Moving on from the 2004 Spin Gallery debut, this time we a collaboration between the singer/songwriter Kristoffer Lagerstrom and guitarist/songwriter/producer Tommy Denander. The promo sheet says "The concept for the Spin Gallery sound has always been to mix melodic rock like Mr Mister, Toto and Giant with a more modern high tech sound that can be described as thinking man's Melodic Rock for the new millennium and also include influences of Peter Gabriel, Sting and Pink Floyd.".

 

On hearing the opening track, "Embrace", and indeed the closer, "The End", Saga meets pop era Yes is likely to be the comparison rather than the Westcoast style I normally associate with Tommy Denander. However as the album gets going the Mr Mister and Toto influences start to make sense, but I'm still trying to figure out how Giant fit into the picture.

 

The album features a couple of guest vocalists. Robin Beck on the catchy pop rock of "Just A Momentary Why" and Dan Reed on an uptempo Westcoast track called "To Do The Things You Do". I would have expected Dan to appear on the more funky "Without Love". A surprise package in the middle of the album is the acoustic "Blood In My Veins" which is a sparse track featuring guitar and cello creating a little tranquil island amid the high tech wizardry.

 

There is no doubt that that album is well executed and the 18 months of construction have been well spent. My reaction to Westcoast can be mixed and that's an adjective I'd used to describe this album. The progressive start and finish, plus the tracks I mentioned above, make a positive impression, elsewhere it falls into the 'pleasant enough' category.  If you're more into Westcoast, then your reaction may vary.