Pine For Cedars–Debut EP

Pine For Cedars are a relatively new York band, with just a handful of gigs under their belts so far (including two on the same day, in Leeds and York, back in November), yet they have already reached the final of one Battle of the Bands competition (and may have even won it if you are reading this at least a week after I wrote it…) and put together an impressive EP.

First off, a quick word about the packaging, which has a kind of retro, distressed feel. The CD, designed like a mini vinyl LP, comes in a sealed cardboard sleeve. All very neat, until you unseal it by pulling the opening tape, which then leaves it looking a little tatty. The front design is simple yet effective but something about the black ink feels wrong. It has the sort of slick feel of old newsprint and every time I pick the sleeve up I find myself glancing at my fingers, expecting to see them coated in black. Nothing so far, though. The strange thing is that, despite the obvious thought that has gone into the design (I’ve seen other CDs that look like vinyl, but few that look this shiny) there is no sign of a track listing or even anything on the disk itself that refers to the band name. I guess that might be in order to keep costs down and, as the band seem to be giving the EP away at gigs, I’m not going to complain.

The music itself almost defies genre. Love By Numbers opens with a choppy Math-rock sound reminiscent of past-favourites Lost From Atlas, changes to an almost hypnotic guitar line as the vocals start and then manages to incorporate so many time changes that it belies its less than three minute running time. Platform utilises layered vocals over deceptively simple guitars playing off each other with the bass occasionally popping up in their midst. Taking Over is, perhaps, the most user-friendly track and most likely to appeal to the general music fan. Being slightly more generic, with it’s near-pop vocals, it still retains a large amount of inventiveness, not least the lovely tinny guitar interlude with continues on into the latter section of the track. The EP ends with Life, a wonderfully chilled-out track which returns to the hypnotic sound in evidence at the beginning of the disk and reminding me a lot of Angelo Badalamenti’s music for the Twin Peaks TV series. At times during this track, there is an effect on the vocals that make them sound as though they are coming from a distance, or maybe from inside a tunnel, but that only adds to the charm, rather than being a distraction. Throughout the EP drums and bass provide a solid backing for the tracks without being intrusive while just occasionally coming to the fore enough to be noticed in their own right.

For anybody whose appetite has been whetted, the EP be heard on SoundCloud.

This is a nice debut with good production values – there is no clue as to whether the EP has been recorded in a professional studio or with a home set-up – and while the music is enjoyable enough that I will definitely be investing in any future full-length release, I can’t help but think that Pine For Cedars are a band that need to be seen live to get the full effect.

Track Listing:

1. Love By Numbers

2.Platform

3. Taking Over

4. Life

Musicians:

Rob Lettice – Vocals, guitar

Mike Fong – Guitar

Shane Hunter – Bass

Jamie Bradley – Drums

2012 In Review–Part 1, The Albums

Ignoring compilation albums that came free with Prog magazine, I added fifty-three albums and three EPs to my collection in 2012. With the apparent demise of the three-for-£10 offer from play.com, there was less opportunity for me to buy older releases. In fact, all but one of the albums that are over ten years old were bought for me as Christmas or birthday presents, while the vast majority of my own purchases were made at gigs.

The year saw me buy full back catalogues from Touchstone (four albums) and DeeExpus (two) and debut albums from theFALLEN, Pelico, Riversea, Natalia Safran (an artist I supported during my brief dalliance with Sellaband), SKAM and Stolen Earth. New releases from the likes of Panic Room, The Reasoning, Hope & Social, Muse and Mostly Autumn were added to already full collections, while I started sections for, amongst others, such established bands as District 97, Curved Air, Manning, Big Big Train, It Bites and Aynsley Lister.

Of the fifty-three, only twenty-nine were released in 2012 and,of them, three were live albums, three were compilations of acoustic re-workings of previously released songs and one was a compilation of local bands put together to raise money for charity. So, by my own rules, my top ten of 2012 is being chosen from just twenty-two albums.

As usual, I would like to point out that the following countdown is based on how an album makes me feel, not necessarily technical or creative merit. When putting it together, I don’t compare new releases with previous albums by the same band (for example, to see whether it shows any progression in style). I also freely admit that my purchases this year don’t include some “big” releases that have shown up in many other top ten lists.

Before the top ten, a quick note about a handful of albums that didn’t quite make it. I only got The 2nd Law (Muse) and All The Wars (The Pineapple Thief) for Christmas and have only listened to each of them once. I suspect that, had I listened to them more, both would have appeared in the ten, but I feel that I need to get this written while we are still in January. One album that seems to be a favourite with quite a few people is District 97’s Trouble With Machines. This is another one that I only got in December and while I have listened to it enough times for it to start growing on me, I still find that the vocals (by Leslie Hunt, ex-American Idol contestant) don’t quite fit with the music. Again, repeated listens might eventually move the album up my “chart” but, at present, it can be seen as number eleven.

…and so to the top ten:

10: Last Of A Dyin’ Breed (Lynyrd Skynyrd)

I’m almost ashamed to admit that this is the only representative of this band in my collection (apart from a two disc “Best Of”). I bought it on-spec as one of those Classic Rock magazine fan-packs and, obviously, as a studio album from any version of the band, I have nothing to compare it against. On its own merits it’s a foot-stomping slice of Southern U.S. flavoured rock whose style is instantly recognisable from the back catalogue songs known by everybody. It even includes a new version of Gimme Three Steps. It may not be classic Skynyrd (but that doesn’t matter, see the caveat above) but it is the best pure rock album I bought this year.

9: Journey To The Centre Of The Earth (Rick Wakeman)

This is actually a re-recording, with extra bits added due to the increased storage available on CD (compared to the original vinyl release) but I’m treating it as a new release because I like it so much. Similar to Jeff Wayne’s War Of The Worlds, but with the story being told in song and music, with narration rather than acted parts, this release overcomes its faintly nostalgic cheesiness to deliver an excellent orchestral progressive rock concept album which is, apparently, the version that the keyboard wizard originally envisaged. It gets extra points for the fact that my ten-year-old daughter has specifically asked me to play it on a couple of occasions.

8: XXX (Asia)

I have been a fan of Asia since Tommy Vance gave over the whole of one edition of his Friday Rock Show to the release of their debut album back in the eighties. This one, commemorating the band’s thirtieth anniversary, is arguably the strongest of the three albums released since the original “supergroup” line-up got back together. There’s nothing particularly new here but John Wetton’s vocals are once again strong, while the music retains its mix of not-quite-prog and not-quite-AOR to produce something that belongs in stadia, rather than the more modest venues the band now find themselves playing in across the UK.

7: Clockwork Angels (Rush)

Rush are pretty much the band that got me into music back when I was in school, but I went off them with the release of Moving Pictures (and I still don’t hold it in the high regard that most fans seem to). While I have picked up a few later albums since, I’ve always preferred when they mixed music with science fiction ideas to produce such mini-concepts as 2112, Cygnus X-1 and Hemispheres, as well as the likes of Xanadu and By-Tor And The Snow Dog. This is the band’s nineteenth studio album and their first full concept album (previous concepts filled one side of vinyl releases) set in a steampunk world ruled over by the Watchmaker. Once more mixing music with science fiction, it is more reminiscent of early Rush to me and, therefore, it was almost inevitably going to make my top ten.

6: Out Of An Ancient World (Riversea)

This album took Marc Atkinson (guitar and vocals) and Brendan Eyre (keyboards) nearly five years to complete and eventually came to include guest spots from a veritable who’s who of past friends and associates. It’s a much more introverted and gentler release than most prog rock albums, giving it a slightly more grounded feel. In fact, even though it is being covered by various prog magazines and websites, there might be an argument that it doesn’t properly fit into the genre. Marc’s fantastically emotive vocals are used to tackle such subjects as old age and what people will do for their God, while I seem to hear something new in the music every time I listen to the album. Some of the guest artistes might, arguably, be better known than Marc and Brendan but, even with their involvement, this comes across as a very personal album.

