Sanguine Hum - 2020 - A Trace Of Memory

(42:05; Bad Elephant Music)






















The core trio of Joff Winks (guitar, vocals, piano, string arrangements), Matt Baber (keyboards, synths, drums, field recordings) and Brad Waissman (bass, Chapman Stick, upright electric bass) are back with their fifth studio album, alongside drummers Paul Mallyon and Andrew Booker, who have both previously been involved as well. I was impressed with their last release, 2018’s ‘Now We Have Power’, and was looking forward to hearing this one and I was not going to be disappointed. What makes this album work so very well indeed is the quality of the arrangements, with the guys somehow making their instruments seem much more than they are, with the bass tone, in particular, being incredibly wide and permeating through the songs. This gives the guys a wonderful framework to build on, so the drums hang off the side doing their thing while Joff and Matt twist through multiple styles and phases.

Nowhere is this truer than on the epic “The Yellow Ship”, which is more than 13 minutes long. In this we have some wonderful staccato moments, others where it is way more relaxed and drawn out, with the melodic lead switching throughout. There is a delicacy within their music, a restraint which seems almost fragile on the surface, and it is only as the songs progress that one can hear the strength within. “Pyramids” is a precious thing which sounds almost as if it is going to disappear with the acoustic guitar and keyboards providing just the right amount of support for the vocals, and it is only when the bass and drums come in that the listener starts to realise the power. This is one of the highlights of the album, really bringing us deep inside and allowing us to understand what is going on.

Someone asked me yesterday if people undertook active listening anymore, and although I replied in the affirmative, I do know there are many who no longer do so. This is an album which really benefits from the listener paying close attention, as otherwise much of what they are doing will wash right over, so when you have the time to really listen, sit and play this while concentrating on what is going on and you will be surprised just how much there is in there for you to discover. There is a beauty within this which is an absolute delight, and while not the most in your face progressive rock you will come across, it is certainly worth investigating.

Kev Rowland, September 2021

Links:
https://www.sanguinehum.com/
https://www.facebook.com/BadElephantMusic

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Thirteen of Everything - 2023 - Time and Other Delusions

Image
(68:22; Basement Avatar Records) Track list: 1. Timeline 8:57 2. Alternate Life 12:02 3. Where the Time Goes 5:32 4. The Penultimate Flight of Armando the Pigeon 7:11 5. The King of Istanbul 10:35 6. Warmth and Darkness 7:32 7. Count All the Days 16.33 Line-up: Brett Cosby - guitars Mick Peters - Chapman stick, bass, pedals, vocals Ted Thomas - drums, percussion, vocals Bob Villwock - keyboards with: Thad Miller - keyboards Prolusion. US band Thirteen of Everything has been a going concern for a bit over 20 years, releasing their initial demo back in 2002 with official albums following in 2005 and 2019 respectively. Following what has been a brief pause between albums for this band they are now preparing to launch their third studio album "Time and Other Delusions", which will be released on US label Basement Avatar Records. Analysis. In terms of the different variations one can find in the progressive rock universe, Thirteen of Everything resides safely inside the symphonic ...
Read more

Deaton Lemay Project - 2022 - The Fifth Element

Image
(63:04; Deaton Lemay Project) Track list: 1. The Great Awakening 5:32 2. A Different Place in Time 7:24 3. Dragonfly 3:35 4. The Nightmare 4:28 5. Exordium 6:24 - Elements of Life Suite 6. Overture 4:43 7. Fire 6:10 8. Water 6:11 9. Air 4:19 10. Earth 6:53 11. Music 7:25 Line-up: Roby Deaton - keyboards, guitars, vocals Craig LeMay - drums, percussion with: Hadi Kiani - vocals Ehsan Imani - guitars Josh Mark Raj - guitars John Haddad - bass Charles Berthoud - bass Liza Evans - violin Prolusion. US band DEATON LEMAY PROJECT started out officially back in 2018, following a 25 year long period of gestation. They released their debut album "Day After Yesterday" in 2019, and following what I suspect has been a rather busy planning and recording period during the years of the pandemic the creative twosome of Deaton and Lemay are back with their second album "The Fifth Element" at the start of 2022. Analysis. While the fifth element apparently used to be defined as aether ...
Read more

Jay Graboski - 2023 - Authentic Fake

Image
(77:11; Oho Music) Track list: 1. In Dotage 3:55 2. Season of Extremes 3:54 3. 28721 3:38 4. Dot on Your Door 4:55 5. Die Before You Die 4:00 6. Hidden Agenda 4:43 7. Out on a Limb 3:58 8. Mired in Malaise? 3:00 9. Cosmos of the Soul 3:51 10. The Hours 5:32 11. Frog Legs 2:41 12. Metaphors 3:28 13. The Witness Watchers 3:41 14. Authentic Fake 3:05 15. Your Luck is Awake 4:43 16. The Crown 3:51 17. The Doomed Princess 4:01 18. St. Judas 4:12 19. Where Words Do Not Reach 3:28 20. Well, I'll Be 2:35 Line-up: Jay Graboski - vocals, guitars, bass, percussion, glockenspiel with: Dale German - guitars Ray Jozwiak - accordion, keyboards, bass, Moog Dave Kelly - guitars, programming, keyboards, percussion Julie Keough - backing vocals Harry Maben - drums Patrick McAvinue - fiddle Gene Meros - saxophones Bill Phelan - backing vocals, guitars, mandolin, recorder Bill Pratt - keyboards, backing vocals, horn arrangements David Reeve - drums, percussion, keyboards Gyro J. Scope - sequencing Prol...
Read more