It's not quite as immediate as 2007's outstanding comeback release
'Remember the Daze'. You'll need to work at this one to get something back. Then again, easy triumphs are never the most rewarding.
As was 'RTD', the band is still mainman Cliff Jackson, vocals, guitars, production, co-writes (and occasional solo effort); Bernard Kolbe, vocals, bass and co-writes; Heinz Glass, guitar and co-writes; Achim Poret, drums and bgvs.
They don't have any instinctive knack, or desire for that matter, for playing it fast or loud, and they've clearly gotten moodier, more reflective in recent years.
No dazzling guitar pyrotechnics, no pummeling drum & bass. Just great songs with something to say, trailing barbed hooks that are never too far from the surface, eventually revealed through patient excavation, grounded by hard driving twin guitars and locked solid rhythms .
Jackson's meticulous attention to detail results in densely packed songs, full of airtight hooks, sealed into compact choruses and a willingness to be patient in getting to each song's lyrical and musical payoff.
In fact, it's only after a half dozen or so spins that the album develops a sense of can't-look-away drama.
The nearest things to immediacy are the precise, prog inspired balladry of
'Ride The Storm', a song that vaguely recalls
Uriah Heep at their most adventurous; And '
Fall From Grace'. A fabulous song, with a ringing, clarion call of a chorus and charmingly tortured lyrics.
Elsewhere,
'Sun Goes Down' tips its hat to Jethro Tull. There's a laid back, openhearted feel to
'A Sad Song', probably thanks to Jackson's poppified production, while
'Twist Of The Knife', bursts onto a huge, widescreen soundscape, composing colourful lyrical images, moulded around glassy guitars and a big sound. All three are stylistic variations on a theme, united by powerful images and compelling performances, deployed with precision and grace.
'Dancing With Ghosts'. A wise investment.
Written by
Brian Thursday, October 22, 2009
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