THE VINTAGE CARAVAN — Arrival (review)

THE VINTAGE CARAVAN — Arrival album cover Album · 2015 · Hard Rock Buy this album from MMA partners
3/5 ·
Nightfly
The Vintage Caravan released their first album in 2009 when the average age of the band was only 15. I've never heard it unfortunately but what I can say is their second album – Voyage released three years later in 2012, when they must have still only been around eighteen, was a pretty mature piece of psych and blues tinged hard rock for such a young band. Not a classic by any stretch but showing a lot of promise for sure.

Forward another three years and their third album Arrival shows improvements in their chops as well as in the songwriting department. It treads the same ground of psychedelic bluesy hard rock with some excellent tracks like the driving Monolith and Sandwalker as well as showing a mellower side on Innerverse. Perhaps best of all is the almost nine minute Winter Queen which after a bombastic opening surprises with a lovely melody but still packing a considerable punch with a tasty guitar solo too. Particularly in view of their young age the band play well and tight but the music does have a pleasing looseness to it redolent of much of the late sixties/seventies era that clearly inspire this band.

What robs the album of greatness is some of the tracks while initially full of bluster don’t leave any great lasting impression, Crazy Horses being a perfect example. Nevertheless, Arrival is a good solid album and this band have time on their side and I can see them going from strength to strength in the future. Their best is surely yet to come.
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Nightfly wrote:
more than 2 years ago
Yes, the covers great. I bought the Vinyl version which of course works well on gatefold sleeves.
adg211288 wrote:
more than 2 years ago
I listened to this one yesterday. I quite liked it, based on first impressions of course. I'd spotted the album last week when in a local HMV and was intrigued by the cover art style.

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