Mike Kershaw - Arms Open Wide

Progressive music is a strange beast. The name seems to cover so much ground these days, from material that is obviously influenced by, and even seeks to ape, the music of the 1970s heyday of the genre, to more avant garde, experimental tunes. And one of the finest places to find this latter example of Progressive music over recent years has been the wonderfully eclectic Bad Elephant Music label, whose roster is 'progressive' in the widest sense of the term.

From the Bad Elephant 'stable' comes Mike Kershaw's new album, 'Arms Open Wide', his fifth LP - his second with BEM - along with 2 EPs previously released (all available through Bandcamp). One thing is clear from the start of this disc, and that is that this is 'progressive' in terms of Mike's canon: there is clear development of ideas and song structure here from previous releases.

Part of that development is that Mike is not alone on these songs: as he did on his last album, he has gathered a collection of musicians to play guitar, bass and drums, which gives a certain depth and completeness to the music that would be lacking without them. Each brings their own twist to the music, but this doesn't detract from Mike's trademark style, which permeates all the songs, even where Stu Nicholson is singing instead of Mike in places.

The first half of the album is 'The Fear Quartet', a four part suite of songs that takes up 22 minutes. By virtue of the subject matter, but also in keeping with Mike's style, there is a dark melancholy about much of the material, but not in a negative way. The musicianship throughout is spot on, and Gareth Cole's guitars in particular have a depth and maturity to them that lifts the music. That darkness continues throughout the collection, but there are occasional glimmers of something a little more optimistic and hopeful. I've commented before, I think, about a subtle spirituality in Mike's writing and this is evident here in places too. One stand-out example for me is the song 'I Wish Your Eyes Were Mine', in which Kershaw bemoans an inability to see the good that another cannot miss: "I see desperation on the lines of every face, but you, you see courage and a love that leaves no trace." Is it an adult looking at the innocence of a child, or a search for a more positive world-view in general?

The rest of the album is a kind of enigma, as the next tracks - 'A Promise', Keys To The Kingdom' & 'Dark Spaces' - all have an up-beat feel to them, yet also all have a feeling of menace and foreboding which almost feels at odds with that mood. The album closer 'Curtains', though, leaves us in no conflict: "We ring in every new year so we cannot hear the screams. Eyes open we approach the abyss that lies ahead: it's time to close the curtains now."

To be fair, perhaps with the exception of 'I wish...', this not an album to put on to cheer yourself up, (despite the up-beat nature of some of the songs) but music has many roles in life and this is a well-crafted collection of songs, both musically & lyrically, that address some of the darker areas of contemporary life with insight and creativity. Now that there is a band to play this music, maybe we'll see a live performance some time...?

Mike Kershaw - Ice Age

Progressive music comes in many shapes and sizes. Some of the modern examples of this particular art hark back to the halcyon days of the 1970s, recreating the sounds and textures of the early pioneers of the genre; others carve out a more modern niche, pushing the boundaries in true progressive style.

Although self-avowedly 'progressive', I'm not sure where on that spectrum Mike Kershaw sits. His music is relatively new to me and so far I've only really listened to this, his third and latest album, so what did I make of it?

'Ice Age' is, perhaps fittingly, quite a dark, brooding, melancholic collection that reflects the cold and isolation of the cover image. Predominantly keyboard-driven, the music has elements of light and shade - perhaps lighter towards the end of the album, and if anything puts me in mind of the 1980s synth-pop of The Human League and Talk Talk in tracks like 'Tomorrow's Door' and 'Broken Skies', but with elements of Tangerine Dream in 'Blossom Falls' and even a hint of Pink Floyd in 'Broken Skies'. The music is by and large multi-layered and atmospheric, though I found the stripped-down, almost minimalist feel of 'Terracotta' with its piano, solo synth and vocals quite haunting.

The vocals throughout are quite understated and evocative, and the album as a whole - musically, vocally and visually - put me in mind of the work of contemporary band Fractal Mirror, and it is worth noting the support of band members Leo Koperdraat and Frank Urbaniak listed in the sleeve notes, and the common use of Brian Watson's sleeve art by both artists.

'Ice Age' is a collection of songs that uses, I think, the metaphor of winter, with its harshness, darkness and isolation, to speak to the bleaker moments in our existence. I was struck with the words particularly of the final song - 'When Winter Comes' - where Mike says: "Winter comes too quickly: to some it never goes away", but which goes on to perhaps leave us a note of hope: "...something must be badly wrong if I'm on my knees to pray. I've never held with gods and such - never seen the reason why - but witnessing such suffering I feel the need to try."

The album is released on 2nd June 2014, and can be ordered from Mike's Bandcamp site. I would commend it as a fine piece of work and well worth a listen.