Some people think that mirrors are the best tool for reflection but, in truth, there is often more in terms of contemplation to be found in the music of a particular time and place. Take, for example, “Notes and Dreams” by Glasgow’s Raveloe and you will get a picture painted of the isolation enforced upon us all in these difficult times.
These five songs are infused with minor key melancholy yet, locked inside that low budget prison cell, is a heart that beats to the drum of a better tomorrow. When I think about it, this isn’t the kind of music that I should like let alone appreciate. After all, I routinely hear horn sections and three part harmonies in my dreams and such joys are not to be found within the mistily lit and minimally decorated walls of “Notes and Dreams” yet, despite these artistic limitations, there is something appealingly primitive and honest about the Raveloe approach that makes it really rather easy to lose yourself in the moment and find yourself unexpectedly transported to those mystical sandy shores.
I am therefore drawn to conclude that “Notes and Dreams” must indeed contain songs that form a soundtrack for our time and, in addition, I must also conclude that Raveloe has a louder voice than any of our many and diverse, but always self-serving, politicians.
Best song? The entrancing “Sunday Service”.
The verdict? Misty mystical.