Not only is Quebec a perennial hotbed for progressive rock aficionados, when Montreal in particular became the landing zone for the first and eventual latter waves of what is ubiquitously known within the music world as the “the English Invasion”. From early jazz pioneers, through the Rolling Stones and late 60s sensations, all the way up to the glory years of prog , where Pink Floyd, Genesis, Yes, Tull, KC , ELP, and many more, including Gentle Giant and Supertramp, who were wildly popular in the province and not that much elsewhere yet, at least in the beginning. Oddly, 70s musicians like Shawn Phillips, Murray Head, Chris de Burgh, Roxy Music and Al Stewart also drew large crowds. Many Québécois bands rose to the prog surface like Harmonium, Pollen, Morse Code and Maneige, while today, the genre still keeps the flame alive with regular urgency, with committed bands like Mystery, Huis and Red Sand as well as newcomers like Enigmatic Sound Machines, Innerspace and Karcius, among many others. But now comes Jacob Roberge, a talented name that should carve out a reputation within the community, as his career progresses in the future, as he certainly is in the right musical mindset. Manning the keyboards, drums and the vocals , Jacob introduces himself on “The Long Way Home” with a precise focus on carving instantly attractive melodies, tight bass from William Gadoury and subtle contextual orchestrations. The manner in which the arrangement hardens as the trek nears the finish line is enhanced by a sizzling guitar exploration from the bass player, as the piano maintains the guiding light not only on this track but throughout the album.
The two-part “Empty Spaces” suite will offer two sections that are almost evenly timed in the 5-minute range, the subsequence coming in as the fifth track. This is where the core of Roberge’s music advances to the front of the stage , for all to hear and admire, expressing his love and devotion for the classic progressive canon we all live for. From the enchanting opening piano droplets, the mood is set for a melancholy ride, a forlorn vocal only increasing the profundity. Gaboury inserts soft bass and guitar ruminations (both the acoustic and electric sections are astounding), the drum pace sedate, as Jacob sings and wails intensely respectful. The definitions are expertly elevated with a huge melody, reprised by both voice and guitar, an envelope of mystery and introspective reflection as the acoustic guitar and piano prepare the eventual reappearance later on.
Bashing drums are the wake-up call, as “Garden of Souls” keeps the onus firmly on passion, atmosphere and melody, a syncopated juggernaut fully weaponized by gigantic orchestral adorations, the voice pleading and yearning for salvation, the harmony choir knowledgeably blending with a serene synth flight. But when the raging guitars kick up the storm, in bondage with the increased rhythmic pulse, the slippery synthesizer and sublime vocals remain steadfastly in place. A powerfully expansive track dripping with colourful emotion and unbending a propos that will ‘live on in you’ .
The first epic is a 10 minute + job called “Petrichor”, that magnificent aroma that appears after a long-awaited rainfall, yet the track evolves from a turbulent onset, gradually fading into the expected lull, all of which is diligently orchestrated by Roberge. A blaring trumpet (Remi Cormier) is an unexpected delight, as its brassy sassy sheen explodes over the arrangement. The synthesizer flight takes over with a bright flurry of its own, a lush series of clever inserts that ultimately lead to a serene oasis of sound , acoustic guitar front and center, rebooting the orchestral heavy composition into its next level in evolution. This is next level genius, as the tension versus quietude expression is constantly on the edge, Roberge vocalizing with conviction. Gaboury’s fretboard slays the dragon with a sweeping slice of metallic drizzle.
Affirmation of “Empty Spaces” as promised earlier, concludes the mission appropriately, reigniting the soft piano and voice, as ‘the streets are silent’ and the exuded passion convinces with impactful emotion. The wailing is sublime, the piano and drums united in deliverance, the drums showing no retreat or surrender and the extended axe sortie illuminating the road ahead. Jacob almost reminded me, and please excuse me for the odd attempt at levity, as if Jon Bonjovi’s lungs took over his moment in front of the microphone. A spectacular left/right to the body of vacant places in our soul.
Finishing off with a leviathan construct is a massive example of courage and determination on a debut recording! The inclination to criticize uniquely based on track size becomes an easy and flimsy excuse for negativity but when pulled off impeccably, keeping interest all along, it becomes a feat that verges on ‘fait accompli’ or in English, mission accomplished. The title track with clock in at a hair over 32 minutes and fails to bore even a second. From the quasi-Wagnerian neo-classical introduction, where the drums boom like detonations on the battlefield of time and place, the screeching guitars rampaging like a thousand flamethrowers and the torrid pace obliterating any unwelcome sabotage to the bass undertow that takes no prisoners and the solemn vastness of reflective ‘silence above the shores of reality’, a welcome pause that highlights the thought process that went into unleash the creative musical search for a meaning. The track is the title “The Passing” and it’s a journey into the known (as opposed to the unknown), where identity, faith and fatalism rival denial, anger, bargaining, depression and acceptance, themes once best expressed by one of the most legendary pieces of music ever created “The Great Gig in the Sky” and its wordless Clare Torry utterances. Its pointless for me to write further as this is a piece of music that deserves the patience and the wherewithal to be heard by the inquisitive mind and let them exalt as long as impatience is kept in its proper steel-barred cage.
Rarely has a debut album surprised these veteran ears, a young talent that has infused all the valued attributes of intelligent progressive rock music and stamped it with a resounding wax seal of merit. Welcome Jacob and ‘merci beaucoup’!
4.5 ephemeral expanses