The Mangoes: Pale Blue Dot

Formed in 2014, Pop-Rock Duo The Mangoes (Tim Morse & Bret Bingham) have reformed after a hiatus to release solo albums. The 8 Tracks that make up Pale Blue Dot (which is listed as an EP) were inspired by the musings of Carl Sagan, which hopes to point out that each of us are just a very small part of something much larger than ourselves.

The spacey instrumental “Suspended in a Sunbeam� opens the CD and quickly transitions into the title track. Opening orchestration leads into a soft melodic song. “Mystery� continues the same type of vibe, atmospheric, yet a bit darker than its predecessors. The production is very direct, and at times a bit lifeless. A nice keyboard solo drifts through the middle of the track, but it transitions to a spoken word narrative that kills the momentum, even with a nice mellotron sound to end the song. “Hypnotized� attempts to add a touch of blues, and “Pale Blue Dot Reprise� is a short passage which features more spoken word narration. An odd choice of a cover song, the disc ends with the Beatles track “Free As A Bird�, but unfortunately it does not offer up anything unique that might help make it more interesting. The album is stuck in a slow to mid-tempo groove, and desperately could use some variety. There are some nice melodies scattered about, and the instrumental keyboard moments shine some light on what is otherwise a mostly drab affair.

Track List:

1. Suspended in a Sunbeam
2. Pale Blue Dot
3. Mystery
4. When The Sky Fell Down
5. Finding The Light
6. Hypnotized!
7. Pale Blue Dot (Reprise)
8. Free As A Bird

Added: October 15th 2021
Reviewer: Eric Porter
Score:
Related Link: Band Website
Hits: 699
Language: english

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