The Emerald Dawn are back with Volume II of their epic, The Land, the Sea, the Air. The band has produced consistently, with increasing quality, over the past decade, and that continues here. This might be my favorite album from them (maybe second favorite after To Touch the Sky). Regardless, more people need to give them a shot.
The Emerald Dawn comes to us from St. Ives, UK. They are four-strong, having the same lineup for the last seven years or so. The players are Ally Carter on guitars, soprano and tenor saxophones, and keyboards; Tree Stewart on vocals, keyboards, flute, handSonic, and Roli Seaboard; Dave Greenaway on 6-string bass, and Tom Jackson on drums.
They play progressive rock that avoids the cliches. The songs are atmospheric and organic, not to mention quite lengthy. They sound like they could be straight out of the 70s, yet their sound is ever fresh to me simply because they don’t really sound like anyone else. Their music is ethereal, mystical, spacious, and even a bit like a folk ritual at times.
By now, everything about their sound is like comfort food for my soul: Ally’s growling guitars, Tree’s illustrious keys and flute, Dave’s energetic bass, and Tom intricate drumming. There’s a reason why all four of them end up in my top musician features every time they release an album: they are amazingly skilled players who value expression over technicality, authenticity over plasticity. And for my money? Tree has probably laid down the best keyboard performance of the year, swooning and flowing with clarity and majesty. All of the performances are incredible, though.
The Land, the Sea, the Air (Vol II) follows the first volume from 2025, which I rather liked. But I think this one is stronger. It has only three songs, in true Emerald Dawn fashion. The first one is called “Song of the Rainforest”, which is twenty-one minutes long. And yet, it is one of my favorite songs by the band to this point. This lengthy instrumental piece is so atmospheric, but somehow also so groovy. The song pulls you into its foliage, and underneath those trees is plenty of searing synth, amazing sax segments, gorgeous melodies, and hypnotic portions that feel otherworldly. I particularly love the precious minutes towards the end that hover with smoky flute, like a spellbinding incense rich with emotion.
The second track is “Rivers of Tears”, which is fifteen minutes long. This one took a little more time for me, but I’ve come to love the focus on piano. It has a bluesy, funk-oriented sound at times, and much of it is reserved and building towards something. The song is structured with more energetic portions in the middle and the end, and each half has its own character, one being piano expressions and the other being more sinister. It’s a brilliant track.
The final track is called “Paradise”, being about nine minutes long. And you know what? It’s yet another favorite from the band. I can’t get enough of it right now, actually. It’s the most “normal” song on the album, featuring great vocals from Tree, who also plays her cosmic heart out on the keys. Seriously, this track is both incredibly groovy, almost making me what to dance (almost), but the layers of keyboard melodies, the catchiness of the hook, and the final minutes of sheer instrumental glory are like celestial medicine for the mind. What a finish!
The Emerald Dawn are seasoned musicians, yes, but they are passionate artists who truly feel the flow, taste the melody, visualize the color, hear the heart of it all. The Land, the Sea, the Air (Vol II) has some of their best work, both calming and foreboding at times. It is a balanced, well-written record that makes you want to start it over again as soon as it ends.
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