Duncan Parsons - C:Ore

Combining faith & music (especially rock music) has proved to be a difficult and dangerous road for many to travel, particularly on this side of the Atlantic. Whereas in the States it is slightly more acceptable to invoke the name of Jesus in your songs, for the British, with our caricature of reserve and not wanting to cause offence, we tend to fight shy of it - unless it's in a purely 'religious' context.

Progressive rock, with its roots in the counter-culture of the 1960s, is more the place to find references to eastern philosophies or pagan rites, than it is orthodox Christianity. There are, of course, exceptions to this: Neal Morse, formerly of Spock's Beard and now of Transatlantic & Flying Colours, being the obvious case in point. His overt approach to singing his faith has won him a number of admirers, and also quite a few detractors, who would like him to leave the 'God-bothering' out of his music.

Song-writers, of course, write and sing about what's important to them, what fires them, what inspires them, and in this album Duncan Parsons wears his faith clearly on his sleeve (though other reviewers I've read seem to have missed this). The track titles are interesting, too, in that they are all single word titles, and they are lettered rather than numbered. That lettering actually gives the songs a subtle new meaning: King becomes Aching (A:King); Lief becomes Belief (B:Lief) etc.

The music is mostly played by Parsons, who covers a variety of guitars, basses, keyboards, alongside drums & percussion, vocals and ephemera such as stylophone, musical saw and Jaw harp. He is joined by a number of other musicians, notably John & Steve Hackett (playing harmonica), Nick Fletcher and Ton Scherpenzeel. Stylistically the tunes veer from standard rock to a more progressive feel, with odd time signatures, to a more folky edge on C:All. Duncan's vocals are not perhaps as strong as they could be, but they seem to fit the nature of the material well. Searching songs need a searching voice.

These are songs which tackle what it means to be a believer today: not primarily from a credal position, but from that of lifestyle and discipleship - how we live as people of faith. Yes, there are issues of devotion and worship, but this is seen as much in our service of others as in our piety & prayers.

For those who have no professed faith, I would still commend this collection to you. Musically it has much to commend it, drawing as it does from the depths of the English progressive tradition - the Canterbury scene, Peter Hammil, Stackridge, among others - and the instrumental passages, especially those featuring John Hackett's flute, are particularly uplifting.

You can get hold of the album through Duncan's website here.

Tiger Moth Tales - Cocoon

One of the problems with compiling Year-end lists of albums is that as soon as you've drawn up said list another great album comes along and throws everything up in the air. Had I come across this album before the end of December, my top 30, even my top 10, probably my top 3, would have been quite different.

Tiger Moth Tales is the project of one man, Peter Jones - a fact that I needed to keep reminding myself of as I listened to this album, because the musical variety, dexterity and virtuosity on the full range of instruments is simply astonishing, as is the production. Drawing his musical influences from the classic era of Progressive rock but also from more contemporary acts, Jones has given birth to a collection of songs of stunning grandeur that will, I hope, come to be seen as a classic of the genre.

The central theme (the concept?) of the album is childhood, and Jones structures his 69 minute essay around the four seasons of the year. After an instrumental Overture which sets the scene with soaring keyboards, guitars and sax vying for attention over powerful drumming, we have the first of four vignettes which use mainly sound effects to evoke the mood of the seasons: Spring comes with birdsong and gambolling lambs; Summer with an ice dream van and a pebbly beach; Autumn with fireworks, a brass band (perhaps at a Cenotaph memorial, or in a park), migrating geese and scrunching leaves; and Winter with carols and trudging through snow.

Between these flags are the main songs. 'The Isle of Witches' begins with the words familiar to a generation of children: "Are you sitting comfortably? Then I'll begin." - the start of Listen with Mother - and goes on to tell the story of a group of three witches who lived on a remote island and their battle with a group of wizards who coveted their island. The music is brash - almost death-metal in places, with a certain Arjen Lucasen bombast about it, loud church organ chords and at times a kind of Middle Eastern feel. 'Tigers in the Butter' is a song about the ease with which children use (or used to use) their imagination in play, where forts are constructed from suitcases and bathtubs become the Seven Seas. "We lived our lives in fantasy", he sings, and "Anything can happen in this place: the doors are open wide; take a step inside." It begins, perhaps naturally, with an Indian feel, with sitar and tablas, before guitars take over and Steve Hackett's influence on Jones is clearly seen. There were echoes for me of Lifesigns too, and vocally of Paul Carrack.

