Sacramento’s own Tim Morse has been keeping the legacy of Yes alive with his tribute band Parallels, and author of two prog-related books; Yesstories and Classic Rock Stories. As a solo artist, he has touched grounds by taking a step further beyond the symphonic route with his latest album, Soundtracks. Mixing in with psychedelic pop, electronic arrangements, classical orientations, bluegrass, and folk music, Morse has created the imaginative movie inside our minds.
Jay Leek’s sleeve design bears some striking resemblance of Hipgnosis latter years, honouring the late, great Storm Thorgerson of people walking on a beach at the dusk of dawn, reflecting what the day will bring to them. The sitar turned dreamy take of John Lennon’s ‘Mind Games’ has a sombering approach of becoming a better person while the opening track ‘Blueberry Way’ is Tim’s tip of the hat to unsung maestro Harry Nilsson’s lyrical technique and Andrew Gold’s uplifting balladry with a powerful, psychedelia arrangement from his Fraternal Order of the All years.
‘Cityscape’ is a fast-paced electronic ride into the unknown with the hints of Vangelis’ Blade Runner score and a city that’s on the brink of collapse. You feel the pounding beats, the trip-hop effects, rumbling guitars, and joyful synth-birds clearing the dark, grey skies for a new glorious sun-lifting vibration that speaks of Tomita’s legacy.
He returns to the beaches once more with a classical guitar, rain dropping effects, keyboard cellos, and angelic vocals to set up the wonders of slumberland in all of its glory that’s ‘By the River’ before heading into massive, heavy percussion work that takes you into the world of African music and bluegrass with a banjo in hot pursuit to portray its ‘Balance’ in full.
Then Morse reveals his master plan to embark on the fanfare assault on the title-track. You feel as if you’re falling down into the abyss as you hit the waters, going down, down with these kaleidoscopic imagery of your life in its full-form from childhood, pre-teens, teenager, to adulthood. I wouldn’t compare this to Yes, but elements of Banco del Mutuo Soccorso and Van der Graaf Generator that comes to mind between Darwin and Godbluff with its sinister approaches with its complexity that punches you in the stomach with a hardcore punch before swimming up to shore a-la Klaatu style from the Hope album.
‘Deidra’ is Morse’s take on Steve Hackett’s composition ‘After the Ordeal’ from Genesis’ Selling England by the Pound, continuing where the piece had left off before entering into ‘The Cinema Show’. There’s a sense of moving forward, romantic wonders, loss, grievance, and string-orientated structures that pulls you right back in.
Soundtracks is a lovely, beautiful, and strong album with a lot of ammunition that Morse has brought to the table. It never repeats itself. And the way Tim has given on to us, we hope to see more of the adventures to come in the years, weeks, and months ahead of us in the mid-roaring ‘20s.
