Easily among the most fascinating artist currently in the progressive realm, Grice continues on a rather prolific ride, obviously highly inspired by choosing the introspective inner world to discover, instead of the brutally ill-mannered, raucous and at times, obscene modern one we live in. His astutely chosen title “Filter” is the idyllic characterisation of how one should conduct our daily online technology-enhanced routine, an obsessive addiction which will ultimately doom all forms of critical thinking and plunge us all into AI generated mayhem and confusion. Very glad to see Richard Barbieri being busy, what with the ‘demise’ of the Porcupine Tree, a new perfect foil for Grice’s dripping melancholy and brilliant compositions. Old colleagues David Torn, Al Swainger, Robert Brian,Theo Travis, Steve Jansen join Luca Calabrese on trumpet, as well as some guests filling out the roster.
There is a strong undercurrent of unique personality in his style and “Filter” highlights a contemplative nature that transcends time and space, fitting into the same melancholic sound space associated with artists like Tim Bowness, for example. The title track immediately compartmentalizes the outer world by closing the door behind the opening seconds and letting the inner world rule for a change, BJ Cole’s pedal steel guitar swerves between Steve Bigham’s violin, as well as Luca’s discreet trumpet, while Barbieri and drummer Robert Brian luxuriate in the freedom they provide. Grice’s soothing voice is an embalming process, the deeper you go, the higher you fly. A perfect filtration process has been initiated. Inserting instrumental maintenance only adds to the mystery, such as short snippet pieces like “Canticle (Fayre)” and later in the list “Spinning Trees”, balancing that with two extended epics “Desert Bloom” and “Dumah” both spanning the 10 to12 minute count, where Grice has the opportunity to really flesh out his sonic dreams. More about those later.
In the meantime, the romantic laid-back nature of his composing style takes root in mid-sized tracks that soothe the senses, washing away layers of grit and pain with an emphasis on lush melodies that will stand the test of time. “Love Me Out” is, for example, drop dead gorgeous, mellotron and angelic voice up front and center. While on “Judgment Day”, Grice does everything all by himself, in a personal moment of discourse, exuding a slight hint of vintage the Church, what with acerbic guitar scrapes and the rocking 80-90s foundation. Back to experimentalism on “Look to the Spring”, another densely acoustic voyage into the ethereal future, deliciously minimalist and insightful, every note owning a purpose, the trumpet, autoharp and pedal steel adding restrained touches, in no apparent hurry, breathing chords, exhaling sound. The discreet double bass and shifting percussion intoxicating make this piece a highlight to remember.
The core of this album starts off with “Desert Bloom”, a platform for adventurous exploration, where both time and space stand still, unwilling to uselessly exert itself, a solitary living thing amid stark sandy desolation. An aural cactus somewhere far away, in a valley where duduk (Theo Travis), tablas (Hossam Ramzy), and Luca’s sovereign trumpet, all flourish in interwoven harmony. Hot, arid and calm, yet very much alive courtesy of Swainger’s subdued bass flourish. A terrific slice of genius, where Grice’s vocal enters towards the end, when the sun sets and the temperature dips into nightfall. “Time (Is there Any?)” follows quite fittingly uncalculated, an impossible to rationalize sound diversion, ticking whilst tocking on the hand drums (Jansen), that serves only to fulfill the arrival of the second epic “Dumah”, the stage set for Torn to weave his unique talent amid Eliza Crew’s gripping cellos, the looping electricity swooping in unmolested and ‘unfiltered’ (excuse the pun). Like traveling in a caravan from one oasis to hopefully another, the introspection becomes unescapable, surrounded by infinite filtering dunes of solitude, occasional winds altering the topography, everything changing yet still looking the same. Confusion will be our epitaph, ‘telling the truth that no one knows’. The pungent lyrics are some of Grice’s finest ever, you can ‘head the words that I believe’ and ‘heal the pain that will not go’. Astounding silence! Combined, these 23 minutes of music are, without a shred of doubt, some of the finest music you will hear in 2026, you have been warned.
The next two tracks can be heard as a suite “Five Leaf Clover” and “Tiny Things” complement each other fully, traversing almost a dozen minutes of more romantic-tinged bliss, hope reaming eternal, and where Grice vocally channels his inner Bryan Ferry at times (that is my ultimate compliment). Both lyrically and musically, and with the help of the dark strings played by Barbieri, Grice evokes the more shrouded tracks found on Mamouna or Bête Noire, a melodic essay on heartache , drenched in infinite splendour and depth. The instrumental segue “Tiny Things” is sheer perfection.
The final four tracks including the afore mentioned bucolic intermezzo “Spinning Trees” shift the focus onto an altogether different level, with two tracks that carve a desolate soundscape, the first all-instrumental “(f)Flawless” scouring into the cinematographic abyss of thought and contemplation, While “State Variable” opts for a more basic settlement, no hint of drums or percussion, offering up just a lengthy moody melodic lullaby with solid mellotron backing (bless!), a gentle bass lilt, tingling pedal steel guitar and a magnificent vocal. Sweeping majesty.
Having filtered out all the pus and toxin, “Traveller” stamps the exit visa on the prog passport, with a delightful and heartfelt bon voyage and have a safe trip home. Grice is grace incarnate after all, LOL.
What makes this artist so unique is how filling the music is without ever sounding over produced and hence, stuffy. This gives his work an organic and natural feel, as if effortless (though there is more than enough sonic magic to prove the contrary), this balance between sensibilities is what I find the most appealing with this artist and why I enjoy his music so very much. It constantly resonates, never inducing boredom or momentary lapse of interest, always sparkling in the night. A must in any collection, all genres combined. Don’t go Griceless.
5 strainers