Sunday 22 September 2013

Sounds of Passion (Coda, 1986)

This long suite (about 30 minutes, a Prologue and four Movements) is the title track of the Dutch band Coda's debut album. Having said that this music actually dates back to 1983, one should expect a neo-prog release, similar to Marillion, IQ and so on. Not at all. This is a purely synphonic epic rather similar to late 70s groups like Enid. It's a beautiful trip in a suspended and arcane world, often sweet, always intriguing.

Pastel colours, fairy tales... the cover art matches with the music.

Composed by keyboardist Erik de Vroomen, this suite is a delicate but never boring watercolour painting, pleasant and rich, a succession of different sketches where a choice of keyboards provides the main course and the other instruments add some very good treats. I like everything here, apart, maybe, the spoken intro, something this track didn't really need, IMHO. Anyway, no doubt fo me: this epic is one of the finest moments of a difficult and underrated era in the history of prog.

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