'The First Lament' is a stirring instrumental piece which begins with a low drone and pipes of some kind which carry a haunting, Celtic ambiance. After two minutes piano and guitars come into the mix, and the song builds in pace and volume with the guitar motif becoming increasingly complex and heavier. With a minute to go it then drops back to the simple theme on guitar and piano, with the pipes returning at the end. Quite magnificent!

Autumn (where we have reached) is the most eclectic season, with two contrasting songs of whimsy and delight. 'The Merry Vicar' (a song close to my heart!) is a playful tune with a strong. driving rhythm on drums and guitars leading to syncopated keyboards, a jazzy piano section and time signatures all over the place. Lyrically it almost has the English eccentric whimsy of Vivian Stanshall or Noel Coward, as Jones makes 'cassock' rhyme with 'wazzock', and sings of this man who's "doing a lot of good for God, he's giving the church a bit of a prod" - which is why I warm to him so much! In contrast 'A Visit to Chigwick' is much more elegiac, channelling the golden years of children's TV and in particular shows like Trumpton, Camberwick Green & Chigley, and evoking a bygone age (did such a time really exist? A question the song poses towards the end) in a way that perhaps Big Big Train do to such great effect, but this time using sounds from 60s & 70s TV. The Genesis influence shows itself again in the keyboards towards the end.

The final song, 'Don't Let Go, Feels Alright' draws the album to a fitting climax, The piano arpeggios give way to the guitar picking up the theme from 'The First Lament', the sax returns, and we consider the loss of childhood innocence, a hankering for those days, but also a need/ desire to move on with life. These things have made us who we are, but we must move on and become who we can be. The song ends with birdsong: we are back in Spring, the circle continues, but we move on. And that sense of movement is there for me in the seasonal passages, as we walk along the beach, through the fallen leaves and through the snow.

This is an album that yields more and more with every listen. If you've not heard it, get yourself a copy! You can find it digitally on Bandcamp, or get a physical copy through the website.

Music of 2014

Another year-end, another year-end list. 2014 has been a busy year for me, music-wise, and producing a 'best-of' selection has once again proved to be a challenge, due mainly to the quality of the music out there.

According to my iTunes library I've got around 160 albums with a 2014 release date, and sorting out the cream from the crowd has been quite the head-scratcher, as there have been so many offerings that deserve a mention. I could've managed to whittle things down to at least 60 stand-out albums, but in the end I decided to be ruthless, and draw up a Top 30. Over the course of writing this post the order and content has changed, and I'm sure I will leave some excellent material 'on the cutting room floor'.

Before I get to the main list, though, here's my thoughts in my 'other' categories, as I look back on this magical musical year.

Gigs of the Year
3= Rick Wakeman: Journey to the Centre of the Earth - Sheffield City Hall
3= Peter Gabriel: Back to Front - Sheffield Motorpoint Arena
2   Yes: 3 Album Tour - Sheffield City Hall
1   Lazuli/ Moon Safari - Sound Control, Manchester

Live Album of the Year
After much deliberation, a tie between
  Sanguine Hum - Live in America
  Moon Safari - Live in Mexico

Discoveries of the Year
Charlotte Church's EP 'Four' (and the previous 3) - the one-time choirgirl and enfante terrible can do Prog!
A Formal Horse - eponymous debut EP is a revelation. Ones to watch in the coming years
Cheeto's Magazine - Boiling Fowls is just brilliant, bonkers prog: and they're giving it away!

Non-Prog Albums of the Year
Black Vines - The Return of the Splendid B*stards. Earthy, bluesy, mucky rock from Barnsley, and great live!
And a trio of jazz albums that have really entertained:
  Go Go Penguin - v2.0 (Mercury Prize nominee)
  Bill Laurance - Flint A beautifully atmospheric offering from the Snarky Puppy keyboardist
  Snarky Puppy - We Like It Here Energetic, inventive, live-recorded fusion that simply leaves me gob-smacked! (See below!)

Disappointments of the Year
Three albums that I was expecting more of and which failed to impress:
Anathema - Distant Satellites: seems to lack the spark of Weather Systems and We're Here Because We're Here
Asia - Gravitas: the departure of Steve Howe seems to have lost what little progressive edge they had left
Yes - Heaven & Earth: enough has been said on this album. The live shows of old material seemed to work, but not this. Perhaps it's time to stop?

