Last Autumn's Dream was originally a supergroup of sorts, employing three musicians from Scandinavian powerhouse
Europe and
Mikael Erlandsson behind the mic. Wrapped up in some snappy
AOR tunes, it was well received and the band was off to a good start. Then they lost the rhythm section and put out "II" minus those musicians from the big name band and that follow up turned out to be as boring as a rock. Now they have whipped together a third disc with Fair Warning's Andy Malecek on guitars, Jamie Borger on drums and the ever talented Marcel Jacob on bass. Mikael is also back for a third go-round.
"Winter in Paradise" is a burst of pure
AOR. Mikael's voice is so sweet that he sounds like a chick half the time, tapping into his feminine side I suppose. This will either appeal or repel so be prepared. He tends to have a slight whine at times too. He has a strong following in Japan as a solo artist, so is far from an unknown.
Songwise the disc is all across the map.
"My Heart Keeps Stalling" is thoroughly sugar sweet
AOR. It takes the middle road and never becomes great though.
"Echoes From the Past" takes a page out of the book of
Queen ballads. It is copied right down to the vocal harmonies, the "oohs" and "ahhs" plus the gentle touch of guitar so very much like Brian May's work. Could it be a tribute? Perhaps. Pleasant yet strangely succumbs to boredom. Then you have a track like the one the album takes its name from, and all seems right with the world. An explosively huge chorus, filled to the brim with bombast and a rocking uptempo pacing. It pounces out of the speakers with such glee, making it a killer. Much the same can be said for
"Love to Go", a saccharine uptempo slice of super melodic Scandi-
AOR.
"I Don't Want to Hurt You" is another stand out, with some great acoustic passages and a nice lead vocal from Erlandsson. Reminding of a clash between
Street Talk and modern
Def Leppard ballads (from "X" and "Euphoria"), this really pulls it all together.
"Don't Let Your Love Go Down" has a touch of
Pretty Maids in there with nice guitar breaks and keys swirling in audible circles in the backdrop. Some modern touches have been laid on the production giving it a Silver/Frontline touch at times too. Very nice.
"All I Want is Rock N' Roll" a typical Autograph/80s metal-ish anthem is boring filler fodder.
"If You're the One" makes Mikael sound like a whiner.
"Love is the Answer" has a harsher feel than any other song on here has any right to being, with sonically rough guitars. Kind of recalls
Def Leppard's "Retro-active" B-sided material, which wouldn't necessarily be a bad thing. That was a pretty good album of its own, but this wannabe rocker just doesn't have the personality to pull it off.
That's how it goes with
"Winter". There are a handful of songs that turn the head, but they are sandwiched between a slew of tracks that just fall flat or seem to be lacking. Catchy songs perhaps, but either too cliched or unremarkable overall. The keyboards that seem to open nearly each piece in an unusual and multi-layered manner are a treasured delight. You often times get this fabulously strange and inventive opening and then the actual song kicks in and just deflates the whole mood and atmosphere previously built upon.
"Winter in Paradise" is a drastic improvement over the dreadful "II". Yet the band still has a long way to go before becoming a major player in the
AOR scene. There are glimpses of potentially ascending to greatness and Mikael can nail a nice vocal half the time - but he should try and steer away from the whining girly bit. It's not an attractive match to the music. The lovely keyboards are also a plus, its been awhile since I have heard such exquisite and unique synth work. This
Last Autumn's Dream is a mixed bag, recalled halfway fondly, but is far from being a complete nightmare or a total immersion into the perfect dreamstate.
Written by
Alanna Monday, May 29, 2006
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