Nathan Mahl - The Clever Use of Shadows. 1998 Canada-Ontario

I've always liked Nathan Mahl - or at least the early albums. To this day I think Parallel Eccentricities is one of the hidden gems of the early 80s. After that album it seemed Nathan Mahl were a thing of the past. Which is why I remember being quite pleasantly surprised to hear LeBlanc resurface first with Mahl Dynasty and then again with Nathan Mahl. The Clever Use of Shadows was a great comeback, and due to its relative popularity, Nathan Mahl were to be a fixture of the progressive rock scene throughout the 2000 decade. Like the Odessa album I just commented on, The Clever Use of Shadows is yet another album buried in my collection that I couldn't recall anything about, and yes, it's been about 21 years since I last heard it. But this past week's listen put a smile on my face, and reinforced why I enjoy so much their first 2 albums. The compositions are dense, yet very melodic. It's mostly instrumental, but never showboaty, repetitive, or dull. Not an easy thing to accomplish, considering most instrumental prog is just that. Guy LeBlanc is no longer with us, but his musical legacy will be around for many years to come, as new generations will discover the quality within.

Ownership: CD: 1998 Mahl. Nice jewel case layout with liners from Guy LeBlanc detailing each track.