Reviews

Kaddisfly's second full-length release, Set Sail The Prairie, is an ambitious one…to say the least. It's one of them “concept” albums, simultaneously centered on two ideas: the months of the year and world travel. There are 14 tracks in total, 12 months plus a summer and winter solstice. The 12 months are written in different languages to correspond with the location that each particular song takes place in and the tracks are co-titled with simple monikers, such as “Birds” or “Waves.”
 
So, that's the essential arrangement of Set Sail The Prairie, and the accompanying booklet enforces the concept. Every page is a light tan color one might expect an old map to be drawn upon. Each song is listed as a “journal entry,” and aside from the lyrics, a date, location, and extra notes about the trip are all part of each entry. A scratched drawing of an owl reappears on each page, sometimes with falling leaves, sometimes with a Santa hat, helping to indicate the time of year. The booklet ends with a two-page world map with all of the album's locations pinpointed. What it all adds up to is that the band has put forth a lot of effort to reinforce this idea.
 
It's the music, however, that's central to any album. Kaddisfly has created a long, flowing piece of work in a style that might be best described as progressive rock or experimental, with a touch of a jam band style, though there are some very drastic variations throughout the album that break this form. Tracks like “Clouds” and “Snowflakes,” kick off with heavy guitar riffs more akin to hard rock.
 
The majority of the album, however, is driving melodic rock that would fall somewhere between Coldplay and the faster pace of a band like U2. The instrumentation is set, at points, to match the regions the band is “playing in,” and during some parts—such as the twang and light strings at the end of “Birds,”—it is more noticeable than others.
 
A few songs like “Empire,” get the album moving a bit, but it mostly sticks to a moderate and steady pace. The tracks are fairly diverse for the genre Kaddisfly is working in, with the lounge-piano sound of the “Winter Solstice,” sticking out as a memorable point for the record.
 
Sonically, the band accomplishes a lot with this effort, but ultimately it's too damn ambitious for its own good. Clocking-in at around 70 minutes, it's just too long, even for a patient listener, to sit through for the entirety on numerous occasions. Kaddisfly is very successful in taking the listener for a journey. Unfortunately, it's one of those journeys where the passenger feels as if they've been in the car just a bit too long and the legs start to cramp up. It's a memorable trip, but one that'll have you wishing you'd returned home fifteen minutes sooner.