5: SKIN (Panic Room)

If I’m honest, I expected this album to be higher up the list. Panic Room are one of my favourite current bands and their first two albums are brilliant. There’s nothing wrong with this one, the first since signing to Cherry Red Records, but, for me, there’s nothing stand-out about it. It lacks the instant appeal of the previous releases and, while I often fins snatches of songs from those albums floating around my head, when I re-played SKIN recently, I found that I had no recollection of what was on it. Having said that, when hearing it again, I enjoyed it. There does seem to have been some progress made from the earlier releases, it’s just that the result isn’t quite a memorable.

4: English Electric Part 1 (Big Big Train)

I only discovered Big Big Train this year, when members of the Facebook group Thursday Night Is Music Night (a great place to hang out but one that I can see costing me lots of money…) started plugging their last album, The Underfall Yard. My first impression was that they were reminiscent of Genesis (primarily in the vocals but also, if in a lesser way, musically) which is, in my opinion, no bad thing. English Electric shows the same influence and is, for me, incredibly easy to listen to.

3: A Far Cry From Home (Stolen Earth)

When Breathing Space fell apart, most of the members stayed together to form Stolen Earth. A Far Cry From Home was released after over a year of playing live, both as a headline and support act, and building a fan base and it seemed to catch people a bit by surprise. I’m not sure why, I would have thought that most people who initially bought the album would have known the songs from the live set and knew how talented the songwriters and musicians were. Maybe it was the very clean production of the album, which mixes powerful yet soulful vocals with great music. At times Adam Dawson seems to be channelling David Gilmour, at others Heidi Widdop’s low whistle adds an almost mournful tone. Highlights are Perfect Wave and the full band versions of Adam’s previous solo releases Silver Skies and Mirror Mirror. The one bit I still can’t bring myself to like is the effect that, the first time I played the album, made me think my CD player had packed up.

2: Adventures In Neverland (The Reasoning)

For a while, this album held the number one spot in my top ten. It has been suggested by some that it adds nothing new to The Reasoning. I would argue against that. With the (slightly acrimonious?) departure of Dylan Thompson, the distinctive male vocals parts have gone but the backing vocals, provided by the whole band, combine brilliantly with the gorgeous, near-classical voice of Rachel Cohen. Musically, this is my favourite Reasoning album. Songs such as Hyperdrive and Forest Of Hands And Teeth are favourites while Omega Point sees the band encroaching on Muse territory (if only in thematic terms) with a song about the end of the universe and the title track is simply stunning. An excellent release which sees The Reasoning bouncing back from some harrowing times.

1: Weather Systems (Anathema)

This year’s winner by a country mile. I only have one other album by Anathema – last year’s Falling Deeper, which contains mostly instrumental re-workings of songs from their back catalogue. Not finding that one particularly inspiring, I wasn’t sure what to expect from Weather Systems. Others have said that it isn’t as good as the band’s previous studio album, that it is a “lite” version of that album and that it comes in from an era when it is “cool” to like the band. I can’t comment on any of that but I can say that there hasn’t been any album before that has affected me in the way this one has. There have been albums that I have played every day for up to a week after the first play. I got Weather Systems for my birthday in early December and have pretty much played it every day since then. It is atmospheric, it is powerful, it is gentle and it is emotional. The incredible monologue about a near death experience which is wrapped around and through Internal Landscapes rarely fails to bring a lump to my throat. The vocals, particularly those from Lee Douglas, are stunning and the music is about as perfectly formed as I think you can get. This may not be as good an album as the previous one, but I heard this one first and, while I have every intention of buying We’re Here Because We’re Here, I suspect I will always prefer Weather Systems simply because I heard it first.

CD Review: Best Of York

Thursday 3rd May: “Best of”… Perhaps the most subjective phrase that can ever be used on an album title. I remember, many years ago when I was first getting into music, pointing out to an established music fan just a couple of years older than me, that I had seen a “Best of…” album (the band escapes me) being advertised. His response was along the lines of, “You’d be better off putting a tape together of your own favourite songs from the band.” In most cases, “Best of…” translates to “most well known” or, perhaps, “most commercial”, usually with a couple of new tracks thrown in to entice the completist into making a purchase. (Although, in these days of individual track downloads, the latter is probably becoming less effective.)

To put together an album to represent, musically, the “Best of…” an entire city, even one just the size of York, is a brave thing to do. But it’s exactly what Connor Devine did as part of his BA music production course, setting out to raise a bit of money for charity as well. I first saw an advert, on Facebook, asking for interested acts to get in touch with Connor last year and I’m not sure how widely the call went out. The album itself has a nice variety of artists, covering a few genres, but is, perhaps, more representative of the smaller and, in most cases, more mainstream bands of the local music scene. By that, I mean that long-established, even if not known to the wider public, acts are conspicuous by their absence. There’s no Mostly Autumn, Shed Seven, One Night Only, or Elliot Minor and the extreme metal of the likes of RSJ probably wouldn’t sit too well alongside most of the tracks.

What you do get are is a sample of some of the younger, less established bands who, for the most part, play the support-slot, pub and festival circuits, along with a few who are beginning to move towards local headline slots and maybe one or two who have gone just a little bit further.

If I’m honest, some of the bands on the CD aren’t quite as well served by their tracks than others. Echo Dynamo’s Blame, a catchy indie-pop song, suffers a little from vocals swamped by the music but In Spades’ energetic Ghost In The Mirror sounds very poor (a shame since, while freely admitting that music is just a hobby and that he has no desire to try to “make it big”, frontman Stewart King works hard to get people to attend his gigs and, I suspect, saw this CD as a platform to get a bit more exposure, as a lot of the bands will have). Katie And The Questions are represented by Perfect Life, a song which evokes 60’s pop while including a grinding guitar riff and atmospheric keyboards but the vocals are nowhere near as good as when it was performed live at the launch gig. Despite that it’s still the most effective “earworm” on the album. Even Vicki Mack, usually superb vocally when performing live, seems to struggle in a few places during Dream Of Apollo’s Regrets Of The Devil which, with it’s steely guitar, moody bass and complex structure is one of that band’s most impressive songs. I have no insight into the recording process, so it might simply be that a lack of time meant that these tracks are a little less polished than the others but, despite their faults, they are excellent representations of the bands in question.

Of the other bands that I am already familiar with, the folk pop of Pelico’s is a pleasant surprise – when we saw them support Hope & Social a while back, hardly anybody was listening and the band seemed to fade into the background. At the time, I commented that they would probably be more suited to a smaller, more intimate venue and, if anything, Who You Are, with its jangly guitar, jaunty drum-line and clear vocals shows that they deserved more attention. There’s more folk, of a slightly more traditional flavour, in Until The Dawn, from Suzy Bradley And The Morning After. Along with Suzy’s lovely voice, the unique make-up of this band has provided a nice sound when I’ve seen them live. Unfortunately, I think the choice of song for the album is slightly suspect, if only for the fact that David Martin’s electric guitar is hard to pick out. Boss Caine (Dan Lucas/GT Turbo) opens the album with Ghosts And Drunks, another interesting choice as (I believe) it is the only song from his repertoire that was written by somebody else, in this case Scarborough’s Joe Solo. What that say’s about Dan’s confidence in his own output can only be speculation but it is a cracking song in it’s own right and is still very representative of the Boss Caine sound. I hadn’t heard of What The Cat Dragged in before this album was put together but I’ve said elsewhere how much they impressed me during the launch gig. They sound like a mix of The Cure and an archetypal 1920’s cabaret and their act is a mixture of darkness and burlesque (in the word’s true sense rather than the theatrical) and Emily Lies, a distinctly unstructured song with lots of style changes, is another good representation.

