It took Casual Silence almost six years to deliver the follow-up to their 1997 debut album Bad Side Memories. Most songs on the album start out rather basic (you can’t describe Casual Silence’s music as being unnecessary complex) and are enlivened with beautiful breaks and fragile refrains, often with multiple vocal melodies. One of the best tracks on the album is “Foolish Plane”. It has a great bombastic rhythm in addition with fine keyboard play. Although Once In A Blue Moon is a fine record, there are a few weak points on the album. “Dreampath” for one is a track that could have been taken to a higher level. It’s one of the heavier songs and lacks the delicacy and structure of the other tracks. It sounds like a combination of fragmented pieces of music without a clear direction.

The contrast with the following song “Dreamweaver”, a balled, can’t be bigger. This beautiful song lacks the usual clichés and the choice for a female guest vocalist definitely paid off. The final track is the title track. Casual Silence has taken a giant leap forwards. Once In A Blue Moon will definitely do well on the Dutch prog market, but the albums lacks a certain unity, the quality of the songs differs too much to make an international breakthrough. The band has a distinctive sound but lacks one clear direction. And oh, if you like the art work, you should take a look at the excellent homepage http://www.casualsilence.nl.