that be your thing), actually preferable to Air in some ways (in my humble opinion, of course). Plenty of 'Tron flutes, though I'm not so sure about those choirs. Worth a listen.
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Swaddling Songs (1972, 43.13) ****½/T |
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| Heaven Heath Sheep Season Silver Song The Poet and the Witch Messenger Birds Dan the Wing Reverend Sisters Break Your Token |
Buy or Beware Vile Excesses Lonely Man Boulders on My Grave |
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Mellow Candle's sole album is, in its original vinyl form, one of the rarest LPs reviewed on this site; released to apparently zero acclaim in 1972 on Decca (actually Deram), it unbelievably sank without trace, only to become a collector's item in the '90s. Despite hailing from Ireland, the band had a classic female-fronted English folk rock sound, comparable to the harder end of Fairport Convention, or, more aptly, Trees, only slightly better-known than themselves. The material on Swaddling Songs is absolutely fantastic; more electric than acoustic, it compares well with the best the genre has to offer, making its relative obscurity all the more puzzling. I doubt if the album's bizarre sleeve, not to mention sleevenotes to match endeared it to the general public; the extraordinarily fey descriptions of the band members would have read badly in 1967, never mind by the early '70s. However, the music is utterly superb; Silver Song is a truly beautiful ballad, both Heaven Heath and The Poet And The Witch display the band's rockier side to good effect, and Buy Or Beware is particularly recommended.
Vocalist Clodagh Simonds played Mellotron on the title track of labelmates Thin Lizzy's Shades of a Blue Orphanage, and despite only being credited with vocals and piano here, there's a lovely 'Tron flute part on Sheep Season, although I wouldn't buy the album for that alone. However, you shouldn't need to; any folk rock or early '70s progressive fan should own a copy of Swaddling Songs. Absolutely superb. Incidentally, I originally thought the cellos on Silver Song were played via 'Tron, but despite a lack of any suitable credit, I now suspect it's real cello.
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Space Rangers (1974, 43.45) ***/TTTTT |
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| Hollywood Blvd. Step in the Right Direction Eight Miles High King of Mars Neon Man Sunshine Superman Road to Hades High Altitude Hide'n'Seek |
Escape Sole Survivor |
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Kryptonite (1975, 37.11/67.34) ***/TTT½ |
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| Kryptonite Star Rider Always Be You Give it Everything We Got The Groove Real Life Love You Know Where I'd Rather Be Let Us Be the Dawn |
[CD adds: Aren't You Glad That You Know City Boy Dust My Blues Flat Black You Must Live it Your Real Good Thing Local 149/Are You Ready] |
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I think Merryweather was a Canadian who migrated to Chicago fairly early on, hanging around for a decade or more, releasing several albums in the process, but never really breaking through. After a two-album detour into Mama Lion in the early '70s (Mellotron/Chamberlin use unknown), Merryweather went back to his solo career with Space Rangers in 1974. Now this is what I call a Mellotron album! Except that it's a Chamberlin. For those not in the know, the Chamberlin was the Mellotron's direct precursor, and was still in production in one form or another up to around 1980. Merryweather got a guy known enigmatically as 'Edgemont' (which I've seen written as 'Ed Gemont'...) to play one on every track on it bar their cover of the Byrds' drug anthem Eight Miles High, mostly to great effect. For some strange reason, Chamberlins tend to 'disappear in the mix' far more than Mellotrons, and are often hard to discern. Not this one; for most of the album it's really 'in your face', to the point where I'd recommend this as a Chamberlin demonstration record. Not just the expected strings (apparently identical to the Mellotron's), but choirs, sound effects etc. Sole Survivor even ends with a lonely trumpet melody (which I should probably recognise, but don't), complete with pitch-bend.
So, er, what about the music, anyway? Well, it's sort of mid-'70s transatlantic hard rock with bits of prog, funk and other stuff thrown in. Bit of a mish-mash, to be honest, but not a bad listen, more for the Chamberlin overkill than anything else, really. On the cover version front, there's also their take on Donovan's seminal (it says here) Sunshine Superman, although it's almost unrecognisable. Overall, the vocals are a bit rough, but there's some decent enough guitar playing; er, bit of a three-star effort, basically. Saying that, if you want full-on Chamberlin, buy now.
