'The Flying Caravan' is a new Spanish project led by guitarist 'Antonio Valiente' who was among others one of the founders of the progressive rock group 'Numen' and whose first album 'I Just Wanna Break Even' was released in early 2021 after a long gestation of almost 4 years. In a progressive style that brings us back to the heyday of this style in the 70s, the Spaniards offer us a double album of about an hour and minutes containing a musical fresco of 36 minutes if we remove the alternative version of 'The Bumpy Road to Knowledge' at the end of the album. So, for all lovers of old-fashioned progressive rock who love long compositions, you have come to the right place because this first Spanish album is a pure gem with all the ingredients you want to find in this kind of music.
With the first four titles, we enter this universe which recall the great formations of the 70s like 'Yes',' Genesis' or 'Camel' and others more recent like 'The Flower Kings' or 'Spock's Beard', and this from the instrumental 'Get Real' with keyboard sounds reminiscent of 'Camel', then, with the eponymous title of the group, we continue in its familiar sounds of a classic progressive which makes us discover the endearing voice of 'Izaga Plata' and, without transition, 'Upstream to Manonash' offers us a beautiful ballad with Hammond organ sounds and a guitar solo that 'Carlos Santana' would not have denied. Same calm and peaceful atmosphere for 'Love's Labor Mislaid' which follows, with a chorus which is embedded immediately in our head, then, the first progressive saga 'The Bumpy Road to Knowledge' points the tip of its nose in an atmosphere à la 'Barclay James Harvest' and with beautiful instrumental parts highlighting magnificent guitar, flute and saxophone solos. It is with 'A Fairy Tale for Grown - Ups' that we hold the masterpiece of the album divided into 7 parts that must of course be assimilated little by little to extract all the richness and which takes us into a labyrinth imaginative progressive with many rhythmic and melodic changes which in turn reminds of artists like 'Emerson, Lake & Palmer', 'Pink-Floyd', 'Camel', 'Genesis', 'Santana', 'Barclay James Harvest' or even 'Renaissance' and so on.
In summary, this first Spanish album is a very good surprise for the start of 2021 which, given its density, must be tamed little by little to take full advantage of it, which destines 'I Just Wanna Break Even' to a public loving classic progressive rock taking us back a few decades when this style took all its dimension... | |
