Using a rather grand/epic platform (once again) Camel returns with Harbour of Tears. A concept record, this is another Camel album dotted with short tracks serving as bumpers between tracks, all telling the story of an Irish family’s split whilst some members chose to go to America to try a better life. It’s a pretty straightforward concept, which helps the record from being bogged down by convoluted plotlines that hurt the flow of the music rather than help it. Though at times the album may look like a lot of effort to get into – mainly the album’s closer may seem like a dauntingly progressive track with its 23:00 minute running time. This, however, is really more or an illusion, as the track itself (musically, anyway) runs for just over eight minutes or so, leaving the remaining time filled with the sounds of rolling waves, some silence, then more waves. Admittedly, this is a relaxing section at the very least, and it does have some bearing on the album’s overall concept. Still, the musical part of the track seems to stop short, leaving this listener feeling a little underwhelmed. On the whole, Camel does another nice job piecing together a concept record, and show why they were no real slouches at it. There are enough entertaining moments here that are able to hold their own ground, without needing the backing of the rest of the record for them to really work. There is a sense of urgency here – I’m not sure if this could lie in the career or personal realm of any of the band members – but with their career started to come to a halt, I was hoping for just a little more out of this one.
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