AND LAST BUT NOT LEAST
GRANT MOON has a rummage down the back of the Prog sofa for the ones that nearly got away…
Anyone who’s heard him play with Snarky Puppy knows that Bill Laurance operates on a higher level than most. His extraordinary solo album Cables (Flint) is a rich, deep selection of moody piano pieces with electronic edges, drawing on modern classical, jazz and ambient, with some Hancock-style funk in the mix too. There’s a Rolls Royce musical brain at work. Cables is a moving and truly spellbinding album – profound revelations only ever seem one more listen away. The Piano Room is the nom de prog of Italian keyboard whiz Francesco Gazzara. He draws inspiration from Anthony Phillips’ album 1984 over the four tracks of his self-released synth-nostalgia fest 2084. Retro production, vintage sound modules and Gazzara’s abundant musical gifts whisk you back to another future. Dystopias seemed so much gentler back when they were set to Moogs and Arps… Another one-man show, The Franky Valentyn Project is the eponymous Mr Valentyn, a versatile Sydney-based musician who has won awards for his relentless gigging Down Under. New Age-soothing in parts, spinning bow tiewhacky in others, the self-released Life As We Know It is a cheap’n’cheerful instrumental journey in sound, reaching out towards Rick Wakeman, Hank Marvin and even Yanni. Not an essential listen, but its kind, hopeful heart is clearly in the right place.
Ana Gracey is the daughter of the late Colosseum drummer Jon Hiseman. This was Hiseman’s last recording and he features among guest artists on Gracey’s album Wicked Games (www.ana-gracey.co.uk), along with her mum, Paraphernalia sax player Barbara Thompson, and Colosseum guitarist Clem Clempson. Gracey’s song choices come from the pop realm rather than the prog (Sam Smith, Prince) but her slinky jazz vocal talent proves that this apple hasn’t fallen far from the tree.
Dutch power proggers Autumn are back with their sixth album. Stacking Smoke (Painted Bass) comes almost eight years after the fifth, 2011’s Cold Comfort, but the wait’s been worth it. Singer Marjan Welman delivers on moments strident (The Phantom Limb, Blackout) and subtle (Shift To Silence). Guitarists Jens and Mat van der Valk and Ronald Landa bring texture to the heaviness, with four-part suite Forging Tempests an immersive conclusion to a record that fans of The Gathering and similar should definitely check out.
Let’s end as we began, on a real high. The Eastern Swell are signed to Edinburgh label Stereogram and purvey proggy psych-dipped folk with an indie edge. On their latest, Hand Rolled Halo, charismatic singer Lainie Urquhart leads this talented quartet through another set of imaginative, detailed songs penned by guitarist Chris Reeve. There’s a deeply pleasing sense of tradition here, and the likes of Miles From Home and Spindrift are rich in harmonic ideas and pastoral tones. Reeve has an ear for an acerbic arpeggio, Urquhart roots it all with her compelling presence. Bet they’re mesmerising live.