The new solo album by Lei Gstrein, a so called multi talented musician, is described as an addictive listening adventure. Clearly that does not apply to everyone. I find it hard to keep my attention listening to “Under The Willow Tree”, mostly because of some poor dynamics and the contrast between songs, in both atmosphere and quality.

There are some real gems on the album though. The title track stands out for it’s catchy stripped to the bone beatle-esque part song. Too bad this track only lasts 62 seconds! It’s embedded in two poor compositions that lack power. “This Is The Last Time” sounds flat, almost as if intended. This spoils most of the melody which is in itself quite interesting. I wouldn’t be surprised if Gstrein tried to get close to the 70`s sound. I don’t mind music strongly influenced by the seventies, but one should use modern technology to improve the poverish sound.

Fact is that because of this, my attention drifts away too easily.
One track that immediately catches on is “Into The Wasteland”. Again Gstrein tries to set an atmosphere. He’s more successful with this effort. The soft, slightly mysterious vocals suit the synthesizers perfectly and the vibes add up perfectly. The following track “Wrong Turn, Wrong Town”, is based on the same idea, but here things somehow just don’t work out. This is mainly because Anathema wrote an almost identical song previously and much better (“A Fine Day To Exit”).

In conclusion: “Underneath The Willow Tree” features some excellent tracks, worth alone checking out this album. These tracks are that good, one is inclined to forgive Gstrein for the weaker tracks on the album.