For those unaware, over the bountiful years The Gardening Club - comprising of Martin Springett and Norm MacPherson - have brought out some impassioned Canterbury-infused progressive rock.

Lest we forget that over just the past couple of years the duo have released two full-length albums in The Riddle and Boy On A Bike, along with a recent EPs The Owl and The Time Trilogy.

Chock full of joyous melodies and interspliced with charmingly improvisational styles and blended elements of jazz, rock, and psychedelia, they are back again with their brand new album, The Blue Door.

1. My Muse and I (Overture)
2. Going North
3. Two Houses
4. The Blue Door
5. The Path Not Taken
6. Winter Snow
7. Mirage
8. The Turning of the Glass
9. I Dream U
10. Long Tailed Flight

This music for summer evenings and Sunday afternoons opens on the translucent instrumental My Muse and I (Overture) and the gently fervent, dare I say Caravan-esque Going North and backs those up seamlessly with the beautifully orchestrated Two Houses, the upbeat prog-pop (complete with blended acoustic/electric guitars) of the title track The Blue Door and then comes the melodic, organic guitar/synth instrumental jam of The Path Not Taken.

Next up is the ornate gossamer of both Winter Snow and the delightfully soft, sweet, Spanish guitar-imbibed tone of Mirage and they themselves are followed by the organized melodies within The Turning of the Glass, the album rounding out on an excellent soprano sax solo within the lush I Dream U, closing on the sterner. Middle Eastern prog rhythms of the instrumental Long Tailed Flight.

Blue Door Session Musicians:
Martin Springett
Kevin Laliberte
Sari Alesh
Drew Briston
Wayne Kozak

For the record (all pun intended), Martin Springett remains the main man in terms of songwriting and vocals, but he also helped create a rather special look for the album cover art - with each song in the CD booklet having its own illustration, nonetheless.

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