With the exception of In Spades, the second half of the album comprises the bands that I don’t know and, so, serves it’s purpose as a sampler. Club Smith appear to be the (arguably) biggest name on the album. I have a feeling that we saw them live a couple of times back in 2008, in a previous guise of The Hair. If anything their track, Causing Doubt – sounding exactly as you would expect from a band who have supported the likes of The Pigeon Detectives – has the best sound on the album (and is the only track not to have its recording details listed). Testtone3 are one of the more “different” sounds – Free Ride Home starts off slightly atmospheric before launching into a high-energy rock/electronica style. Stress Fracture, from Verona Fault Line, is as close to the album gets to having a “heavy” track and impresses with its distinctive drum-line and taut vocals, while Rocketsmith’s The Missing is another song recorded outside of the project itself and, again, seems to have a cleaner sound. The song tells of the effects of somebody going missing on those around him and, if anything, its energetic indie sound is almost (only almost, mind) too light for the subject. The album ends with Riff Clichards, more high-energy from Chaos In Verse, with a somewhat familiar sounding, yet elusive, opening riff.

Of the thirteen bands on the album, I have already seen seven play live (and two of them I already class as favourite acts, with a third potentially heading that way). Of the remaining six, there aren’t any that I would avoid, even if I wouldn’t necessarily buy albums from all of them. This album does have a few faults but, overall, I think it is a great (and cheap) way to sample some of York’s musical talent. Connor Devine should be applauded for his efforts

The Best Of York album is available from iTunes, www.bestofyorkalbum.com or from Rebound Records (Gillygate, York). All proceeds go to MacMillan’s Cancer Support.

2011 In Review–Part 3, The CDs

Friday 13th January: OK, I’m probably not in the best position to put this part of my year in review together but if I don’t do it now I’m probably never going to get round to it. So, here goes…

During 2011 I added eighty-two albums and five EPs/Singles to my CD collection.

Starting with the EPs/Singles, I’ll be honest and admit that I’m not really a fan of either format. To me, both seem to be a waste of time – you’ve no sooner put them into the CD player and pressed play than you have to go back and do it all again. (Yes, I still play most of my music through a CD player – I guess if I used MP3, EPs and singles would work better for me.) Anyway, two of the five were freebies. One was a Judy Dyble sampler which came with an issue of Prog, the other a copy of Morpheus Rising’s Fighting Man single, which the band were giving away during Graeme Tennick’s farewell gig. Of the others, I bought Differences of Light (Also Eden) as part of a bundle offer of all their recorded material and, at nearly twenty-five minutes long, you don’t have to revisit the CD player quite as quickly as some others. Altitude (Panic Room), I bought more or less for completeness sake and was a little disappointed by it as it only really contains one track, the cover of ELP’s Bitches Crystal, that I didn’t already have in other. The animated video for Satellite is quite impressive but, obviously, has to be played on a computer. On the other hand, I put off buying The Phoenix Suite (Heather Findlay) until it was available from Play, having heard less than brilliant reviews of it. It didn’t grab me when I first listened to it but while re-listening in preparation for seeing the live performance it really did start to grown on me.

I won’t bore you with a full breakdown of the eighty-two albums that I bought (or had bought for me). Even discounting the ten that were given away free with Prog, it’s more than I expected to buy and I haven’t had a chance to listen to a lot of them yet. I did take advantage of cheap deals from Play to start working on back catalogues of 70s prog bands such as Camel, Caravan, The Strawbs, Uriah Heep and King Crimson as well as more modern prog from Dream Theater, Opeth and Porcupine Tree and straight rock from Foreigner, Alter Bridge and Wolfmother. I also carried on my tradition of spending money to support bands that I saw live, buying albums from local bands such as Glass and Two, as well as those from touring bands like Vega, The Crave, Jeniferever, Also Eden, Amplifier and The Pineapple Thief.

Ignoring the free albums, twenty-four of my new albums were actually released during 2011 and, as is the tradition I have tried to pick my favourites from them. Firstly a few words about my criteria. I have listened to all twenty-four at least once and I have tried to rank them in order. It’s impossible – some of them are so different to others that it would depend on my state of mind while listening to them as to whether one was better than another. Similarly, my choice of favourites might change from one day to the next. Also, I very carefully chose the word “favourites” – these aren’t necessarily the best albums that I bought (I’m certainly not qualified to judge a CD based on the production or writing), but they are the ones that, as I look at the list, jump out as ones that I would l listen to right now if I had the time. With repeated listening to some of the others, that list might change over time. This might also explain why some albums which feature highly in other people’s top ten lists don’t even make an appearance in mine. Anyway, enough preamble, without further ado here are my favourite ten albums (in alphabetical rather than any other order…)

The Octopus (Amplifier):

This is a monster of an album – a double CD of proggy goodness, a concept album (but I rarely “get” concepts) that is choc-full of interesting and, at times, sublime music. It took me a couple of listens to get into but, eventually, was worth the effort.

 

Tao Of The Dead (…And You Will Know Us By The Trail Of Dead):

This was pretty much an impulse purchase, based on a review in Prog and the fact that I thought there was a free graphic novel with it. Sadly that turned out not to be the case with the version that I ended up buying. The music, however, is quite brilliant – prog tinged with a little punk and, in one small section, something unmistakably “indie”. It’s not the easiest of listening experiences but it is powerful and, with its repeating themes, ends up being quite memorable if not catchy. Worth listening to for the epic, sixteen-minute final track, if for nothing else.

Mylo Xyloto (Coldplay):

Coldplay are one of the few non-prog bands that I am guaranteed to buy a new release from and their latest is, for me, a return to form after the disappointing Viva La Vida. This one is definitely catchy and, with few tracks lasting over four minutes, nothing one it outstays its welcome. I liked this album from the first play and it is one of the few from this year’s releases that I can get away with playing while Debbie is in the room. Perhaps the only weak spot is the collaboration with Rhianna.

Live At The Cafe 68 (Heather Findlay and Chris Johnson):

This is a recording of a special, acoustic live gig that Heather and Chris played in front of just a couple of handful of lucky ticket-holders. Sadly I wasn’t one of them although, if I had known how good the recording was going to sound, I might have made more of an effort to get hold of a ticket. Comprising track from Heather’s solo EP, Mostly Autumn’s back catalogue and Parade (now Halo Blind) along with others, it’s an extremely nice album which is enhanced by the stories told to introduce some of the songs. Easily the best of the three live albums I bought this year.

Sleep Sound (Hope & Social):

The third album from one of my favourite live bands is another return to form. Also, being released on the “pay what you want” basis, it can represent superb value for money. Once again, Hope & Social push the boundaries of self-recording/release, this time by including a full choir on the opening track. Sleep Sound is full of great songs that you just can’t help singing along to and that manage to run the gamut of emotions while you are listening to them.

Eclipse (Journey):

Apart from a Best Of album, this is the first thing I have bought by Journey and, in my opinion, most of it is better than a lot of the “Best Of”. Yes, everybody knows Don’t Stop Believin’ but this album’s opener. City Of Hope, is head and shoulders above that anthem. There’s an energy to Eclipse that makes the album seem to erupt to the speakers. A definite must-buy for fans of AOR, as well as air-guitarists and air-drummers everywhere.

Sangreal (Mandalaband):

Telling the story of the Holy Grail as it travels across Europe after being used by Christ at the Last Supper, this is a suitably grand and epic album which might easily be the soundtrack from a stage musical. Full of pomp, wonder and theatrics it sometimes hovers on just the right side of cheesy but ultimately it is superbly written and features not only great music but some fantastic vocal performances.

 

Like No Other (Chantel McGregor):

Chantel is another live favourite and I have been looking forward to this album since she announced she was working on it. It ended up being not quite what I expected and is, perhaps, a more commercial album than the solely Blues/rock album release I suspect most fans were expecting. Opening with the pop-diva Fabulous could be seen as a brave move but the inclusion of a stripped-down, acoustic version of Rhiannon and a superb rendition of Daydream was inspired. Original songs easily stand alongside those and even the, for me, uninspired Cat Song can’t take away the fact that this is one of the best debut albums I have come across.

