Album review: LEON ALVARADO – The Changing Tide

Melodic Revolution Records [Release date: 31.05.24]

Leon Alvarado is an American multi-instrumentalist who started his recording career in 2009 with an album called ‘Plays Genesis And Other Stuff’ and has progressed (see what I did there?) to Pink Floyd on album number five ‘The Changing Tide’.

Now, before the cognoscenti start screaming “Oh God, not another ‘Floyd clone”, let me say from the outset that this is so much more, with many passages that sound distinctly his own.

And why not a Pink Floyd sounding album anyway? All we are getting from them these days are remasters of remastered remasters and expensive vinyl presses and “reduxes” of every live gig they’ve ever played.

Why not listen to something, yes, unashamedly ‘Floyd influenced, but with new tunes?

The nearest touchstone here is ‘The Endless River’ and the title and cover design suggest as much – the musical similarities being that it is entirely instrumental with just one vocal track – in this case a rather fine cover of ‘Brain Damage’, just as ‘The Endless River’ had ‘Louder Than Words’.

‘The Changing Tide’ is a classic progressive rock album – six tracks, two ten-minute epics, two seven minute work-outs and musicianship that’s just off the scale.

Opener ‘The Equilibrium Of Time’ (how prog is that?) sets the scene with its swirling keyboard intro backed up with the sound of a heartbeat, before setting off on its own course – cellos and violins are in there together with some very tasty guitar work, and the follow-up ‘A Day Of A Different Sort’ is the ‘Wish You Were Here’ track, with piercing, Gilmouresque stabs of guitar courtesy of Edoardo Scordo (Brit Floyd) which manages to stay the right side of mere imitation.

Tinkling piano introduces ‘A View From A Different Room’ before some wonderful sax from Supertramp’s John Helliwell and more sparkling guitar work confirm these guys know what they’re doing on one of the album’s best tracks – it even concludes with a clanging bell, redolent of ‘High Hopes’ from ‘The Division Bell’.

‘Dance Of The Pink Elephants’ has a somewhat spooky intro seguéing into pounding drums and funky bass work, whilst the title track has classic ‘Floyd guitar and keyboard tropes throughout.

Things are rounded off nicely with a great cover of ‘Brain Damage’ (replete with manic laughter) which gives Alvarado a chance to exercise his vocal cords to a background of arpeggio guitar and tasty backing vocals.

‘The Changing Tide’ very much stands on its own two feet, but if you like playing ‘Spot The Tune’ they’re all in there somewhere and it’s interesting to drag them to the front of your mind – but plagiarism it most certainly is not.

The best album Pink Floyd will never make. *****

Review by Alan Jones

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Power Plays w/c 9 December 2024

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Featured Albums w/c 9 December 2024

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