Thursday 6 June 2013

The Wishing Well (Pendragon, 2005)

"The Wishing Well" is the 22 minute and 4 part suite from the "Believe" album, released in 2005 and inspiring mixed feelings among the band's fans for a questionable lack of melodies. Be that as it may, this track is a prog treat, IMHO. Melodic and rock elements follow one another in a very natural way and each part is coherent with the whole lot, even if one could easily listen to each part as a song on its own. I specially like the main theme, wide and round as a tasty fruit and also the passages from the rockier to the softer sections.

A suggestive cover art for a much debated album.

As Always, Nick Barrett plays the leading role with his guitars and vocals, but all the instruments are there and Clive Nolan's keyboards are an essential point when it comes to create suspended atmospheres. Also the lyrics fit in the epic architecture of the track, reflecting upon human life crossroads. I couldn't choose one single part as my favourite, perhaps I specially like the first and the last movements. In short, an excellent piece of work, proving once again that neo-prog is just... prog!

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