Eddie Mulder - Dreamcatcher

(CD 2015, 55:56, Oskar 1063 CD)

The tracks:
  1- Barren Lands(5:25)
  2- Symbiosis(3:39)
  3- Feeling Good(3:59)
  4- Forgotten Lines(2:34)
  5- Tenderly(4:11)
  6- Hurry Up!(3:12)
  7- Long Ago(3:36)
  8- Questions(4:16)
  9- Dreamcatcher(4:07)
10- Go With The Flow(3:14)
11- Waves(10:08)
12- Sorrow(3:38)
Bonus tracks:
13- Humble Origin [other version from album
        Skylge's Lair by Leap Day]
(1:42)
14- Wandering [other version from album
        Funfair Fantasy by Trion]
(2:15)

Website      Oskar Productions
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Guitar player Eddie Mulder is a name many readers may be familiar with, but even if you're not there's a good chance that you've heard some of his work. For many years he has been the guitarist in Flamborough Head, one of the leading Dutch progressive rock groups. Furthermore he has also worked with Trion and is nowadays the guitarist in Leap Day. Lately he could even be seen live on stage as the bassist in his former band Flamborough Head. Dreamcatcher is his solo debut which he recorded with the help from keyboardist Edo Spanninga and flutist Margriet Boomsma, (both Flamborough Head), and keyboard players Derk Evert Waalkens and Gerd van Engelenburg (both Leap Day).

The CD starts with an acoustic guitar, romantic keyboards and gentle flute play, which sound symphonic and very beautiful. I'm waiting for the sound of the electric guitar, but it seems that all is gentle, romantic and Tenderly, as the fourth piece is titled. Actually, there's some tender electric guitar on that piece and thinking back there has been more of it, but it doesn't stand out in any soaring way. After all, Mulder's style is often a bit Andy Latimer-like and I don't hear that on this solo album.

And so Dreamcatcher passes by in the background while I'm at work; it really is a good companion. So I press replay, and replay again, but there's little music that endures. I think my highlight is the ten-minute long Waves with Mellotron − or at least something that sounds a lot like a Mellotron − fine tension and finally a soaring guitar towards the end until waves of Mellotron close the piece.

This album contains also two bonus tracks that are actually new versions of tracks by Trion and Leap Day. Both are in the exact same style as the rest of the album and have gotten new titles too. It's all beautiful but please, the next time some more 'bite and crunch'.

***+ Carsten Busch (edited by Peter Willemsen)

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