Farpoint - First Light
	Released: 2002 Label: independent Cat. No.: Total Time:
	Reviewed by: Igor Italiani, December 2002 First Light is the self-produced debut by Farpoint, an American five-piece that tries to merge some hints of good old Kansas' sound with a little touch of folk influences. And while this difficult task sometimes falls a little bit short in terms of sound, as the production is unfortunately not top notch (especially regarding drums and electric guitar), I have to admit that the songs displayed here show a lot of interesting and fresh ideas. The first track "Live For Yourself," for example, demonstrates the ability of the band to construct a gentle and poignant structure, which carries on very well for the entire length of the tune. But, as I said before, this is not an isolated episode. In fact, after the intimate "Words Of Pain" (reminiscent of some Blackmore's Night vibe), we encounter another acoustic/electric gem, "Long Slow Journey," where Dana Oxendine (who plays flute and keyboards, too) brilliantly confirms her vocal talent, amidst the excellent support work of the entire band. However the mellow atmosphere never leaves the rest of the record, except maybe for the fast paced "Fade Away," that precedes the most ambitious song of Farpoint, the long and well-conceived "To The River." So this record shows to prog lovers a group with definite talent, five musicians full of capable skills which could be taken even higher with adequate improvements, especially on the production side. Well, let's just hope this happens sometimes soon, as there's always a certain need of "true" bands like this one, even more in these "hyped-by-media" phenomenon times!!! [See also Joshua's review -ed.] More about First Light: Track Listing: Live For Yourself / Words Of Pain / Long Slow Journey / Chinook / Tartans / Circles / Fade Away / To The River / Ex Animo (Shelby's Song) Musicians: Clark Boone -vocals and guitar Kevin Jarvis -guitar, keys, mandolin, and vocals Dana Oxendine - vocals, flute, and keys Frank Tyson - bass, guitar, and vocals Mike Avins - lead guitar Johnathan Rodriguez - Drums Contact: Website: www.farpointband.com/ Note: will open new browser window Discography Just Like You (2000) (2-song ep) First Light (2002) Grace (2003) From Dreaming To Dreaming (2004)
	[Review Index]  [Home]  [Top] © Copyright 2002 ProgressiveWorld.net/Igor Italiani