Euphoria Station: The Reverie Suite

I must admit to looking at the cover of The Reverie Suite from Euphoria Station and wondering whether we here at SoT were branching out into the world of country. And as “Prelude/She’s Calling� gently surged into life, so that confusion deepened, and then suddenly there’s a guitar riff, a considered build and a twang of banjo! Progressive country anyone?

Fiddles blaze, flutes trill, guitars sting and drum thunder and yet there’s bluegrass in them thar hills don’t you know! But then, as this duo, who are augmented by a further eight musicians, reveal their tale, which just so happens to be a concept based on the childhood of singer Saskia Binder, so you also realise that they like a bit of Zeppelin and a flutter of Floyd.

The other lynchpin in this twosome offering up a sophomore release is Hoyt Binder, a guitarist who can also strum a banjo or even a mandolin when the mood takes him. Along the way we also hear the influence of piano, strings and harmonica, with everything from Native American sounding beats and melodies rubbing shoulders with Americana and some very English pastoral prog. That may all sound like something of a contrived affair, but in all honesty the results flow and ebb with a natural smoothness that surprises.

For my own personal taste the otherwise excellent vocals from Saskia are just a touch samey from song to song, with a tendency to hold the same notes just a touch too long, but then this is her story and she does an excellent job of telling it.

With the acoustic bass of “On My Way� reminding of Days Of The New, the vocals here undoubtedly add a lighter tone, while the clever use of harmonica whisks us away on the journey our protagonist is recounting. Whereas “Paradise Road�, rather unexpectedly, feels more like an 80s American TV show theme - meaningful yet catchy, deep yet airy, memorable yet light of touch. Add in the likes of the tender echoing piano led “Reprise� and the low desert shuffle of “Remind Me� and you really do have to wonder at how such a diverse collections of influences comes together in such a coherent manner.

The Reverie Suite won’t be for everyone and it does take quite some time to get to know, but the very fact that it is an individual, heartfelt journey makes it much easier to overlook those harder to crack moments and simply basque in this album’s warmth of heart and strength of spirit.

Track Listing
1. Prelude/ She's Calling
2. Reverie
3. On My Way
4. Heartbeat
5. Bridge Of Dreams
6. Queen Of Hearts
7. Paradise Road
8. Move On
9. Seasons
10. Reprise
11. Remind Me
12. Content

Added: March 15th 2020
Reviewer: Steven Reid
Score:
Related Link: Euphoria Station @ bandcamp
Hits: 1328
Language: english

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