Cailyn - Four Pieces

Cailyn Lloyd or Cailyn for short is about to be one of the most up-and-coming guitarist to come out of not just the Progressive Rock scene, but from the symphonic and virtuoso sounds of the future. And her solo instrumental album, Four Pieces, is a tribute to the classical pieces from Dvorak, Tallis, Barber, and one she had written as well. It is a laid-back and calming sound that is a testament to the atmospheric background of a waves crashing like an explosion going off that is beautiful and makes you feel that this album will take you into different worlds.

From inspirations like; Steve Hackett, David Gilmour, Robert Fripp, and Brian May, Cailyn approach to the orchestral genre is well-structured, harmonic, and spot-on that are set as a soundtrack to the wildlife documentaries that you see on National Geographic and on PBS as well. For example, the opening 13-minute suite, Fantasia, which is based on Fantasia on a Theme, is a moving and touching type of instrumental that has a resemblance of Yes and Queen’s earlier days that lifts with a heavenly angelic vibe.

Meanwhile, Largo, which was influenced and inspired by Dvorak’s New World Symphony, has an emotional bluesy feel. Cailyn uses different ideas on the guitar to come up with a view on renewal and rebirth after the storm and starting a new beginning and a new future that will lay upon them as the drums and keyboard section takes Cailyn’s work into an uplifting level and paying homage to Gilmour with some mellowing and high notes that hit you in the gut that comes out of nowhere.

Adagio, has this New Age and Atmospheric dramatic tempo on dealing with a loss one and mourning them and remembering their days in childhood, marriage, and death. Cailyn just takes it into a spiritual journey as she reaches those notes and goes into a different vibe from one point to another while the tension and vibe is emotional and raw coming at you as both drums and the sound of a grand piano moves like a last dance in 4/4 timing.

Then, its Cailyn’s first composition she wrote called, Nocturne that closes the album. Here, she has heart and soul by writing a wonderful soothing piece that has this mellowing structured boundary. Some of the time, it reminded me of Bo Hansson’s Lord of the Rings in where he plays all the instruments except drums as the sound effects of the ocean, birds chirping, and the vibe of dawn approaching of a way to begin your life around.

She pays homage to the guitarist she admired and also to Pink Floyd, Genesis, Queen, Yes, and I’ve mentioned before the late great Bo Hansson, but Four Pieces is almost the soundtrack to a documentary or animated film that is released at the right time at the right place. Let’s see what she might have up her sleeves in the 2010’s for us.