ADRIAN STONE

The Dream Captain

Self-released (1999)

review by Bill Binkelman

The Dream Captain is an exploration into the borderland where prog, ambient, and electronic music meet. Tony Kendrick, the man behind Adrian Stone, plays assorted guitars (acoustic and electric), bass, keyboards, and percussion. His talent is undeniable as he deftly manuevers from more spacy cuts, such as the opening number, "The Gate," which features synth washes and swooshes and spacy music effects approaching a classic spacemusic vibe, to more straightforward dramatic excursions, such as the second song, "Whisper." The latter opens with swirling keyboards which are soon joined by a combination of delicate acoustic guitar leads and soaring electric notes in the background. The blend reminded me, a bit at least, of Argus-era Wishbone Ash but without the latter's tendency to bombast and bluster. Tony has a deft touch and knows that overkill is something to avoid.

I was quite impressed, even at first listen, with The Dream Captain. Yes, the album's graphics and presentation are not first rate, but the music contained within is very imaginative, decidely not pedesterian, and should be enjoyable to prog and prog-fusion fans everywhere. "Shadow in the Hall" is a great mixture of almost Renaissance-flavored guitar (there's that Wishbone Ash-Argus connection again) prog with swooshing keyboard textures. The music paints majestic soundscapes that, for me, conjure up images of heroic deeds and adventurous wanderings (no doubt, this is colored by my current re-reading of the Tolkien trilogy in preparation for the upcoming film of the same). When the orchestral synths enter this cut, the feeling of a fantasy soundtrack is intensified for me. It's a great cut!

At a tick over seven minutes, "Beyond the Light" is the longest song and it sits more in the electronic music arena than the prog, although this is not ambient music in the least. Listening to this album in the background (as I did the first several listenings) is a mistake as this is music that is best savored either through headphones or other dedicated listening environments. The song "Beyond the Light" employs a variety of synth/keyboard effects that, in background listening, would be considerably less enjoyable than heard through the sonic assault that they are with direct listening.

With song titles like "The Gilstone," "Spell," and "A Wizard's Trance" you can see why I drew a parallel to Tolkien's legendary work. However, when someone states any correlation between music and literature, it must taken within a highly subjective context. I'm not saying that this prog-fusion-EM release is Lord of the Rings caliber soundtrack material. But I am saying that the music on The Dream Captain is visual, exciting, and contains some elements that, in my opinion, lend it an air of fantasy and mystery. Just the same, this is light years different (although not necessarily inferior to) than, e.g. the soundtrack to Riven (the superb recording by Robyn Miller which I consider a classic recording, by the way).

However, there are many ways to paint a picture, as the saying goes (okay, I made that one up). "Spell" certainly puts me in the mood of sorcery. And "A Wizard's Trance," while more prog than "fantasy" music, still makes me nod my head in time with the drums and melody. So, maybe I am revisiting my prog rock roots. And it may be that fans of releases like Braheny and Clark's The Spell would consider this CD way too "loud" and "rockish." That's cool. It's a matter of taste. Myself, I found that the more l listened to The Dream Captain, the more I dug the confluence of prog and more overt electronic music elements. From the high drama on some cuts to the more subtle touches on others, Adrian Stone (i.e. Tony Kendrick) delivered a fantastic ride into interesting and stimulating sonic terrain. I, for one, had a great time. I think many of you will too, especially if you play this in your vehicle of choice. Recommended!