This album is a collaboration between Californian poet/musician Vine Sweetland and sitarist Rahul Sakyaputra. On Light Shining in the Distance, they are accompanied by 22 musicians. The sound palette includes vocals (spoken and sung), keyboards, guitars (both electric and acoustic), sitar, and an... [+] Expand

This album is a collaboration between Californian poet/musician Vine Sweetland and sitarist Rahul Sakyaputra. On Light Shining in the Distance, they are accompanied by 22 musicians. The sound palette includes vocals (spoken and sung), keyboards, guitars (both electric and acoustic), sitar, and an arsenal of Indian percussion instruments. The album contains one 74-minute piece, a long psychedelic opera which moves from spoken words over drones to rock numbers reminiscent of Aphrodite's Child's 666, with sitar solos and spacey instrumental tunes in between. Some passages are a little sloppy, but the writing is honest and the performers' excitement compensate for a few production mishaps. Still, a piece that long is hard to digest. Since the booklet lists titles for 27 sections, it would have been nice to have the CD indexed accordingly. That said, the fact that there are so many parts to the piece tells how much Vine Sweetland and co. don't indulge in long-winded solos. Ideas follow one another at a pace that will keep your attention sharp. ~ François Couture, All Music Guide [-] Collapse

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