Let The Sleeper Awake (Morpheus Rising):

Let’s face it, this release had very little chance of disappointing me. Not just one of my favourite live bands but my favourite York band (at the moment), Morpheus Rising survived the departure of vocalist Graeme Tennick and his replacement with Simon Wright to produce one of the best heavy metal albums I have heard in a long time. I sometimes worry that people think I “big up” certain bands in my live reviews because I have got to know the members. I don’t and in the case of Morpheus Rising they have never failed to impress me and have continued to do so with this album, which may have single-handedly revived my interest in a genre that I have barely listened to for some time.

The Unforgiving (Within Temptation):

I’ll admit to a little reticence before I first played this album. I had bought a couple of prior releases on the recommendation of a friend and they hadn’t grabbed me, to the point where I wasn’t actually certain why I bought this one when it came out. After leaving it on a shelf for a few months I finally gave it a play and was more than impressed. It’s a bit more mainstream rock than the others I had listened to and a little less dark than I remembered them. It’s a mark of how good it is that, after the first listen I immediately put it on again.

So, there you have today’s rather varied top ten. On another day it might include Steven Wilson’s Grace For Drowning, another album I worried about listening to when I started reading reviews saying that it was dense and inaccessible but which I found quite easy to get into during its only play so far. Or, perhaps, Anathema’s Falling Deeper, mostly instrumental re-workings of some of their back catalogue, which is pleasant enough but which I don’t know enough about to appreciate properly yet. Also bubbling under would by the newest releases from Whitesnake (Forevermore) and Yes (Fly From Here), while the new album from returning veteran Stevie Nicks (In Your Dreams) is unlikely to ever make my top ten – not that it’s bad, it’s just not that good. For completeness, the 2011 releases that I haven’t yet mentioned are: Think Of The Children (Also Eden), Breaking The Silence (The Crave), A Treasure Of Well Set Jewels (Liam Davison), Gown (Jo Hamilton – probably my least favourite of the year), Silesia (Jeniferever), Still Beautiful: Live 2011 (Mostly Autumn), Heritage (Opeth), Live In The U.S.A: The Bottle Of Gettysburg (The Reasoning), and Siren’s Song (The Union)

CD Review: Esther O’Connor

Tuesday 12th July: A few years ago my first dalliance with social networking involved me signing up for a MySpace account. I didn’t do too much with it (except check out bands to see whether they were worth going to see and print off flyers to get in cheaply). For quite a while “Tom” was my only friend and it wasn’t too long before a colleague told me that I was too old for that site and that I should, in fact, be using Facebook. Eventually, though, a rather attractive red-head got in touch.

It’s probably not what you think (although I still have the account and I do occasionally get those type of messages as well…) This was Esther O’Connor, getting in touch, as some musicians are wont to do, with people who might like her music, to tout her albums and get people to sign up to her mailing list. I’m fairly certain I responded (although I can find no evidence of having done so) and, having listened to some samples, told her that I had added the albums to my “to buy” list. Then, rather rudely, I completely forgot about them. In my defence, there are rather a lot of albums on that list and I only maintain it mentally. A few days ago another message came through – with a third album in the offing – this one to be released under the name of Ashton Lane -  Esther was offering the previous two at just £5 each. Well, I’m rarely one to turn down a bargain, especially when comparisons are being made with Stevie Nicks.

The Place Where We Are was self-released in 2003, after an EMI deal fell through and my copy is by-lined simply “Esther” and vocals are attributed to Esther Duffin. (Esther is the daughter of Wet, Wet, Wet guitarist Graeme Duffin and most of the songs on both albums are co-written with him and producer Sandy Jones). I’m afraid that I don’t get the Stevie Nicks comparisons – there’s none of the trademark warble in Esther’s voice. I can hear, in some songs, the quirkiness that I associate with Tori Amos (what little I know of her) and there’s a hint of Meredith Brooks in the likes of Bring It On, Move On and Nirvana Man. What you do get, though, is a richly emotive voice which is used to great effect in a variety of styles. The beautiful simplicity of the title track melds superbly with the slightly more complex and no less entrancing Piano Girl, while Fragile State shows that you can do rock without necessarily needing power and Driftwood And Dreams shows that you can do powerful without resorting to rock. For the most part, this is a chilled out album – quiet and almost introspective with mostly acoustic guitar or piano-led songs, the best of which is Beautiful. Tracks such as What’s A Girl To Do and Clear And Blue raise the tempo slightly, but even the electric guitars of the latter are somehow subdued, allowing the vocals to shine. In Too Deep and I’ll Be Yours veer away from the sweetness and light by incorporating a kind of discordance that somehow still works, while Sailing Solar Wind ends the album on a lovely relaxed note. I have to admit that, now that I’ve listened to it a few times, this album is growing on me. Even Remote Life, my least favourite track on the album, makes the geek in me smile with its reference to The Matrix.

On the other hand, 2006’s Right Here bursts into life from the first note of the title track. The addition of flute and violin gives some tracks slightly more of a Celtic feel and the increased use of electric guitar makes the album seem a bit more pop-rock and a lot more up-beat. Hold On feels particularly folky with, I believe, the first use of a cajongo (I had to look it up) in my CD collection. There’s something really familiar about Saturday Man - I can’t put my finger on exactly what – and the Meredith Brooks comparisons resurface during the rockier All Right, Right Now, which contains some very nice guitar work from husband Tim, who also plays on four other tracks. Things quieten down as Honesty almost sees a return to the quiet style of most of the debut album, but still manages to give the impression of a fuller sound, before Yesterday’s Too Late and Out On The Water explode the album back into a catchy pop-rock style, The latter is one of my favourite tracks on the album, with its vocal harmonies reminding me a little of (Canadian trio) Shaye while showcasing Graeme McGeoch’s lovely violin playing. Chasing Rainbows contains a nice guitar riff among its melange of styles and is this album’s “discordant-but-works” track. Hope returns to the folky feel, with more cajongo and lots of violin providing a suitable backing to Esther’s gorgeous vocals while Tomorrow’s City, my favourite track, has a fascinating atmospheric sound thanks to both keyboards and the vocal mix. Like the previous album, Right Here is rounded off in a relaxed tone, this time with the all-too-brief You.

Overall, two very nice additions to my collection. It’s probably obvious from the above that I prefer the second album, which has a fuller sound overall. If the increase in quality continues, the third album will definitely be worth looking out for.

CD Review: Chantel McGregor–Like No Other

Thursday 28th April: It sounds like the sort of 5-point plan that a lot of bands/artists will have:

1. Play gigs in pubs to get noticed by the public. Maybe try to get a few support slots.
2. Get on stage with one or two of my heroes, widen the fanbase.
3. Move on to headline slots at ticketed venues.
4. Break into mainland Europe and get some radio airplay.
5. Write and release a superb debut album that deserves the sort of wider recognition that more established bands get.

(I know, I’ve merged a couple of steps together to bring it down to five, but it’s my review…)

I doubt, however, that many have completed the plan in what seems as little time as Chantel McGregor, whose album Like No Other, was released just a couple of weeks ago. It’s actually three years since I first saw Chantel live (and was blown away by what turned out to be the soundcheck), but it seems a lot less and it I’ve been eagerly awaiting the album since it was first mentioned, with the feeling that it would have the potential to be my favourite album of whatever year it was actually released in. So, does it live up to my expectations?

Opening with a sort of heavy riff, Fabulous soon defies expectation by adding electronic effects and bursting into life as a Pop-rock song about living for the weekend that wouldn’t feel out of place on a release by the likes of Cheryl Cole. As somebody who has touted Chantel as a Blues/Rock artiste to people who are “serious” music fans, I can’t help but think it’s not the track to open the album with, if only because I don’t think some of those people would be put off by it. Personally, I’ve grown to like it more and more. It’s catchy, the electronics aren’t too intrusive and Chantel’s guitar work is always going to raise it above the level of any average pop song.

