Farpoint - First Light

Year of Release: 2002
Label: independent
Catalog Number: SCM 102
Format: CD
Total Time: 55:08:00

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!!!

Tracklisting:
Live For Yourself (8:04) / Words Of Pain (5:01) / Long Slow Journey (6:52) / Chinook (2:26) / Tartans (5:04) / Circles (6:15) / Fade Away (4:52) / To The River (14:06) / Ex Animo (Shelby's Song) (2:28)

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

Discography:
Just Like You (2-song ep) (2000)
First Light (2002)
Grace (2003)
From Dreaming To Dreaming (2004)
Cold Star Quiet Star (2008)
Kindred (2011)
Water Of Life - Live At The Sumter Opera House (2012)
Paint The Dark (2014)

Genre: Progressive Rock

Origin US

Added: December 15th 2002
Reviewer: Igor Italiani

Artist website: www.farpointband.com
Hits: 2462
Language: english