A year or two back, I stated: "Interestingly, the music for Road To Hades appears to have been ripped off hook, line and sinker by Canadian band Symphonic Slam on their sole self-titled album from two years later, retitled Universe, unless there's an untold story here? There doesn't appear to be any connection between the two outfits, unless you know better (thanks to the estimable Joe Ellis for spotting that one - hi, Joe)." There certainly is an untold story... I've just been written to by Symphonic Slam's Timo Laine himself, who tells me that he didn't rip off Merryweather - Merryweather ripped him off, and the rest of his band. Laine wrote nearly all the material on the album, but had his writing credits stolen, making him feel more than justified in re-recording his own work! Apologies to all concerned for my inadvertent faux pas, but the story's hardly common currency... Let's hope this mention (and the one I've added to the Symphonic Slam review) help to set the record straight. Oh, and all the names on the album were changed: 'Michael "Jeep" Willis' is Laine, and the mysterious 'Edgemont' is actually keyboard player Bob Silvert.
Merryweather followed-up with Kryptonite, with a similar comic-art sleeve, and a more straightforward hard rock agenda, losing most of Space Rangers' disparate influences. More Chamberlin, probably by James Herndon this time, although I can't say for sure; Star Rider has one of the most upfront parts on the album, along with the proggiest track, closer Let Us Be The Dawn, which is swamped in Chamby strings. I've highlighted the opening title track, although it sounds more like synth strings to me; very hard to tell, to be honest. The album's probably less appealing than its predecessor, but still worth hearing for its string-replay work. The CD adds the entire contents of Merryweather's Neil Merryweather, John Richardson & Boers album from around '69, although I'm not sure they should've bothered. It's a pretty tedious blues/rock workout, although, paradoxically, the best track on this otherwise dull set is the near-eleven minute jammed-out closer Local 149/Are You Ready, which at least has some energy about it, despite the lengthy and unnecessary drum solo.
So; two so-so albums, but loads of Chamberlin all round. Your choice.
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The Dawn Anew is Comin' (1972, 34.00) ***½/T½ChangesThe Dawn Anew is Coming Evil Faith and Charity Heaven Knows When I'm Home |
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From Books & Dreams (1973, 41.11) ***½/½Sleep!Dreams and Nightmares (Dreams) Turn Over! Sigh Dreams and Nightmares (Nightmares) Introducing the Myth (including) The Unpleasant Spell |
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Despite the broken English of Message's first album title, the band were actually three-fifths British, with only the rhythm section being German. They've been compared with Nektar in some quarters, although the latter group were all English ex-pats, never having a German member pass through their ranks. Message were less 'prog' than Nektar, never having a keyboard player, although both bands had similar psychedelic/hard rock roots.
Apart from the vocals, The Dawn Anew is Comin' sounds pretty Germanic to my ears, like a Teutonic Uriah Heep, maybe; the material's reasonably good, but you can see why they never broke out of their adopted country, lacking the originality that the international scene demanded. By 1972, British and American hard rock had completely moved on from its psych roots, leaving many bands in both countries adrift without a rudder, although it seems that bands in other territories survived by being the best the local scenes had to offer. This sounds like I'm slating the album and/or the German rock scene; I'm not. It's just rather apparent that this would have sold very few copies indeed in the more aggressive UK/US markets. Anyway, Nektar's "Taff" Freeman played Mellotron strings on the two longer numbers on side two, Heaven Knows and When I'm Home, although his use is somewhat less than overt.
The following year's From Books and Dreams appears to be some sort of concept album on the subject of sleep, with the tracks running into each other (excepting the 'side gap', of course, with the amusing Turn Over being an exhortation to do precisely that). After the brief Sleep!, we're off and running with the lengthy Dreams And Nightmares (Dreams), and it's immediately obvious that Message had tightened their act up considerably since recording their debut. The jamming is more focussed, even if the songs are no more memorable, making for a slightly better album than its predecessor. 'Tron from vocalist/saxophonist Tommy McGuigan this time round, although all I can hear is a couple of chords (literally) in the first part of the Dreams And Nightmares (Nightmares) sequence that ends the album.
