by Carol Wright
This lovely album from 1983 continues to be a steady seller for David and Steven Gordon. The basis for Misty Forest Morning are the songs of forest birds and the babbling of streams that the brothers recorded in Sequoia National Forest. Free-form melodies for guitar, flute, and synthesizer keyboards are played in concert with these environmental sounds for a relaxing yet invigorating effect. The mellow nature sounds could have lured the brothers to "mush out" their music, but most of the themes, harmonies, and synthesizer effects are original and quite refreshing. "Floating Meadow" has synth sounds that suggest the imminent arrival of flying saucers. "Waterlilly" features a haunting drone, sloshing water, and plaintive piano musings, like a water bug scooting over the surface.