ECHOES (EIRE-FRANCE) Part 1

Vocalist, lyricist, and composer James McGregor is an Irish nomad who seems to be travelling a bit around Europe lately, from Dublin, London, and Berlin, with an interesting stop in Southern France (aka paradise) where he attended a concert by Francesco and the Black Swans (whom I had recently reviewed the debut album) and something clicked between the two. The Prog community being a rather inviting global conglomeration of devout people, slightly eclectic and rebellious but easy enough to get along with, this union did not come as a huge surprise as Francesco Buono and James got along just fine.

This album is a 36-minute foray which bodes well for the future, owner of a drop-dead gorgeous cover and a nice suite of twelve vignettes that build up to be one long epic piece. James had been contemplating a prog rock opera dealing with various metaphysical aspects of the human condition and presented the concept to Francesco. Here is therefore the first of hopefully many more salvos to come.

Establishing the ongoing mood throughout, “Echoes” sets the controls to the heart of the soul, with an impassioned plea with colours swirling, a fine cosmic mixture of spacy philosophic exclamations, forceful piano and electric guitar particularly up front and center. The ominous bass thud underlines a poetic flurry, amid the serene orchestrations “Where the Spirit Flies”, as James delivers a hushed ‘on the edge’ vocal, then shifting to a more complex rant full of choir additions, very early Floyd in many ways, easily a hint of Syd. This sense of epidermic psychosis permeates the heavy metallic mind, like ‘a silent drone’ whirling overhead, profoundly engraved in “Thoughts”, veering into the haunting mellotronic fog of “The Descent”, a dream within a dream Moody Blues sensation, with James elevating his vocal prowess to an utterly angry delivery. Echoing sentiments are conveyed in “Serene Shadows”, the bassy loop of the Hawkwind-esque snippet conjure images of psychedelic warlords disappearing in smoke.

Not surprising then, to revert to a brighter harmony of celestial expanse on the “Search Among the Constellation”, voyaging on the edge of the universe, comets screeching through space, looking for a new destination. Cracking vocal, brilliant instrumentation as our two astronauts break the cosmic line and dive into a floating maelstrom of “Psychedelia”, again evoking mental images of the Hawklords.
Change of pace on the bouncy, accessible, and pleasing “In Every Hearts”, displaying quirky lyrics that seek to soar, a slippery synth solo scouring the explored melody, and another impressive vocal. Alternate echo on “Hazy Whispers” with the shuddering atmosphere of endless hush, demons perhaps in tow, a funeral beat and tons of dense reverberation, a stunning mood infuses the brain. Channeling the masterful, albeit slightly mad genius of the late Robert Calvert on “Celestial Spirit”, the focus is clearly on the expertly interpreted words and James nails the solar flares just perfectly.

Two longer pieces close the album of an ever-mounting flame of creativity, the harrowing organ fuelled drama of “Empty Theaters” reverberate like an empty auditorium that was packed a few hours ago and now sits in hollow silence, spiralling smoke still floating in the bleak light, reminders of the presence of the long-gone shedding humans. A space of 1000 doors but only one being visible. ‘Reality starts to fracture and fade’ as the shrieking synths nod to the disappearing ashes of memory.
Marked by an absorbing vocal, “Haunted Dreams” convinces that we are in presence of quite a talent that surely needs to be discovered and acknowledged. Perhaps the most personal piece offered here, its a divinely accessible utterance, with bombastic shifts and an overwhelming sense of defiance, of liberation and of finding oneself amid the endless specks of the universe, singing boldly about “the pulse of galaxies in my vein”.

No more hesitation, this artist needs to continue on his path through the inspiration that seems to know no bounds. Looking very much forward to Parts 2.

4.5 Resonating Sections