Search - Synchestra :: Daydreams

Easy Listening Can Be Artistically Valid

wildwielder | Macungie, PA United States | 10/11/2005

(5 out of 5 stars)

"You can take this from a guy who usually has nothing to do with the cheesy, faceless, mass-produced schlock one finds at gift shop listening stations. In fact, my usual taste is rock, prog and jazz. Ahh, but this "easy listening" is another story.

Synchestra is really a handle used by the multi-talented Ed Van Fleet, a self-produced, self published musician who also sells his recordings under his own name. The Synchestra albums are his earlier works, the psydonym taken from the name of his original studio in Phoenix, Arizona. (He has since moved his studio, and company, Elfin Music, twice-- first to Maine, then Florida.)

It is these earlier works, starting with the brilliant "Mother Earth's Lullabye", which broke him through to a small, yet dedicated, audience who have snapped up thousands of copies of his recordings from listening stations (actually invented by Van Fleet) and catalogue orders from all over the United States. The things that set these recordings apart from other "easy listening" was the complex and lengthy arrangements (averaging about 20 minutes a song, with only two songs per album!), which also lent to their being pegged as a new genre, "progressive easy-listening."

And, indeed, if Yes were not rockers, this would likely be what they'd sound like.

"Daydreams" is the fourth of Van Fleet's output, and actually overshadows it's predicessors. More warmth than the all electronic "Silver Ships" and more effective use of guitars AND synths than "Mother Earth's Lullabye", it is full of depth and works extremely well as background music or carefull listening. The album is also the first to feature more than two tracks, it's title cut being a cycle of three songs, each with their own track designation. The second cut, "Journey of the Spirit", is mellow, yet very progressive, and even features some brilliant electric guitar soloing. Van Fleet really is a virtuoso on both strings and keyboards.

The jacket art was well chosen, a thought-provoking and familiar Antonio Peticov painting. The album as a whole is flawless-- this is music which will take you far away to escape from life's stress and strain, and is one of the strongest in Van Fleet's back catalogue.

And this from a rock/prog snob. That alone is recommendation enough."