Fine British singer/composer Marc Atkinson returns with a third album for the Moon Halo project, a welcome continuation of the Riversea project which yielded two fantastic albums that the Rogue continues to treasure today. He is easily among my favorite current lead vocalists on the planet, surrounding himself with a solid band of wily veterans that man their respective instruments since the very beginning with aplomb, namely Mostly Autumn Iain Jennings operating the keyboards, guitarist Martin Ledger (Alchemy, Heather Findlay) , bassist/keyboardist/guitarist David Clements (Riversea) and drummer Alex Cromarty (ex-Mostly Autumn). Now I certainly enjoyed their 2 previous albums, but Trichotomy is another level altogether, suggesting an even more progressive leaning , adding some lovely artwork and cover to boot.
The straightforward plea on “Siren Song” swoons with predictable delight, seducing the ear with Marc’s impassioned delivery, and Iain’s full usage of piano, organ and synth to enhance the attraction. The pirouetting guitar dares to stop on a dime as soon as it reaches its soaring climax.
A supreme melancholic tone comes to the forefront on “Empires Burning”, an anti-war song if there ever was one, armed with a one minute to midnight doomsday message, and dive bombing unashamedly into a savage assault on the senses, where guerrilla guitars, scorched earth synthesizers, battlefield bass and destructive drums rule the campaign map.
When one possesses a smooth as silk voice, why not write an arrangement that maintains the velvety texture and “Punchline” certainly does the trick. The haunting melody is set in stone from the get-go, a lilting furrow laden with forlorn longing, with tons of choir backing vocals, “if this is it’ envelops the nodes with conviction, a twangy guitar solo and atmospherics, a mesmerizing chorus to beat you to the outcome, the culmination of the yearning for hope.
When Marc Atkinson does a sorrowful ballad, hold on to your helmets, as few can do it better. Channeling old school Bryan Ferry-isms, daubing some Phil Manzanera guitar stylistics, the stunning arrangement valiantly aims a poisoned arrow straight at the heart, as “The Things That I Have Done” drips with regret, penance and a desire for absolution. The pace gently raises the sadness to wuthering heights.
A stone’s throw from a classic Simple Minds feel, “Are You with Me?” balances the preceding pain with a cheerful and breezy appeal to universal love. Tight Cromarty syncopation keeps the furrow tight as a drum , the diaphanous flow seemingly endless and profoundly atmospheric, seductive like a passionate embrace while on the dance floor with your beloved partner. The segue “Don’t Go Changing” maintains not only the serious conversation but also the sultry mood, words of infinite passion rule the distance between lips and ear, with “I love you just the way you are” repeated with devotion. Ten minutes of sensual bliss. Progressive pop at its very best.
Echoing e-piano reverberations always win the day with this reviewer and “You, Me and Everybody” certainly abides by those rules, another emotional rapture fueled by a bass guitar venture with rash guitars shavings , adorned by overarching synth decorations. Expertly sung in such a credible manner as to be completely sincere, Marc is one of those very rare vocalists whom you ‘feel’ each word and not just hear, you listen. The teamwork ethos is here in full view, as every participant plays their part to perfection (lots of p letters!). Martin Ledger peels off a wickedly effective lead guitar solo, with just the right amount of pizzazz.
With a trembling voice, Marc initiates the lead and choir voices with conviction on “Worlds Collided”, a heady concoction that spans all the borders of Progland, including Americana guitar effusions that ‘reach for the sun’, rousing orchestral keyboard contrasts, the steadiest beat this side of Charlie Watts, African percussive thuds, howling winds and a sizzling guitar solo that evokes an Irish King’s funeral on Iona, hand clapping into the mist.
“Nobody Is Perfect” is the second longest track here, clocking in at 7 and a half minutes, reverts back to the elegant simplicity of bearing one’s soul, only voice and piano in the streaking blue spotlight. Being a devout lover of melancholia, ( I must have a Ph. D in romantic pain somewhere), the pure authenticity of this confessional piece is mind boggling, perhaps syrupy but only for the cold hearted. Jennings’ elegant piano complicity is starkly expressive, both tender and tragic, as the idealistic platform for Marc to openly declare the shortcomings of our human reality. The humming background behaves like a panel of judges expressing their common belief on the right and wrong of breaking one’s a heart. Guilty as charged, a cross to bear and the consequences of a temporary failure of conviction. Nobody is perfect, indeed. An exquisite slice of resonance.
Rev up the engine and slam the foot on the accelerator is to be found on the beguiling intransigence of “Truth”, a short track that spews quite a synth swirl, adorned with a slippery guitar rasp and bruising pulse, the Atkinson voice hungrily spitting out the veracity of it all, as if there would be a thrill involved in not lying. Hey, nobody is perfect….
With choppy string shadings, “Back to You” is an accessible sing-along ballad with little pretence, a moment of naïve reflection perhaps , as if to ease the soul for the final fitting epic and longest track, the proggy “The Masterplan”. All the barriers are lifted here, a superbly structured rhythmic foundation as both Clements and Cromarty lay down the tight sonic trench, switching gears without resistance as the arrangement may dictate a new-fangled variation, though staying resolutely focused on the coordinates given. The instrumental mid-section opts for an electronic meddle of urban confusion that bodes well for the raunchy explosion, highlighted by a serpentine synthesizer solo from Mr. Jennings. Mister Ledger takes over the steering column with a wickedly devious masterclass in guitar soloing, urgently manic and thoroughly exalted. ‘Hallelujah’ reverberates across the corridors of time.
Trichotomy is ‘love me three times, I am on my way’. Excellent and entertaining album, coming highly recommended.
4.5 Lunar rings