I’m No Good For You also opens with a riff, this time a Delta blues one that starts off sounding as though it’s been lifted directly from vinyl before emerging as a much cleaner sound. This is more like what I was expecting. Livingstone Brown’s bass is stunning, Chantel’s different guitar lines are brilliantly overlayed on top of each other and her voice is pure emotion.

Like No Other shows another of Chantel’s influences. After a slow, beautifully sung beginning, it blossoms into something very like Fleetwood Mac. You can almost hear Stevie Nicks singing the lyrics. It’s a very laid-back song with a brilliant instrumental middle-section.

Freefalling is one of only two of the original songs on the album that I had heard before. It has been tweaked a bit since the version I remember hearing live and takes the album back into slightly heavier, rockier territory. As far as I can tell, there’s no tweaking on the vocals, showing that Chantel can sing with power when required and it’s perhaps this track that shows Chris Taggart’s drums at their best. It’s a great song live, retains its power in the recorded version and, once again, has a superb instrumental section mixing screaming guitar with a very nice riff.

Rhiannon is the first of three covers on the album. It’s a dreamy, stripped-down version of the Fleetwood Mac original, using acoustic guitar and cello as a perfect backdrop to Chantel’s lovely vocals to produce a version which I’m beginning to think is better than the original. I really hope we get to hear this version live some day.

Chantel’s album blog mentioned sitars and it’s Caught Out that opens with their sound (albeit electronically reproduced, I think, as their is no credit for them on the album), giving the song a hint of Eastern mysticism, merged with traditional rock. Once again, the guitar work is superb, although that should go without saying, and there is a nice change of pace towards the end of the song.

Robin Trower’s Daydream is a favourite of mine from Chantel’s live set. I don’t know the original at all (and really must seek it out one day) but her version has captivated me from the first time I heard it, so it is a welcome addition to the album. Clocking in at over thirteen minutes, of which much more than half is instrumental, it showcases just how exceptional a guitar-player Chantel is. Listening to it, you can visualise her fingers flying along the frets as the playing flits between intricacy and simplicity, laid-back and full on. Parts of it could lull you to sleep while other parts practically vibrate the speakers out of their housings. A beautiful song, played and sung beautifully.

Cat Song, on the other hand just doesn’t do it for me. Wholly instrumental (with added electronic effects), just over two minutes long and, I believe, inspired by Chantel’s own cat, it just feels out of place to me. It’s clever but, personally, I don’t think it’s right for the album.

It’s back to the acoustic guitar for Screams Everlasting, another lovely song which, for me, contains the best lyrics on the album. I don’t know whether to credit Chantel or co-writer Chris Bucknall with them but they are sung with so much feeling that it’s hard not to be moved by them. Switching to electric guitar for a powerful second half elevates the song beyond the traditional ballad.

Happy Song reminds me so much of something else, but I can’t put my finger on what it is. I love the vocals which, for the first time on the album, almost seem to overpower the music. There’s a folkiness to it which means that, again, it’s not what I expected from the album but I can’t help but like it. It’s difficult to describe but something about it says that if there’s ever a video made to accompany the song, it will include bits where the camera spirals around Chantel as she plays guitar in a meadow. That’s the sort of image it evokes for me.

Not Here With Me is the second original song that I have heard before. Again, it has been tweaked for the album, with some nice backing vocals and the reappearance of Jocasta Whippy’s cello. Beautiful in its simplicity, it’s more superb writing from the McGregor/Bucknall team.

The album ends with a third cover. This time it’s Sonny Boy Williamson II’s Help Me, another song I recognise from the live performances and a return to the blues that I was expecting more of. As well as more genuinely brilliant guitar playing, Chantel’s voice is at it’s very best here, effortlessly switching between oozing syrup and raw power.

If you haven’t already gathered, the album as a whole isn’t exactly what I was expecting. It’s more laid back, less heavy and less bluesy than suggested by the songs covered in the live performances. It’s still excellent, though. The whole thing has a very clean sound with Chantel’s vocals being particularly impressive all the way through. Even though a number of influences are present in the writing (and in the chosen covers) they all seem to work to complement each other. I love the way that the songs have been placed to come at you in waves, building in power before easing away again and, notwithstanding the placing of Fabulous at the beginning and the inclusion of Cat Song, it’s the first album I can remember listening to where the placing of the songs seems to matter. There’s a long way to go in 2011, but I can definitely see this being one of my favourites of the year, if not my overall favourite. Chantel can be justifiably proud of what is a stunning debut album

…and might I suggest that the above plan might just have two more steps. You never know, they might happen sooner than you think:

• Get picked up by a major label
• Headline stadium gigs.

2010 In Review - Part 2, The CDs

Sunday 2nd January: I started 2010 with the idea that I might reach a total of six hundred CDs and during the first few months seemed to be well on target, thanks in large part to cheap on-line offers and much-anticipated releases from some favourite artists. However, as the year went on, financial constraints and a lack of interesting releases (together with a smaller than normal number of CDs as birthday and Christmas presents) meant that I eventually fell a few short. I can confidently predict that I will reach the milestone this year - it's now that close.

Overall, I added sixty-four CDs to my collection, including one single and one EP. Of those, just thirty-three were released during 2010. Stripping that down even further, the single was released this year and a further ten were compilation albums given away free with magazines (nine from Classic Rock Presents Prog and one from the inaugural issue of Classic Rock Presents A.O.R.). So, that just leaves twenty-two from which to pick my top five of 2010.

Of the non-2010 albums I bought, favourites would have to be Marillion's Misplaced Childhood with which, along with three other of their albums, I finally exorcised my dismissal of them as Genesis wannabes. Before this year, I had heard of The Reasoning, but not heard them. Now I have all four of their albums and it is the first, Dark Angel, which I think is the best - unfortunately their two releases this year weren't, in my opinion, as good as the previous two, although the stripped down Acoustically Speaking did give us some interesting interpretations of some of their songs. Another couple of favourites were Uriah Heap's Demons and Wizards and Mandalaband's B.C. Ancestors - the latter being the band's third release in the short span of nearly thirty-five years, albeit with their third line-up. If I had bought this last year rather than this, there's a good chance it would have made my top five of 2009.

The previous two Mandalaband albums were reissued in one package this year, sadly without a reproduction of the illustrated insert from the original vinyl release of The Eye Of Wendor, and it is this package which I would choose as my reissue of the year.

For me, the biggest disappointment of the year was Meatloaf's latest, Hang Cool Teddy Bear. It's almost a given that Meatloaf is at his best when teamed with the writing of Jim Steinman but this album, although not completely bad, didn't do as much for me as any of his previous releases and there's just no need for Beastie Boy style (c)rap on a Meatloaf album.

There are a few albums from the past year which are just bubbling under my top five and honourable mentions go to the self-titled debut from the superb Lost From Atlas, Hope & Social's April (which isn't quite as good as the previous album) and No Imagination from York's own Sam Forrest.

And so to the top five....

In fifth place comes Omega, the second release from the reformed original line-up of Asia. The previous release (Phoenix, 2008) may have been a bit of a disappointment to some, but Omega is, perhaps, the best release since Alpha back in 1982. Perhaps a bit too "pop" to be classed exclusively as prog but nonetheless a great album which includes some really good songs, including the brilliant Holy War - how many other songs have you heard which include the word "trebuchet" and which rhyme "Agincourt" With "Conquistador"?

Fourth place goes to Mostly Autumn's Go Well Diamond Heart. Not only have the band survived the resignation of Heather Findlay as female lead, promoting Livvy Sparnenn from backing to lead vocals, but they have also produced their best album for some time. While I may have been dubious about Livvy's live performance, the album really shows how good her vocals can be. Being a big fan of the band, I bought the two-CD special edition of the album and, being honest, I'm not sure the later-released single CD version would have made the top five as the extra disc includes some of the best songs, including the superb Ice, which was a contender for my song of the year. (More on that later...)

