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Do you love the blending of various cultures, both in life in general and in music specifically? Did you grow up on bread and Led Zeppelin, nurturing your rock soul over the years, while also harboring a soft spot for world music and exotic instruments?
If your answer is affirmative to both questions, then you will surely be fascinated by the sonic universe of The Tea Party, another wonder coming from the cold lands of Canada. The bravest among you may have managed to finish the link above, and thus have already formed an idea of the talent of these musicians, as well as received a taste of the variety of sounds present in their second (for some, third) full-length, “The Edges of Twilight,” dated 1995. While the excellent debut “Splendor Solis” already hinted at a bright artistic future for the band, it is with this work that the Canadian power-trio reaches the pinnacle of their career.
At the edge of twilight, you will find tonal blends of multiple aromas, ranging from strong Indian and Middle Eastern influences all the way to Celtic tradition, skillfully embedded in a rock context. The hard kind, I mean. You'll feel like you're wandering aimlessly through the labyrinthine alleys of a bazaar, inhaling the fragrances of the East, only to suddenly find yourself catapulted on the side of a mountain, enveloped in its shadow. It is music of impetuous vitality that breathes through the album, a true kaleidoscope of emotions and vibrations. The creative and elaborate riffing is always at the forefront, in constant battle between acoustic seductions and electric roars, between mysticism and darkness, enveloped by rhythms that follow the mood of the elements and are often supported by a percussion fabric of tribal imprint. Over this babble of sounds rises the voice of charismatic singer and guitarist Jeff Martin, deep and theatrical like that of a shaman who invokes the moon, but at the same time can navigate the high notes with rage and power.
The moderate success that The Tea Party achieves in their homeland does not do justice to one of the most inspired and versatile bands of the nineties, which managed to reinterpret the magic of seventies hard rock in a modern key. Despite continuous accolades from music critics and testimonials of admiration from their peers, the band will not break into the international market and will dissolve in 2005.
Lastly, I forgot to mention the special guest Roy Harper, who recites a poem in the closing hidden track. Someone who undoubtedly understands music, not a fool like me.
Tracklist Lyrics and Samples
02 The Bazaar (03:42)
silence swimming in a pool of dreams
beneath its depths the forgotten streams
above, the city of the evening star
behind its walls, the grand bazaar
as she walks through its endless maze
cursing those who mistrust her ways
please my friend no matter what she sees
tell my lover come back to me
doorways spilling out their sombre light
casting shadows that will raid the night
along the alleys of her ruling fears
walk the visions that will cause her tears
lying still as she wills her glance
through the eyes of a charmers trance
please my friend no matter what she sees
tell my lover come back to me
and on the walls
shadows play
twilight souls
anguished ways
lost adrift
severed seas
i await you
come to me
03 Correspondences (07:31)
hope springs to life
charmed by approaching listlessness
hands reaching out
to grasp the open emptiness
leading me down...
and this goodbye
faced with hope and countenance
souls slip away
to bask in glowing radiance
leading me down...
as we run from the sun
and we harbour the lies
and we leave things undone
as we cover our eyes
does it tear you apart my love
does it tear you apart my love
it tears me apart
charmed by this light
this sombre guidance in her eyes
rage would entice
and final moments would arise
leading me down...
does it tear you apart my love
does it tear you apart my love
it tears me apart
05 Silence (02:51)
silent spirit walks before me
with her beauty and with her eyes
heaven help me
i feel i'm fading
i should rest here for a while
in the dreamtime I'm awakened
as my senses seize the night
heaven help me
i'm forsaken
i should rest here for a while
and lie in the bed you've made ophelia
dry are the lips that lost their taste of love
drown in the waters that would give you life
cry as this lamentation thrusts its knife
in silence
in silence
SILENCE
06 Sister Awake (05:45)
when the winter was over
she returned there to find him
and her memories filled her with light
she remembered the beauty
she remembered desires
and her memories filled her with light
i am the sun in the flame
cold from the flame turns away
and in these winds came a change
she awakes...
sister walk through these fields of delight
but I want you to know
desperation's the tenderest trap
so gently you go
what will it take
sister awake
when this beautiful cult of desire
has left you for dead
isolation will cradle the lies
of things left unsaid
what will it take
sister awake
and you'll look to the heavens above
and taste it's deceit
these temptations have blinded desires
to sleep at their feet
what will it take
sister awake
and you'll hear them call out your name
invoking the fates
chances are you've travelled too far
in stirring their hate
what will it take
sister awake
awake
08 Shadows on the Mountainside (03:39)
we are spirits passing through the doors of time
with an invitation heard before we find
shadows on the mountainside
eagles find the souls they hide
and the outcast child enchanted by the sun
will he seek his shelter never knowing one
shadows on the mountainside
eagles find the souls they hide
shadows on the mountainside
cover me with sleep
because I need it now
and the red rivers flow to seas
and she will return to me
and then all that i am is in her hands
and i will return to her and then
I begin
12 Walk With Me (14:14)
tell me lady, shining sun
to feel the warmth that's come undone
do you sleep in sympathy
and if its true
walk with me
all of the while you were here
all of the while you were near
in the twilight the idols speak
and in the twilight you'll always seek
a sentimental forgotten friend
who will always love you until the end
all of the while you were here
all of the while you were near
and now you search for the ideals
you'll find a vice that always heals
the open wounds, the bleeding hearts
yet still they'll say
you're torn apart
all of the while you were here
all of the while you were near
come on lady walk with me
come on lady talk with me
can't you see i'm all alone
this loneliness i can't condone
come on lady hold my hand
take me to your shadowland
sleep awhile in sympathy
come on lady walk with me
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