Recollection Harvest Revivew
Publication: Maelstrom
Reviewer: Avi Shaked

The new instrumental release by America’s veteran prog rockers Djam Karet consists of two sections. The first, Recollection Harvest, might be regarded as a 21st century version of Camel’s The Snow Goose. Like that album from 1975, Recollection Harvest is a mellow effort, unfolding compositions of attractive, melodic beauty. It is slightly meatier, borrowing some crudeness and freedom from King Crimson; but it is still direct in its monophonic, linear lead occurrence, when compared to the band’s New Dark Age (2001). The frontal attack, mostly by the guitars and keyboards, is just about dynamic enough to attract a new audience to progressive rock and maintain the interest of the average progressive rock listener.

And if Recollection Harvest is a modern take on Camel, then the second album on the disc – Indian Summer – is a modern take on Pink Floyd’s early seventies material, resembling The Dark Side of the Moon more and more as it approaches its end. It fuses more electronics into the compositions, and relies heavier on ambience and space, once again absorbing from the related works of Crimson’s Robert Fripp. The textures are detailed, and feature a wide range of rhythmic sounds that accompany the stretching lead guitar, though the music remains somewhat linear.

To sum things up, the new release by Djam Karet features tightly performed and well thought out pieces that derive from the classics. Truthfully, I cannot see its added value over the band’s previous releases, and I would personally love to see the band adding a twist to their music (vocals might be nice for a change, and a challenge as well). Still, it is a quality release, though more adventurous listeners might want to try out the some of the other bands on Cuneiform, such as Ahvak, instead. (7.8/10)