In third place comes the first non-prog album. The Union's self-titled first release is a blues-soaked rock album which drew me in from the first listen (probably helped by the fact that I'd just seen them perform most of it live). The album contains a lovely mix of songs - the sublime ballad Lillies and the niceness of This Time Next Year are counterpointed by Saviour and the Deep South tinged Holy Roller, while Easy Street could be the anthem for the current state of our country. A really good debut album from some very experienced musicians.

I head back to prog-land for my second favourite. Karnataka's The Gathering Light is one of the most joyous progressive rock albums I have ever heard, with some great vocals from Lisa Fury and fantastic musical passages. For a while it was heading to be my favourite release of 2010. Sadly the band seemed to implode shortly after the album was released, with only two of the line-up remaining and, I believe, auditions continuing to replace those that left. This doesn't (and shouldn't) detract from the release itself, but does make me wonder how many times Ian Jones can reform the band.

So, what finally knocked Kanataka off the top spot? A little album called The Ship That Sailed by York collective Boss Caine. With songs written by G.T. Turbo/Dan Lucas, over a period of years, this is an intensely personal album which contains more talent than an entire season of reality T.V. shows. There really isn't a duff song on this (although, as I said in my original review, one does outstay its welcome just a little bit) despite it not including most of my live favourites. The lyrics are thoughtful and thought-provoking - for example, the brilliant Leaving Victoria is probably not about what you imagine it to be - and the music is excellent. To quote my own review, this is a "beautifully crafted album... Powerful, raw, emotional, simple (and, paradoxically, complex) superb and highly recommended."

Boss Caine also released my song of the year. Towards the end of the year, they (he?) released a split album with Mark Wynn. The final song on the Boss Caine "side" is The Life In Your Years. It is, in keeping with other songs written by Lucas, based on experience and heartfelt. In this case, it's a celebration of friends and of the life Lucas was living at the time he wrote it while, at the same time, an explanation to his family of why he lived life the way he did. In no way apologetic for the things his mother worried about, it is the very epitome of bitter-sweet. A wonderful song from a truly exceptional song-writer.

A Hazy Memory

Tuesday 16th November: A bit of a strange posting this one. I haven't been to a gig recently and haven't had the time to listen to any recent CD purchases properly enough to make notes for a full review. (Bang goes the plan to review all of my 2010-released purchases.)

I am, however, currently listening to a CD that arrived in the post on Saturday and there's a bit of a story behind my purchasing it (which is probably of absolutely no interest to anybody, but when has that ever stopped me putting fingers to keyboard...?

Recently, I was skimming an issue of Classic Rock Presents Prog magazine and came across a gig review for a band called Haze, who had played the Peel in Kingston. The review caught my eye as I remembered seeing a band of the same name in York some time ago, while I was still in school. The review ended with:

"It beggars belief why they never quite got the breaks earlier on in their career, and it's a real shame because Haze should have been as popular if not more so than their counterparts during the early 80s: their neo-prog influence should have enjoyed far more success. Yet to see this band still tread the boards after over 30 years - albeit as sporadically as they do nowadays - should make anyone's musical journey that little bit more complete."

It couldn't be the same band, could it? My memories of the gig in question really boiled down to the facts that I went with a group of friends, we were at the front of a backroom of a pub, the crowd showed their appreciation by "whooping" rather than (or perhaps as well as) applauding and the band themselves reminded me a bit of Rush, in looks if not in music. I also remembered that I bought a cassette on the night. Yes, even as a near virgin gig-goer, I still couldn't resist spending money on the musical media of the time...

A quick search of the internet and I found the Wikipedia entry for Haze (band) but nothing really jumped out at me as conclusively linking the review with the band I remembered. In fact I was beginning to doubt it, as I had it in my head that the band I saw came from Bradford, while the Wikipedia entry was for a Sheffield band. I'm not one to give up easily, though and so clicked on the "official site" external link, where I couldn't help but notice that the band's logo looked very familiar. And there were gnomes on the site. Hang on, didn't the cover of the cassette have a gnome on it???

To cut a long story short, the two bands were in fact one and the same and Haze had experienced a degree of success back in the 80s, self-releasing two albums and touring extensively in an old ambulance. Unfortunately, lack of genuine success (and the writing off of the ambulance) eventually led to Haze splitting up after ten years, although they do, obviously, reform now and again for anniversary gigs and the like.

Even before I had confirmed that it was the same band (final confirmation coming during an email conversation between myself and bassist/keyboard player Chris McMahon, who not only remembered which pub it was, but the name of the cassette - The Cellar Tapes, which puts the date that I saw them play somewhere in 1983 and, therefore, one of my first gigs - and the fact that the "whooping" originated in either York or Nottingham) I had decided to order a copy of the double CD recording of the 30th anniversary shows, recorded back in 2008, mostly at Sheffield's Boardwalk. And it's that CD that I'm currently listening to and thoroughly enjoying.

Strangely, although I can't have heard The Cellar Tapes for something like twenty years, I recognised the second track of the CD - Turn Around - as being one of the tracks from it almost immediately.

The CD itself is an excellent live recording, one of the type that leaves everything in, including the banter, and is therefore, an full and accurate account of the gig rather than a watered down, edited version. The music is superb, maybe not quite as prog as the other bands around in the 80s (those that I know, anyway). There are some vague hints of Rush, especially around some of the keyboards sections, but there is also a more folky element supplied by the flute of Ceri Ashton, which also, somewhat inevitably, reminds me of Jethro Tull, especially during Train. There's an energy and confidence to the performance that belies the fact that the band rarely now performs (as Haze, anyway - the members do perform as Treebeard, an acoustic, more folk flavoured band). There is also a relaxed feel to the whole thing, evident in the slower numbers and between songs camaraderie. The audience doesn't sound huge but is definitely appreciative even if there doesn't seem to be any evidence of "whooping". Apart from Turn Around, nothing is immediately recognisable to me but, overall, it's definitely my kind of music. According to the liner notes, the song selection spans the whole thirty years, not just the Haze era. Hearing it, I can't help but feel a bit nostalgic for that 80s gig and would echo the sentiments expressed in the magazine review. Haze definitely deserved more success than they got.

CD Review: Adam Dawson - Lazy Susan (single)

Monday 26th July: At just over three and a half minutes Lazy Susan, the newly released and incredibly catchy (I found myself singing it at work the day after first hearing it) single from Adam Dawson is by far the most radio-friendly of all the singer-songwriter's physically releases. (His previous, the album In The Beginning from 2004 is much more pastoral, almost contemplative.) Immediately bringing to mind 60's pop, you can easily imagine the song being performed by the likes of the Beatles. The short but complementary electric guitar sections, which naggingly remind me of something that I can't quite put my finger on, add an extra flourish to the almost simplistic main tune - a mix of acoustic guitar, Hammond organ and drums, all played by Adam himself. Don't be put off if that description makes it sound a bit of a strange melange. Everything works together to produce a superbly melodic song which, along with the accompanying video, tells the story of how a young party-goer finds herself re-evaluating her life. Light, airy and instantly likable.

In what can only be a strange coincidence, the second track, Mirror Mirror, opens with the type of simple, repetitive keyboards reminiscent of some of Iain Jennings' songs. (Adam is about to join Iain's Breathing Space as their new guitarist.) This wonderfully atmospheric song would fit right in with some of related band Mostly Autumn's output which is, perhaps, no surprise given Adam's past guitar teacher. But that's not to take anything away from Adam's writing - there's nothing wrong with showing your influences, especially when they lead you to produce something as beautiful as this.

Although not mentioned anywhere on the CD, I believe that Silver Skies is dedicated to Dirk Macrae, former frontman of The Asylum Seekers (one of Adam's former bands), who died suddenly in 2006. Without being too sentimental, this is a lovely tribute to an absent friend and a song which will soon be performed "full band" (as Adam has stated it was always meant to be) by Breathing Space. In the future, this version may only be seen as having historical interest but it rounds the highly enjoyable single off in style.