The band took two years to come up with their eponymous third album (***), having switched to a more straightforward sound in the interim, although '76's Synapse (***½) was more interesting, as they took a sideways step into jazzier territory. From '77's Using the Head (**½) (toilet humour - who needs it?) on, though, they sunk into a form of tedious mainstream pop/rock, of little interest to all but the most obsessive collector. So; both the above albums are worth hearing if you're into that German jamming thing, but neither is exactly a Mellotron Classic, to be honest. File under 'reasonable'.
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Method (1976) **/½So ExcitedYorkshire Lad Someone to Love Don't Leave Me Baby Run Run Run Woman Passing Strangers Lonely Eyes Sometimes You Win Ask No Questions |
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After 'discovering' 10cc, who were quite capable of 'discovering' themselves, to be honest, the oily Jonathan King and his third-rate UK label were unstoppable, releasing a stream of tedium in the hope of breaking through with the 'next big thing'. As soon as you see a sleevenote on the back of an album written by some third-party exec, you know you're in for a rough ride, with the glaring exception of the first Boston album (no, really). Method is no exception to the rule, with King's hyperbolic rant including such phrases as 'a remarkable bunch of musicians', 'incredible professionalism', 'rekindling the tang of jaded taste buds' (?!) and worst of all, 'combination of heavy sounds and sweet melody'. HEAVY SOUNDS?? For fuck's sake, King, is that the best you could come up with? To be fair to the band, I'm sure they were a decent enough bunch of blokes, but their music was anodyne, faceless '70s pop/rock with little genuine hit potential, although they weren't quite as bad (or commercial) as, say, Liverpool Express.
Guitarist John Hughes doubled on piano and Mellotron, with one credited 'Tron track, Don't Leave Me Baby. To be honest, it doesn't sound an awful lot like a Mellotron, though it's so far down in the mix, it's rather hard to tell. Is it a 'Tron? Is it a string synth? Dunno, but it's a pretty dull part, whatever it is. So; pretty awful album, no 'Tron. Avoid.
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Metropolis (1973, 40.27) ***½/½BirthMetropolis Superplasticclub Dreamweaver Glass Roofed Courts Ecliptic |
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The sole Metropolis album may actually, unlike the work of so many German bands from the '70s, fit the 'krautrock' genre, at least to an extent. A trippy mix of straightforward rock, psych and all-out experimentation, various members had links with the likes of Ash Ra Tempel, Agitation Free and Mythos, and clearly had considerable interest in jamming, although much of the album is fairly conventionally structured.
Most of the strings and flutes on the album are real, easily heard on opener Birth, although a pitchbent strings part on the lengthy title track has to be Manfred Opitz's Mellotron, although it's not actually credited as such. It's easy to see how Metropolis has been labelled a 'Mellotron Album', as many (though by no means all) of the string parts are of the 'block chord' variety, with a slight lack of imagination in the arrangement department. Anyway; a good album of its type, more tuneful than the likes of Dzyan, and rockier than, say, Wind, though definitely further 'out there' than Nektar and their ilk. Hardly any 'Tron, mind, so don't go buying it for that.
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Items You Won't Find Elsewhere (2004, 51.22) ***½/T |
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| Storyteller Girl The Stars Kiss Me Goodnight Faster Simple Sensation Arms of Love Mr. Wilson Pebbles on the Window The Purest Thing |
My Solo Mary is Missing Wrapped Around Your Finger Phoenix |
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Meredith Meyer is an American singer-songwriter (California via Oklahoma) who bears comparison with Aimee Mann, amongst others, which is praise indeed. Less melancholy than Ms. Mann, she beats the likes of Fiona Apple hands-down on her debut, Items You Won't Find Elsewhere, and with songs of the quality of Storyteller Girl and The Purest Thing surely it can't be long before she comes into the orbit of the Lilith Fair crowd? Mind you, I can't see her dumbing-down for them... Was it a dream, or did people actually once buy well-crafted records that made them think? What happened?