So, to my Top 30:
30. Elbow - The Take Off and Landing of Everything
29. Fractal Mirror - A Garden of Ghosts 
28. A Secret River - Colours of Solitude 
27. John Bassett - Unearth
26. Transatlantic - Kaleidoscope
25. Knifeworld - The Unravelling
24. Decameron - Decameron: Ten Days in Ten Novellas - volume 2
23. Druckfarben - Second Sound
22. Rosenkreutz - Back to the Stars
21. Steve Rothery - The Ghosts of Pripyat

20. Heliopolis - City of the Sun
19. Resistor - To The Stars
18. Simon Godfrey - Homeland
17. Pink Floyd - The Endless River
16. Opeth - Pale Communion
15. Kaipa - Sattyg
14. Howard Sinclair - The Light Broke In
13. Jeff Green - Elder Creek
12. Tony Patterson & Brendan Eyre - Northlands
11. Cosmograf - Capacitor

10. Bjorn Riis - Lullabies in a Car Crash. The Airbag guitarist gave us a great guitar-driven collection, again demonstrating his strong Gilmour influences.
 9. Tin Spirits - Scorch. Carrying on from the wonderful 'Wired to Earth', this longer collection of pop-tinged prog is a delight.
 8. The Enid - First Light. A couple of new songs, and some fantastic reworkings of some of the band's classic repertoire showcasing the wonderful voice of Joe Payne.
 7. IQ - The Road of Bones. A return to form for the neo-prog stalwarts, full of the songmanship and musicianship one expects from this band.
 6. The Gift - Land of Shadows. 2014 was an excellent year for all the artists on the outstanding Bad Elephant Music label, but this collection stands out for its breadth, sweep and lyricism.
 5. Dave Kerzner - New World. A December release, but already a classic. This debut solo release from the former Sound of Contact keyboardist channels the classic sounds of Genesis and Pink Floyd to wonderful effect.
 4. Lazuli - Tant Que L'herbe Est Grasse. A band with a unique sound, boundless energy and a great stage presence, they have produced another stunning set of songs. Not being able to understand them doesn't stop me loving these guys!
 3. Snarky Puppy - We Like It Here. A jaw-dropping collection of big-band jazz fusion, showcasing world-class musicianship with a love for life and total abandonment to the moment. All the songs performed and recorded live, and available on DVD to fully expand the experience!
 2. Abel Ganz - Abel Ganz.This Scottish four-piece don't produce albums very often, but when they do: WOW! The 'Obsolescence' suite and 'Unconditional' stand out, but there's nothing weak in this collection at all!

 1. Andy Tillison Multiplex - Electric Sinfonia No. 2. Noted for his work with The Tangent and Parallel or 90 Degrees, Andy has returned to solo working and has produced a simply awe-inspiring masterpiece of proggy jazz fusion. Listening to this work it is difficult sometimes to recognise and appreciate that this is the work of only one musician, and that every note and sound is created on keyboards. A stand-out piece in a stand-out year!

Thus we wrap up 2014. 2015 promises, among others, new material from The Tangent, Steven Wilson & Big Big Train, and the long-awaited live shows from BBT. Should be another great one!

What a weekend!

Over the last few years I've managed to get to a lot more gigs than I have in the past 20, due in equal measure to having a little more disposable income due to children growing up and becoming independent, and the resurgence of my preferred genre of Progressive music. So far this year I've managed to catch Clive Nolan; Camel; various bands including Focus, The Enid, The Flower Kings, Panic Room & Fish at HRH Prog; Genesis tribute band Mama; Yes; Rick Wakeman; Andy Tillison; Jeff Green & The Watch. Some good, some excellent, some outstanding.

But this last weekend was an overdose of awesome! It began with a trip over the Pennines (something which, as a Yorkshireman, I try to avoid if possible) for my first visit to Manchester for the double-header of Sweden's Moon Safari & Lazuli, from France. Both were bands with whom I was somewhat familiar, but that familiarity didn't fully prepare me for the delight of their live show.

