Stained Glass Stories

A glimpse into one of the few genuine stateside attempts at Anglo-inflected progressive rock. There is something endearing about the band's earnestness at pursuing these compositions, and yet it never quite pulls together. The Mellotron is played suprisingly clumsily — it sounds like they didn't have a volume pedal on hand, because the notes jump out with minimal attack, and if you listen close you can hear the contact noise on the keys. Other instruments fare better, though, and reviving this album was clearly a labor of love for Synphonic Music.