Obscure but worthy Swiss band.
The album was released on the 16th of May 1973, op the Splendid Records label. The band were resolutely opposed to any classification of their work. In their own terms: ” Basically, we play the music we love, the genre we feel the most confident within ourselves. ” With more straight rock stylings scattered through its songs, the album brings out an anguished lyrical nucleus around which vocals and guitars create an escapist, dreamy climate.
The musicians’ creativity seems to be constandy stimulated, showcasing their talents and own style to the best advantage. As an attempt to characterize their music, one could speak of a perfect assimilation of the heavy English school made famous by Deep Purple and Uriah Heep, together with the best Anglo- Saxon Progressive Rock, the results sometimes recalling the songs of their Belgian colleagues Waterloo.
The album met with favourable reviews from the French-speaking Swiss press. The band were often compared to such different artists as Nektar (Yet in a less experimental manner…), Fairport Convention or Soft Machine. Even if the critics pointed out, albeit with indulgence, at the lack of maturity of some compositions and the band’s relative lack of experience, they appreciated Country Lane’s artistic qualities and overall freshness, predicting good prospects for them. Sadly, “Substratum” remained the band’s only effort, leaving much promises without realisation.
From http://therockasteria.blogspot.it/2013/07/country-lane-substratum-1973-swiss.html
