Sometimes, a band finds its groove and the creativity and productivity that ensue are inspiring. The Emerald Dawn has six albums now, and while they are all good, they have been on a roll of late; so much so that I have trouble deciding which one is my favorite. The new album is called The Land, the Sea, the Air, and it releases on October 7th.
The band consists of Tree Stewart on keyboards, flute, 12-string acoustic guitar, HandSonic, and vocals; Ally Carter on guitar, saxophones, and keyboards; Dave Greenaway on bass; and Tom Jackson on drums. These four have been together since 2019’s Nocturne, and their output as a band has been eccentric, riveting, and unique.
Those adjectives apply to pretty much every aspect of the band’s sound. They play long-form progressive rock that does not pay homage to the Big Four prog bands of the 70s. No, their sound is more psychedelic, spiritual, and untamed. All four musicians are virtuosos, in my opinion, but the music is never showy or stale. Their style is more about finding enchantment in a delicious keyboard atmosphere, feeling electricity run up your spine at one of Ally’s searing saxophone segments, or finding rhythm-and-blues in the outstanding rhythm section. Their inspirations come from a greater range than just Prog, and their own experiences and personalities show through like sunbeams.
The Land, the Sea, the Air completes a trilogy of masterpieces from the band, in my opinion. Touch the Sky (2021) might still be my favorite, I’m not sure, but I’ve been listening to 2023’s In Time a bunch lately, and this new album will certainly dethrone it. There’s just something about the faraway magic of their sound, like they are playing on the ancient rocks in their band image, serenading the landscape. Each solo feels organic and necessary. Each transition feels like a new movement coming to life. And their songs are long for good reason, not just for bragging rights.
The album has four songs and runs about 45 minutes. The first half gives us the opener “Dancing With the Spirit”, a fully instrumental piece that has spirit and energy. It has a quick rhythm that plays against keys that have some soul and funk in them. I really like that. Ally’s terrific saxophone solo hits really hard, and so does his guitar solo near the end. It’s pretty short for one of their songs, and it’s so good. Next comes the seventeen-minute “Under Changing Skies”, a piece that reminds me a little of 2019’s Nocturne in its darker, ominous style. For some reason, it reminds me of Jerry Goldsmith’s Legend score at points, as it has darkness and fantasy about it. Yet, there are brasher, rockier segments, and the song’s apex is cinematic and gorgeous.
The second half is just as good. First comes the fourteen-minute “While Oceans Die” that sounds sorrowful and gloomy, in a good way. I like how Tree’s keys create such a surreal vibe, like the threat of annihilation; the song is overall reserved and psychological, almost ritualistic in a way. The closer is probably the catchiest song the band has created, “And We’re Left Wondering Why”. I absolutely love this track, and I find myself humming it constantly. Tree’s vocals have never been better, and the hook is rock solid. It’s mostly an acoustic, beautiful piece that offers earnest and thoughtful commentary on the modern world. Ally’s sax hits all the right notes as the album comes to a close.
Look, I know that The Emerald Dawn can be something of an acquired taste, but all complex and worthwhile things are. The Land, the Sea, the Air is a beautiful bonfire in the night forest, an organic journey that opines our species’ journey from connection with nature to the destruction of our world. It has some flavor of 60’s and 70’s anti-war and environmental music, and that gives it character. The band has proven themselves once again to be something completely different and absolutely enthralling.
______________
Find The Emerald Dawn online:
______________
______________
The PROG Mind 