SYMPHONY IN DEMEANOR - The First One (Private Pressing)
Symphony In DeMeanor hail from Vancouver, Canada, and this is their debut CD. It is only six tracks, and one of them is a cover of 'White Rabbit', but the other self-penned songs show what a great band this is. From the picture on the press release I would say that the band are all in their early forties, and so 60's psyche and pop influences are all present in the music. The first song they ever recorded - 'Lonely Fool' - opens the album, and from the off you can hear traces of 60's and 70's pop and rock. This continues into the more up-tempo 'Say Good-Bye', which combines Spock's Beard style harmonies with a very Beatle-ish middle eight. The harmonies turn to the Beach Boys for 'Crazy Man', and they bring out the heavy guitars for the closing 'Farewell Marissa'. 'White Rabbit' has always been one of my favourite songs, and generally I do not like to hear them interfered with, but this version is perfectly acceptable, and the whole album is a polished piece of work. After only one hearing I remembered every track on the second play, which for me is the mark of great song-writing. If you like well-crafted songs in an ELO/Queen/Beatles style played by a band who know what they are doing then check out their website at
where you can buy the album for the ridiculously low sum of $3.99, and if you cannot afford that then they will let you download it for free. A very generous band, and I look forward to a full-length album at the earliest opportunity.