Eye
Vision And The Ageless Light
(The Laser’s Edge)
I’ve kept an eye on Columbus’ psychedelic retro prog group Eye since their solid 2011 debut. Their sound at the time leaned a bit heavier on mellotron melodies and spacey meandering, but they had much more focus than other like-minded bands. Two albums later, and some things have changed: the band members were shuffled around, and the new Eye feels more attuned to classic prog than psych rock (which is a great thing). Vision And The Ageless Light would certainly be enhanced with psychoactive products (don’t do drugs, kids), but for this alcohol-and-two-cigars-a-year guy, Eye’s third album is just fine stone cold sober. They’ve ratcheted up the electronic undercurrent, and the album’s production is much clearer than past efforts. Worry not; Eye are still retro proggers, as this five-track journey still takes you to outer space (and hopefully back), and their sound is just as reminiscent of Pink Floyd, Hawkwind, and ELP. Yet, the guitars are flashier, and everything feels just a tad bit punchier. I hesitate to call it heavy, but for 70s prog, it’s delightfully heavy. As expected, sometimes the journey gets lost in its own spaciness, but looking at how expertly Eye have pulled off a 27-minute closing jam, they are at the top of their songwriting game. Those looking for a perfect retreat into a spacey prog vision quest might find their new favorite band. Eye are back and better than ever, and their sonic vision has never felt more sharp.