Anyway, the inimitable Brian Kehew (Moog Cookbook, Jellyfish compatriot) produces, and has been given free reign with his collection of vintage gear. Mellotron on three tracks (one uncredited), with almost-inaudible strings on Mr. Wilson and something even less identifiable on Mary Is Missing, although the strangely uncredited Pebbles On The Window makes up for it; essentially a brief (45-second) 'Tron cello solo, this is quite gorgeous, though nothing like the rest of the material on offer here.
So; a good album of modern singer-songwriter fare, with those 'up-close and intimate' vocals that give the impression she's singing the songs for you alone, and no sub-Kate Bushisms, either (take note Tori and others). Not actually that much 'Tron, although Pebbles On The Window is a must-hear. Buy if you're into the style.
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Bamnan & Slivercork (2004, 45.44) ***½/½ |
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| They Cannot Let it Expand Balloon Maker Kingfish Pies I Guess I'll Take Care Some of Them Were Superstitious Reprimand Jungler He Tried to Escape |
Mopper's Medley No One Knew Where We Were Anabel Mr. Amateur |
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Small-town Texans Midlake are rather hard to describe; modern melancholy psych-pop? Obvious influences include the Flaming Lips, Syd's Floyd, Low and even the Beatles, with maybe a dash of Americana thrown in, in a Grandaddy kind of way. Opener They Cannot Let It Expand is probably the most upbeat song on the album, which isn't saying much, although Midlake avoid the depressed (if rather wonderful) excesses of, say, Low, coming across most of the time as laid back rather than laid out. Although I wouldn't really say they sound anything much like the Cocteau Twins, Bamnan & Slivercork (watch those spellings...) is on Simon Raymonde and Robin Guthrie's Bella Union label, where I'm sure they're in good company.
It's difficult to tell exactly what keyboards are being utilised here, let alone who plays what (four of the band's five members are credited with keys), although various old organs and analogue synths sound like they were involved somewhere down the line. As a result, it's difficult to tell whether or not the flutes on Kingfish Pies are actually Mellotron, although they sound like they should be. Several other tracks, notably He Tried To Escape and No One Knew Where We Were, have what could be Mellotron parts, variously flutes, cellos and strings, though chances are they don't.
Bamnan & Slivercork is one of those albums, rather like the vaguely similar White Birch's Star is Just a Sun that will undoubtedly grow on me should I find the time to let it. Next to no Mellotron, but that's not what this album's about. Worth hearing.
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Midnight Circus (1972, 32.54/39.01) ***/T (TT)The LightI Had a Dream November Church Mr. Clown Indian Impression Disappointed Love Meditation [CD adds: Coloured Gay Get it] |
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Midnight Circus were essentially the folk-rock-with-progressive-tendencies duo of Christian Bollmann and Torsten Schmitt, who made just the one self-titled album in 1972. Between them, they shared the vocal and acoustic guitar work, with Bollmann adding recorder and trumpet (notably the solo on longest and best track November Church) and various guest musicians filling out the sound. Midnight Circus is good, if not essential, with several of the songs operating in 'meandering and slightly stoned' mode, although some interesting instrumentation helps to lift it out of the also-ran category.
Amongst the album's guests was Veit Madaus on keys, who played instantly-recognisable Mellotron strings on I Had A Dream, with less obvious brass on November Church, with more of what sounds like both on one of the CD's bonus track, Get It, with a particularly abrasive and upfront brass part. So; there are more essential albums in the German Progressive category, though this wins out over the likes of, say, Witthüser & Westrupp or Wind, by being less stoned and containing a couple of decent songs. Not much Mellotron, although I Had A Dream's work is quite nice. So-so.