This review was based on the physical release but all tracks are also available from itunes.

Track Listing:

1: Lazy Susan
2: Mirror Mirror
3: Silver Skies

Credits:

All songs written and performed by Adam Dawson
Engineered by John Spence at Fairview Studio
Lazy Susan video directed by Paul Richardson and featuring Roxanna Kilmaszewska as Susan

CD Review: The Reasoning - Adverse Camber

Tuesday 4th May: By now a lot of fans of The Reasoning will have already picked up their copy of the band's third album, Adverse Camber, which was available to buy on the tour before the general release date of yesterday. In fact, the original pressing of 3,000 has already sold out (but worry not, more are on their way.) I picked mine up at the York gig and it's been in and out of various CD players since.

First, a word about the cover, which is a radical departure from the artwork covers of the first two albums. While it doesn't scream "prog!" at you, something about it does remind me of Storm Thorgerson's work for Pink Floyd. I'm not sure what it is about it as, being honest, it looks nothing like any particular Floyd cover - maybe it's the slight surrealism in the background pictures - but from the first time I saw it, that was the thought that has popped into my head.

Adverse Camber is not as dark as the previous album, Dark Angel, or, even Awakening, the band's debut. It does, however, retain some of the heaviness which marks The Reasoning as a little different from most female-fronted prog bands. The lighter tone may have something to do with Dylan Thompson seeming to take more of a back stage in terms of vocals, allowing Rachel Cohen's almost choral vocals to be front and centre for almost the entire album, with Dylan really only sharing lead vocals with Rachel on Through The Now, which actually ends up being more of a triple-header as new backing vocalist Maria Owen also gets a chance to shine during parts of the song. (Not that she doesn't shine as a backing vocalist - in fact, along with Dylan, she provides some of the best backing vocals I can remember hearing, both on the album and during the live set.)

Musically, a lot of the album seems not to be made up of full tunes, but snatches of music which ebb and flow around the vocals, never allowing the listener to get bored or to guess what form the songs are going to take. The music on the album varies between the neo-classical, with the piano opening to Script Switch Trigger, and some very heavy metal-like guitar solos. The overall effect, when mixing the vocals and the music is something that hovers just to the light side of the mid point between traditional prog rock and the likes of Evanescence.

Highlights for me are the Eastern influenced keyboards and choppy guitars of The Thirteenth Floor and the aforementioned, ballad-like, Script Switch Trigger, my favourite song on the album, which showcases Rachel's crystal clear enunciation. (Apparently the title comes from a theory of humour but I didn't follow Rachel's explanation from the stage and have just been more confused by internet searches...) The Nobody Effect, contains the album's heaviest guitar work overlaid with some subtle keyboards but I'm afraid I am unable to listen to the chorus without being reminded of Genesis' Driving The Last Spike.

Adverse Camber is a well-above average album and, like its cover, is definitely a bit of a departure from the band's previous output. However, while there's nothing actually wrong with the album, I still find myself preferring Awakening.

Track listing:

1. Diamonds And Leather
2. The Nobody Effect
3. The Thirteenth Floor
4. Through The Now
5. Script Switch Trigger
6. 14

Musicians:

Rachel Cohen - Vocals & Percussion
Dylan Thompson - Vocals, Electric/Acoustic Guitars & Mandolin
Matthew Cohen - Bass Guitar, Backing Vocals, Mandolin & Percussion
Maria Owen - Vocals
Tony Turrell - Keyboards & Backing Vocals
Owain Roberts - Electric Guitar
Jake Bradford-Sharp - Drums & Percussion

CD Review: Boss Caine - The Ship That Sailed

Tuesday 20th April: There are few guitar-playing singer-songwriters that I feel the need to see perform live again after seeing them for the first time. Nor are there many whose songs instantly burrow into my subconscious after hearing them just once. Daniel Lucas/GT Turbo is one of the few, certainly in recent times, and I can't help but wish that his gigs and my free time lined up a bit better. On that basis, I didn't hesitate to pre-order The Ship That Sailed, debut album from Boss Caine, the York-based music collective formed around Daniel's songs.

Apparently, the songs on the album were all written over the last few years - this is no "let's write an album" endeavour - during which both the bright lights of London tempted him down South and the lure of his hometown saw him return. And, it seems, those bright lights may have led to more dark times than was to be expected. Indeed, the jauntiness of opener Keep The Homefires Burning belies the sombre mood of the rest of the album which is filled with sad and touching lyrics.

It's not all darkness and depression. The lightness returns, albeit less evidently during Sha La La and there is a degree of hope that love can endure in Santiago. But Daniel draws on lost loves and painful times to produce some memorable and, while sad, never depressing songs. The highs and lows of of his times in London are evident in my personal favourite, Leaving Victoria (which has nothing to do with a woman) and the city also provides backdrops for Cambden Town (a song which goes to a truly dark place when referencing vodka and sleeping pills) and, briefly, Small World. The pain of a relationship that never seems to end is evident in Never Really Gone, while a similar sentiment comes immediately after in Man Overboard.

Sing For Your Sins, the longest song on the album at over seven minutes, also has the fullest sound, with the most obvious percussion and electric guitars. The lyrics for this one paint a picture of a relationship gone sour but not yet ended, while the music builds to a stunning crescendo before falling away to a beautiful ending. One of my few criticisms of the album is that, perhaps, this song outstays its welcome a little lyrically, with the chorus repeated too many times towards the end for my liking. Having said that, it's another of my favourites.

For such an outwardly simple album, it turns out to be incredibly multi-layered, in more ways than one. While I have focused on Daniel's writing talents (and have yet to mention his rich, deep singing voice) the album wouldn't be the same without Boss Caine core members (and producers) Andy Gaines and Sam Forrest and the many guests, all of whom have played in the "band" at some time. I would particularly like to draw attention to Hayley Hutchinson's ethereal backing vocals during This Is Your Life and Rebecca Lowman's cello, which adds a great deal of depth to the sound of Bring Back My Baby.

More evidence of multi-layering (although, I admit, this may only be in my own interpretation) comes with the title track - obstensibly about Daniel's desire but inability to visit Nashville, and how he builds a boat with sails made from "all the letters you sent me". The more I hear it, the more I think the boat is a metaphor for something and the rain which blurs the letters are actually the tears cried while reading them. Maybe it's me reading too much into it.

Fourteen songs, the first of a projected three albums and, while not the style I would normally buy, an beautifully crafted album that keeps finding its way back into my CD player. Powerful, raw, emotional, simple (and, paradoxically, complex), superb and highly recommended.

Track Listing:

1: Keep The Homefires Burning

2: Bring Back My Baby

3: Dreamer

4: Never Really Gone

5: Mon Overboard

6: Cambden Town

7: Sing For Your Sins

8: Sweet Sorrow Surrender

9: Santiago

10: This Is Your Life

11: Sha La La

12: The Ship That Sailed

13: Leaving Victoria

14: Small World

Musicians:

Daniel Lucas - Vocals, guitars

Sam Forrest - Bass, percussion, harmonica, piano, vocals

Andy Gaines - Guitar, banjo, piano, mandolin, accordion, percussion, vocals

Guests:

Mike Newsham - Mandolin, guitar

Adam Rogowski - Guitars

Rebecca Lowman - Cello

Hayley Hutchinson - Vocals

Vinny North - Harmonica

Jack Holdstock - Drums

CD Review: Kaipa - In The Wake Of Evolution

Monday 19th April: It doesn't take much to get me to try out new music and, in the case of In The Wake Of Evolution - the tenth studio album by Swedish band Kaipa - it was nothing more than an advert on the back of Classic Rock Presents Prog magazine. Kaipa have a long history, having been around since the mid 70's but they are currently in their second incarnation - they originally split in the 80's but were reformed by keyboard player Hans Lundin in the early 2000s. Lundin, the only original member, has put together a band featuring some of Sweden's best prog musicians, including members of The Flower Kings, Ritual, Karmakanic (great name) and an ex-Zappa drummer. (Roine Stolt of The Flower Kings and Transatlantic has been a past member of both incarantions.)

