“What if?”, two words that begin an infinitely impossible human process. The idea of rumination itself is on that, on paper, we wouldn’t be prone to falling into. Nevertheless we analyse situations and their outcomes however different we might wish them to be. Playing with this idea Tim Bowness once more comes out of hiding to reveal his latest tale of conceptual rumination, Lost In The Ghost Light.
[tracklist]
- Worlds of Yesterday
- Moonshot Manchild
- Kill The Pain That’s Killing You
- Nowhere To Go
- You’ll Be The Silence
- Lost In The Ghost Light
- You Wanted To Be Seen
- Distant Summers
[/tracklist]
[details]
[length]44:00[/length]
[record_label]Inside Out[/record_label]
[release_date]February 17th 2017[/release_date]
[/details]
Often outlandish and downright bizarre, when it comes to concept albums there are none more grandiose than those of Prog. Wanting to explore the no doubt perturbing idea of being a musician that has gone out of fashion, the appeal to the story of this one is all too familiar. Describing our protagonists rise and fall with fictional band Moonshot Madness opener “Worlds Of Yesterday” begins this wistful process with a beautifully simple introduction that slowly opens up the world of this unnamed stalwart. Beckoned in with acoustic guitars and Bowness’ gentle lyrics that coax the listener into this believable scenario the song progresses in the vein of the likes of classic Gabriel era Genesis even featuring a flute solo by none other than Ian Anderson himself.
“Moonshot Manchild” brings the more positive elements of the fictional life to the fore. Set at almost nine minutes, ever growing chords slowly expand as the track progresses. Bowness‘ ability to create an environment of musical safety, in an otherwise commonly unpredictable landscape also aids the listener to be led down this drowsy rabbit hole. Fluttering in “Nowhere Good To Go” against brings this gentle, night time caress once more out. As the lyrics of “The theatre’s deserted and there’s nowhere good to go” acts like a polite usher moving us, the lingering bystander along in the story arc.
Before Misplaced Childhood style number “You’ll Be The Silence“. Again subtle use of instruments, following the footsteps of the piano and vocal lines. There’s as much silence as there is musical integration. Yet even with the use of all the different dynamics Tracks never feel oversaturated, never spilling over with technical bravado. However there are moments when the band come together beautifully on the melancholic “You Wanted To Be Seen“. Embedded with the ethereal overtones the track slowly works in instruments in a seamless Tubular Bells style introduction before a jarring midsection seeing a moment of realisation. Creeping distortion slowly engulfing the track , climaxing with an inspired guitar solo from core band member Bruce Soord.
With a wealth of layers, the record is one that simply gets better with ever play. Simultaneously taking influence from the likes of the instrumental Prog heavyweights of the seventies whilst maintaining a modern Progressive sound the man has created a perfect symbiosis of the two. Lost In The Ghost Light weaves a delicate yet intimate web of Progressive Rock that will have fans coming back to its haunting refrains long after the twilight has disappeared.
[verdict]Yes[/verdict]
[why]Bringing together elements from the lofty days of classic seventies Prog with the trimmings of the modern day, Tim Bowness and his cohorts have created a beautiful, if slightly melancholic look into rumination and its consequences.[/why]
If you like what you read / heard then you can pick up a copy of the record here!