Moon Safari opened in the somewhat cramped surroundings of 'Sound Control' - so cramped in fact that neither of the bands could fit all their equipment & personnel on the stage. Their music is generally a joyous celebration of life, full of lyrical beauty, musical dexterity and stunning 3-, 4-, 5- and even 6-part harmonies. The set included live standards such as 'A Kid Called Panic', 'Heartland' and the epic 'Lover's End Part 3 - Skellefteå Serenade', a 25-minute paean to their hometown in northern Sweden, alongside the a capella charm of 'Constant Bloom'. A beautiful, energetic and emotionally-charged performance, which thrilled the 70-odd of us who had made the show.

Moon Safari

Lazuli

They were followed by Lazuli, a band I find difficult to describe other than as unique and mind-blowing. Led by the charismatic Dominique Leonetti (guitars & vocals) with his brother Claude on Léode, a purpose-built one-handed kind-of guitar/ synthesiser which gives the band their unique sound, and the powerhouse of Gédéric Byar (guitar), Romain Thorel (keys & french horn) & Vincent Barnavol (drums & marimba), they produced a wall of thumping, North African inspired, francophone rock that left the room breathless yet wanting more. For their encore they gave us their '9 hands round a marimba', a wonderful piece of timing and musical dexterity, which for a time morphed into 'Solsbury Hill'.

Which links in to the final part of the weekend, which was Peter Gabriel's 'Back to the Front' concert at the Sheffield Arena. A 2½ hour aural and visual treat, with material from his early works (including a storming rendition of the aforementioned 'Solsbury Hill', and an absolutely stunning version of 'Family Snapshot', probably my all-time favourite of his), some newer material, including what he described as a 'work in progress', and as a climax to the show a full reworking of his 1986 album 'So'. Ably supported by the original 'So' touring band, Tony Levin (bass), David Rhodes (guitars), David Sancious (keys) & Manu Katche (drums) and vocals backed up by Jennie Abrahamson & Linnea Olsson, who also acted as support act, this was a musical tour-de-force which left the crowd longing for more, yet ready to go following a heart-rending finale of 'Biko'.

An amazing weekend, demonstrating that inventive, entertaining music is still alive. Long may it continue!

The light show for 'Red Rain'

Howard Sinclair - The Light Broke In

One of the things that I love about social media is that it puts me in touch with new people and new music. I've lost count of the albums that have been recommended to me by folk that I only know through groups of Facebook, and I've been delighted to make new acquaintances and friends through these channels.

One such new friend is Howard Sinclair who has, coincidentally, just released a new CD of original music which I took a chance on and bought. And I must say that it is quite a little gem of an album!

"The Light Broke In" is a collection of 10 songs written by Howard or in collaboration with Wednesday S, which are together a wonderful way to spend 45 minutes of your time. Mainly guitar-driven, this is an album of light and shade, sometimes folky, sometimes bluesy, and thoroughly entertaining! And the cover art, by Mark Wilkinson, is quite stunning!

It opens with 'Autocorrect', a jaunty, jangly folk tune which explores the ways in which people and things try to interfere with your life when you don't want them to, and don't when perhaps you do, and features the robotic tones of Kim Seviour at the start and end of the song. 'My Drunken Guitar' begins with slightly stuttering, stumbling guitar picking (in keeping with the title), and has a certain melancholy despite being quite up-beat musically, building to a surprising and splendid electric guitar solo towards the end. 'Last Out of the Valleys' is a song about spreading your wings, exploring new horizons and leaving the disappointments of the past behind you, and has a delightful bluesy feel to it. 'Bid The Dark So Long' opens a capella, in a brooding kind of way that reminded me of Tracy Chapman's 'Behind The Wall'. This is a surprising little song in that the melody of the verses doesn't quite go where you expect it to, though the chorus has more of a conventional feel to it. 'Let It All Go' is another up-beat song to end the first half of the disc, with the added delight of a mandolin solo (or more of a duet with the guitar).

The second half kicks off with the hauntingly beautiful 'Bedsheets and Bad Luck', a cut-down song of simply Howard on piano and a little cello, and Kim Seviour on vocals, delving into the depths of insomnia, guilt and possibly the contemplation of suicide (?). As a counter to this, the title track follows with its up-beat tale of a woman's life transformed by the light of love - a touching piece of work. 'Lazy Sunday Morning' is a wonderful slice of lazy blues - certainly more bluesy that 'Last Out of the Valleys' - with screaming organ and wailing guitars. 'See You on the Brightside' is a dark, moody song about coping with depression. It has a Johnny Cash kind of feel to me, a blackness like the dog itself, enhanced by the droning double bass in the background. The album closer lifts the mood again: 'What Comes Next'  puts its travelling hat on and presses on to a new beginning with confidence and a smile.

