
How much magic does your life regularly contain? If you’ve just shaken your head in disappointment, you may be happy to learn that things need not stay this way, as In Seach Of demonstrates with their wide-eyed concept album “Alice and the Wonderland.”
Lewis Carroll’s 19th-century novel, “Alice in Wonderland,” is one of the immutable global symbols of creativity and imagination. How did Carroll manage such an accomplishment? Well, the easiest way to explain it is that the author managed to let go of his own mind’s eye long enough to create the kind of wild imagery and strange adventures that still shock and inspire until the present day.
Modern artists are particularly touched by the writing. In Search Of has found enough fertile ground to cover that for “Alice and the Wonderland.” The album is, in many ways, a retelling of the novel in modern, theatrical pop-rock form. And while it never sacrifices intellectual themes for pop entertainment, the record covers a lot of ground. It’s Alice as a rock show.



“Intro” sets the scene with a dramatic piece of classical music ending in a blaze of lead guitar solos. This is going to be quite a ride!
“Engagement Party” is built on the same scaffolding. But it also introduces the highly theatric, nimble vocals that first describe the strange world that we will be guided through.
This is an ambitious record with an unmistakable progressive edge to it. Take, for example, “Alice,” a song in which the artists describe their passion for the book and one in which the acoustic guitar strumming is accompanied by lightning-fast leads and a groove that brings to mind, at times, Anatolian folk music.
And, since this is The Wonderland we’re talking about, there’s room for psychedelia as well. “Tea Party” is a colorful synth-driven retelling of the titular character’s bizarre acquaintances, while “Jabberwocky” is opera-rock centered around Carroll’s preposterous beast.
There’s more than a sense that the whole piece isn’t merely designed to be played on speakers in someone’s bedroom. This is music that lends itself to musical theatre. It’s hard not to imagine songs like “The Red Queen,” the playful “Revolt,” or the rocking “Vorpal Sword” being accompanied by thespians enacting the words being sung.
A story like this needs a good ending, of course. This is not a piece of music that acts merely to appeal to your ears. It’s one that plays that need to be displayed in the theater of the mind. The album closer “Farwell” provides listeners with one last look at this mystical world while the lead guitar lines create a satisfying, emotional conclusion.

“Alice and the Wonderland” is meant to be a daring feat of creativity, and the musicians achieve that. And, make no mistake, this is a test of endurance for both the artists and the audience. It’s a 13-song collection constructed in the same way that great prog-rock groups created their oeuvres.
Like those, the real prizes are revealed only to those willing to stake their attention and, just like the musicians who’ve created it, invest their imagination.
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