Rainbow Dome Musick

Album review

Rainbow Dome Musick is too avant-garde to be classified as a new age album and too sleek sounding to fit into any progressive rock subgenres, but no matter how it's categorized, it's an excellent example of Steve Hillage's adeptness and vast musical background. His time spent with Daevid Allen's Gong and their far-out, space-fused grooves has rubbed off on him, as he has channeled his learned musical experimentation into an equally entertaining but more refined style of music. Playing guitar in Soft Machine and working with Kevin Ayers doesn't hurt either, but the 20-plus minutes of both tracks on this album harbor some intelligent and mature-sounding instrumentation thanks to a distinct array of sequencers and percussion. "Garden of Paradise" is a lush, intricately woven melange of guitar, piano, and synthesizer which are all pioneered by Hillage. Giving the track its feel and sustenance are the Tibetan bells and the powerful undertow of Miquette Girandy's double sequencer. The instruments gracefully converge to craft the non-existent paradise in which Hillage has musically created. "Four Ever Rainbow" contains much more rhythm and current thanks to the electric and glissando guitar and the subtle hovering of a harmoniser played by Rupert Atwill. The final result of the culmination of both tracks is a relaxing and pleasantly divergent journey through a sorted spectrum of instruments, making this album one of Steve Hillage's best solo pieces.

© Mike DeGagne /TiVo