Howard is supported throughout not only by Kim, but also by a talented bunch of musicians: Becky Baldwin on basses, Paul 'Gibbo' Gibbons on drums & percussion, Patrick 'Patch' Sanders on guitars, Jonathan Edwards on keyboards & Si Wright on trumpets & backing vocals.

These are songs of change and transition, covering a range of emotions and situations, light and dark. I have to say that, for me, it gets better with every listen. Give it a listen yourself here - I believe you won't be disappointed.

Yes - Heaven and Earth

I've been a fan of Yes's music for the best part of 40 years, particularly the material from what is deemed to be their 'classic' period, and was therefore delighted when they announced that the current line-up of the band would be performing perhaps the three greatest examples of their art - 'The Yes Album', 'Close to the Edge' and 'Going for the One' - at venues across the UK earlier this year. The show in Sheffield was excellent, proving that this material still has a freshness about it, and that the latest incarnation of Yes could still produce some sublime music together.


With news of the tour also came word of a new album being produced: news which heightened my anticipation for the coming year. How would the new material stack up against the classic repertoire? And how would it compare to the recent 'Fly From Here', which had met with a mixed response from critics and fans alike following its release in 2011.

When I reviewed 'Fly From Here' someone commented that Glass Hammer's 'If' was a better Yes album. If they were correct, would the inclusion of Glass Hammer's vocalist Jon Davison to the band in place of the short-lived Benoit David produce something more to the liking of the fans? From many of the reviews that have already appeared for this new album it would seem not to be the case, and I'm still struggling to understand why.

Davison has writing credits for all but one of the songs, therefore his imprint is on the music from the off. The opener 'Believe Again' promises much for the rest of the album, and there is much in this song for Yes fans to latch on to. The Yes Choir is evident and Davison brings much of Jon Anderson's style to the lyrics and delivery, but I felt there was more of an Asia fell to the song overall than a Yes one. Sadly that promise fails to materialise as the album proceeds. 'The Game' is just flat pop-rock, reminiscent for me of early Police, and 'Step Beyond', the second Howe/ Davison composition after 'Believe Again', really disappoints with its twee, twiddly keyboards and flat rhythm: it simply lacks substance and is too long. 'To Ascend', which gives Alan White a writing credit alongside Davison, is a safe ballad with some nice interplay between guitar, bass and strings and the spirit of Jon Anderson in lyrics which speak of 'the eyes of a child', whereas 'In a World of our Own' seemed to me to be an out-take from Squackett's 2012 'A Life Within A Day'. 'Light of the Ages' offers some slightly more inventive drumming and guitar work which is a lot more evocative of the classic Yes sound in its opening couple of minutes, and I was beginning to think that maybe things were looking up. Sadly the song quickly loses the plot. 'It Was All We Knew' is the only track not to feature Jon Davison as a writer, being a Steve Howe composition. It opens with the feel of Stealer's Wheel's 'Stuck in the Middle with You' mixed with the tune of 'My Grandfather's Clock', has some nice harmonies throughout with Davison not so prominent in the mix, and a pleasant rocking riff mid-way through. The final track, and the longest at 9:03, is 'Subway Walls', the only song for which Geoff Downes is given a writing credit. It opens with strings reminiscent to me of some of Karl Jenkins' work, and is overall the nearest to progressive rock that this collection gets: if the rest of the album could have reached this standard, we might have had a very different animal.

My overall impression is, sadly, one of intense disappointment. 'Heaven & Earth' doesn't leave me feeling uplifted in the way that some Yes music can and does. The recurring word seems to be 'flat': this is uninspiring and on the whole uninspired music, with little invention evident. The long(ish) songs that bookend the set show glimpses of what might have been. Maybe the band were too keen to get something out there and should have spent a little more time working on their ideas, though I appreciate that the constraints of touring limited the amount of studio time available. There is talk of more new material being around and a further album/ albums to come from this line-up. I hope, if that is the case, that they will give the material the time it needs, otherwise (and it saddens me to write this) it may be time to call time on this seminal progressive band.