Weighing in at over 70 minutes of music in just 8 tracks, In The Wake Of Evolution is a CD of mixed styles, fusing folk and prog rock with some heavy guitar and drum work to produce an exciting, engrossing and, it has to be said, at times meandering album of superb music.

At times, the vocals, both from Patrik Lundstrom and Aleena Gibson, across as a bit theatrical. Lundstrom often sounds a bit like a snarly villainous figure, especially during the opening title track and Gibson comes across as a Swedish Bonnie Tyler during The Words Are Like Leaves, a track where her vocals are almost drowned by the music anyway. But that can be forgiven and, I suspect is at least partly due to them singing in what I assume is their second language.

There is, however, nothing to forgive in the music which is at times whimsical in its use of keyboards and recorder, at others orchestral and at others a lot heavier than most of the prog in my collection. In true prog style, however, there are some incredible variations, not just between individual tracks but within them. Tracks such as In The Heart Of Her Own Magical Field and Folkia's First Decision (the shortest track and only instrumental on the album) start of lightly before bursting into energetic life. There's some unusual drumming two thirds of the way through the epic (obligatory, it is prog) eighteen minute Electric Power Water Notes, when it sounds as though the drums have been stuffed with pillows to deaden the sound. This track also stand out for some wonderful surrealism towards the end.

The addition of Fredrik Lindquist on recorder and Elin Rubinsztein on violin through the album only adds to the pleasant folky feel of some of the tracks. It is, however, Lundin's keyboards and Per Nilsson's guitars which stand out throughout the album. Both have some incredible solo's and work together to produce some very complex tracks. It is Nilsson's work, especially, that adds to the heaviness of the music to be found here.

Strangely, despite opening in a very similar way to the title track, Arcs Of Sound features for most of its length vocals over drums and some very strange whistle sounds that bear little resemblance to a tune but somehow manage to work very well. Smoke From A Secret Source, on the other hand, manages to be interesting for the way that different instruments are used to produce the same (or very similar) passages of music in a very lively introduction which mixes keyboard, violin, guitar and rums to spectacular effect. Album closer The Seven Oceans Of Our Mind, at times almost operatic in its delivery, is also the album's weirdest track in terms of lyrics (not that many of the lyrics made sense to me at all). "Why do rocks always survive, on their journey through the motions? Why do they not grow old, in the mystery of time?" Brilliant stuff!

Throughout the album, there are hints of Yes (particularly in some very Anderson-like vocals during the title track) and even a little bit of Queen in some of the guitar playing. However, while a sticker on the case proudly proclaims, "For fans of Yes, Transatlantic, The Flower Kings" this album is pretty unique in my collection. It may not end up in my top five for this year, but I'm guessing it will be fairly close.

Track Listing:

1: In The Wake Of Evolution

2: In The Heart Of Her Own Magic Field

3: Electric Power Water Notes

4: Folkia's First Decision

5: The Word's Are Like Leaves

6: Arcs Of Sound

7: Smoke From A Secret Source

8: The Seven Oceans Of Our Mind

Musicians:

Hans Lundin - Electric & acoustic keyboards, vocals

Per Nilsson - Electric & acoustic guitars

Morgan Agren - Drums

Jonas Reingold - Electric basses

Patrik Lundstrom - Vocals

Aleena Gibson - Vocals

Guests:

Fredrik Lindqvist - Recorder (tracks, 2, 3, 4, 5 and 8)

Elin Rubinsztein - Violin (tracks 1, 4, 5 and 7)

CD Review: Amy MacDonald - A Curious Thing

Tuesday 16th March: I hardly ever properly listen to music on the radio (unless I'm in the car, bored of whatever CD is playing and there's no football on). The half hour or so I hear on a morning is perfectly designed to get me out of bed and out of the room. There's just too little that's good in the mainstream for me. So, it was a bit of a surprise to me when, a couple of years ago, I seemed to not only hear a certain song whenever the radio was on, but that I actually thought it was brilliant. A catchy tune, good lyrics and a stunning Scandinavian-like voice all combined into something that was different to the average chart-bound love song.

Typically, as always happens when you hear a song you like (or one you recognise but can't remember who sang) I always seemed to miss the presenter announcing it and, for weeks went without knowing who it was that had musically captured my heart. Then, something made me look it up on the internet. (I don't know what it was, but I can remember that it happened while Debbie and I were watching the Hootenanny on New Year's Eve 2008.) Imagine my surprise when the mysterious Scandinavian turned out to be a 19 year old from a suburb of Glasgow...

Anyway, I ordered the album and, when it arrived, was immediately impressed. Incredibly powerful and intelligent lyrics combined with excellent music to produce an instantly likable album. That was This Is The Life, the debut album from Amy MacDonald. Fast forward just two years and a promotional email drops into my inbox, enticing me to spend money by pre-ordering Amy's second album, A Curious Thing. A signed copy, no less... How could I refuse?

Unfortunately, Amy's sophomore outing didn't grab me as immediately as her debut. Fortunately, though, it has grown on me the more I have played it.

The lyrics might be a little less simple than some of the older songs but the very unique and, at times, biting commentary on the highs, lows and perils of fame and the famous are still present. An Ordinary Life shows Amy's writing at her best, telling how she wishes she could stay ordinary despite her now worldwide fame. The Next Big Thing is a swipe at X-Factor style reality shows, while This Pretty Face is this album's equivalent of Footballer's Wife - a derisive look at the world of celebrity culture.

Mixed amongst these are varied tracks which all seem to be somehow personal. The soaring end track, What Happiness Means To Me, is about as close as Amy gets to a traditional love song. My Only One is a message to an unknown someone and Love Love tells how perceived and real love are different.

Musically, the album is much more complex than This Is The Life, with strings, pianos and electric guitar playing alongside Amy's acoustic guitar. As part of their mutual fan club, Paul Weller plays on two tracks and the focus is shifted between instruments in different songs. The jangly piano of This Pretty Face is somehow reminiscent of Western saloon bars, Troubled Soul has an incredible drum line while something about Love Love reminds me of a more traditional tune, livened up into a pop song.

Vocally, Amy is pretty unique. Her deep voice belies her age and I was surprised (again) to hear her briefly speak at the end of the hidden track, an acoustic cover of Springsteen's Dancing In The Dark, as her spoken voice is definitely that of a young woman. There's also no doubting that she is a talent - with two albums of self-penned songs under her belt at the age of twenty-two.

I have to say that A Curious Thing isn't as good as This Is The Life. But has more to do with how brilliant the first album was. There's nothing fundamentally wrong with the follow-up but it was always going to be hard to top the debut. It's definitely a grower, though, and yet another worthy addition to my CD collection.

My version also includes a second disk - with Amy playing live at Barrowland Ballroom in 2007, about the time that This Is The Life was released. Containing all the songs from the first album, alongside a handful of covers (Caledonia, Fairytale Of New York and Mr Brightside) this shows just how good a live performer the young Amy was. Her distinctive voice, left virtually unproduced, seems deeper and gives the impression that she is singing while swallowing her vocals, which is a little unusual at first but you soon get past that. As a fan of live music, this was a welcome extra to my purchase.

Track Listing:

1: Don't Tell Me That It's Over

2: Spark

3: No Roots

4: Love Love

5: An Ordinary Love

6: Give It All Up

7: My Only One

8: The Pretty Face

9: Troubled Soul

10: Next Big Thing

11: Your Time Will Come

12: What Happiness Means To Me

All songs written by Amy McDonald

Musicians:

Too many to mention.