Changeling's Return, a novel approach to the music
Travis Edward Pike
Otherworld Cottage Industries, 2019, 257 pp, pb k
Changeling's Return, a novel musical concept
Travis Edward Pike
Otherworld Cottage Industries, 2019, 18 trks, 53 min CD

INDIE SPOTLIGHT:  NOVEMBER 30, 2020

Musician, composer, storyteller and author Travis Edward Pike is easily akin to a renaissance man, an artist whose series of fantasy adventures and cerebral soundtracks have made him a one man cottage industry. At this point in his career, Pike’s consistency and creativity are well established and each new entry in his similarly themed albums and adventures contribute to the sprawling epic that his imagination has spawned over the course of his remarkably prolific career. With his latest epic, Changeling’s Return, the newest installment of the ongoing adventure yarn, Pike continues to convey his magical tales through a symphonic surge and a cinematic sweep which fully convey the drama and drive to a dazzling degree. Conceived and conveyed as a rock opera of sorts, it has the various characters singing their roles while filling in the arc of the storyline in picturesque detail. The imaginative flourishes and arched expression of the singers and musicians involved make for an audio extravaganza, one that relays the action in vivid detail. To be sure, these aren’t meant as stand-alone songs, but rather part of a continuing thematic arc. Those enthralled by earlier landmark rock operas such as Tommy and Jesus Christ Superstar will find much to admire here, a comparison that ought to position Pike as Andrew Lloyd Weber’s heir apparent in terms of both talent and triumph.
Lee Zimmerman



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