Featuring classic art rock instrumentation -- trebly Rickenbacker bass, orchestral washes of Mellotron, and staccato guitar lines laid over intricate time changes --
Kayak's debut album is quite simply a lost gem of the genre. From the enervating but impressive stop-time exercise of "Mouldy Wood" to the buzzsaw-bass dirge "Lovely Luna," the band manages to convey virtuosity without lapsing into pompousness; only the irritatingly bombastic Wurlitzer sound on "Mammoth" fails to achieve the standard set by the rest of the album. "Forever is a Lonely Thought" is a particular standout; beginning with bare vocals, it slowly gathers like a thunderstorm into an overwhelmingly powerful anthem. ~ Paul Collins