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Earth & Sun & Moon (1993, 53.59) ***/TT |
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| Feeding Frenzy My Country Renaissance Man Earth and Sun and Moon Truganini Bushfire Drums of Heaven Outbreak of Love |
In the Valley Tell Me the Truth Now or Never Land |
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Midnight Oil, or 'The Oils', have followed a path of political activism from the outset, providing a welcome antidote to the unfortunate right-wing streak that crops up all too often in Aussie politics (remember the appalling Pauline Hanson, the 'Oxley Moron'?). While it's easy to accuse them of being musically unadventurous, with their agenda, they weren't going to get very far as a punk band or something, so playing mainstream rock is clearly their compromise, assuming they even consider it to be such. Earth & Sun & Moon was their eighth full studio album, and doesn't sound startlingly different to their two early-'80s records I've heard, 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1 ('10 to 1') and Red Sails In The Sunset, with its apocalyptic sleeve design, being radical radio-friendly rock, concentrating heavily on their country and what will become of it, particularly on the anti-monarchist Truganini. Difficult to argue there...
Guitarist/keys man Jim Moginie plays Mellotron (presumably real?) on several tracks, with flutes and possibly strings on opener Feeding Frenzy, pitchbent strings on Renaissance Man and more regular ones on Drums Of Heaven and Outbreak Of Love. As always, it perks up almost any track, so although his use isn't especially radical (pitchbends aside), it's always nice to hear. Moginie also played it on his solo project from '96, Fuzz Face, for what it's worth.
Although the band appear to have split, I wouldn't be at all surprised to see them have another go before too long, even though their most outspoken member, vocalist Peter Garrett, is now a member of parliament for the Australian Labour Party. Although not their biggest seller ('87's Diesel & Dust takes that honour), Earth & Sun & Moon is probably as good a place to start as any if you're unfamiliar with the band, and is probably less slick than their late-'80s efforts. Reasonable Mellotron, too, though I've no idea whether or not Moginie used it with the band again.
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Brennende Drømmer (2001, 55.11) ****/TTTT½ |
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| Incognito City Dvergenes Palass Nostradamus Pilegrim Jublende Rekker Middelveis Berg og Dvale Døende Stein |
I Tåketimen [unlisted track] |
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Faunus (2005, 49.33) ****/TTTT½Den Dagen Jeg ForsvantVirveldans Sjælernes Evige Beven Trollmann Sultekunstneren Den Gjengrodde Sti Englesangen Famle Rundt Krigsmann |
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Mellotron used:
Despite forming in 1995, it took Mikromidas until 2001 to release their debut, Brennende Drømmer, but it was worth the wait. I've seen comparisons to Änglagård et al., but the only real one is in their choice of instrumentation, specifically Hammond and Mellotron. Stylewise, they go for a (relatively) straightforward song format with Norwegian lyrics, although we ain't talking mainstream here, more a vaguely Uriah Heep thing, though they're not a particularly good comparison, really. Difficult to pick out the best tracks on one listen, but Jublende Rekker made me stop what I was doing.
Øystein Larsen uses his very obviously real 'Tron (hurrah!) on every damn' track, with plenty of strings and choirs, with some flute and cello parts here and there. He seems to have the same problem with his as I had with mine before its last service, where some of the pinch rollers are clogging up and sticking, giving a few of the high notes that classic 'Mellotron wobble' which, while extremely authentic, isn't really any more welcome than the audible whine and instability of an old motor board. Anyway... particularly strong 'Tron parts on the intro to Døende Stein and the flutes on I Tåketimen, but there isn't a bad 'Tron (or otherwise) track here. Now, an oddity is the last track: only nine are listed, and no other online reviewers seem to've noticed there's a tenth, unlisted track, but it's as good as everything else on the album, and features the usual 'Tron quotient.
Four years on, and Mikromidas suddenly reappear with Faunus, and it looks like the band have taken a turn towards the prog mainstream in the interim, although some tracks, notably Sjælernes Evige Beven and Famle Rundt, hark back towards their earlier sound. Overall, another great album, although I imagine it'll take several plays for its subtleties to become completely apparent. Loads of 'Tron, of course, including quite a bit of brass, especially on opener Den Dagen Jeg Forsvant, plus the usual strings, flute and (a little) choir; this really is a 'Tron monster, falling only just short of the full five Ts.
So; buy? I'd say so, yes, unless you insist on 'symph über alles'. Brennende Drømmer is a damn' good '70s-influenced hard rock/prog album, with some excellent Mellotron work, and Faunus is just possibly even better.
