It is with much excitement that I can review this fine new California band, Mars Hollow.  Recorded in 2009 and just recently released, this self-titled debut is full of all the great things I like about this style of rock: wonderful melodies mixed with complex arrangements, dynamic playing and interplay and really good vocals, sometimes lacking in bands that are this good technically.  Mars Hollow is: John Baker – guitar and lead vocals; Jerry Beller – drums, percussion and vocals; Kerry Chicoine – bass, lead vocals; and Steve Mauk – keyboards and vocals.  You’ll notice that they all contribute vocals and this adds a nice harmony richness to the sound throughout.  Some members came from an Emerson Lake and Palmer tribute band, so you know they have to be good to be in that company, and they are. But this is no sound-alike; their influences are wide-ranging, offering a nice mix to get into and enjoy.  Let’s look at the tracks:

Wait for Me begins with a style that I would call close to Brand X in structure – bordering on jazz/rock fusion with a straight ahead melody line that could be on a later Rush album. The lead vocalists sound to me like a cross between David Pack of Ambrosia and Geddy Lee without the higher register.  The track weaves in and out between a syncopated Gentle Giant –like rhythm and then swirls keyboards right out of Genesis’ Duke with a nod to Hatfield and the North.  The band really cooks, playing together with short solo breaks, and you know right away these guys are good, but they make it sound easy too – it flows from place to place with a smoothness and agility that is challenging and pleasurable at the same time – fabulous!

Midnight starts with an acoustic guitar and piano intro and then develops into a Steely Dan-like jazzy piece with harmony vocals with a recurring chorus that reminds me again of Ambrosia or The Dan in their earlier days.  The catchy chorus will stay in your head for a long time, so be prepared.  The keyboard solo here is right out of the Manfred Mann songbook and sounds new and retro at the same time – very cool, then the track fades away.

Eureka introduces their ELP influence, with a wonderful church organ intro which changes to a recurring piano run and the band hops on board for a real workout.  This track really brings back some great memories of those keyboard-dominant bands of the 70s, like Argent, then it all folds into another syncopated vocal rock song, again with more Rush-style in the mix.  It is catchy and rewarding.   The centerpiece of this track slowly builds up into a really great workout with all the members moving in, then slowing it down and creating a dreamy mood with an undercurrent of tension.  This tension breaks open with some sizzling guitar work and returns to the vocal chorus once again.

If I Were You, a ballad which features a terrific bass solo in the midst of some nice, Steve Hackett-like acoustic/electric guitar work, gives the listener a chance to settle back a bit and just enjoy.  The tempo then changes to reveal the ELP-styled Hammond organ with a nod to some of the workouts on Brain Salad Surgery, moving faster with the guitarist really letting loose with some impressive acrobatics until the end.  Hammond organ is used throughout this record in interesting places – a nice touch that also helps in the nostalgia quotient.  I noticed on the album credits that the Hammond was recorded in a separate studio and I feel that it probably helped give it a unique tone to add dimension to the overall mix.

In Your Hands, another good vocal track that has elements of U.K, The Beatles and again the vocal arrangements of earlier Ambrosia, really captures you.  Listening to this track, like all the others, especially the second time around, gives you a chance to focus on how busy these guys are behind the main vocal melody.  They do not overplay really – they tend to stick with the adage that shorter solos with lots of substance match their style. 

Wild Animal begins with another gentle guitar and piano interplay, but the mood is darker, almost ominous, and you get the sense that it is going to build into something bigger.  After a repeated singular vocal, followed by a repeating group chorus, suddenly the keyboards have a circus motif with a building rhythm, and then it comes back to the original vocal and chorus but finally explodes into a deadly guitar workout, some real shredding going on here with lots of harmonics.

Dawn of Creation, the final track, begins with an eerie, lonely keyboard run, and then the band joins in with the main song, another catchy vocal arrangement, but this turns into something quite a bit more.  The keyboards and guitar really shine and move into modern progressive – IQ and Jadis come to mind – both players performing meaty and interesting solos before returning to the main vocal melody.  Then they get heavier – almost like they wanted to turn up the heat in the studio, and they did.  Power chords and frantic drumming, with a great keyboard run floating over it all, lead you to the end of a really fine album.

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