Being a robust rebel is fully explained by my Prog Rogue moniker and there is no intention ever to alter that mindset. Receiving music from any hitherto unknown musician often reveals somewhere along the line a few connections, whether in style, in associations or guest artists. It was therefore easy to agree to getting the download done when the name Rob Harrison from Z Machine showed up in the EPK. Lester drums for that band. Bingo! The dots are connected. Even though my personal prog shrine remains deeply entrenched in melodic and symphonic stylistics, there is no way that I would contemplate not tasting material outside of the comfort zone I am most familiar with. In fact, recently dabbling in dungeon synth artists, darkwave, and folk-metal as well as continuously listening to jazz, experimental and electronic provide a very wide berth of interest. This release typically required an initial listen to reformulate the ears into an altogether different mindset and a third revisit confirmed my thoughts as well as dispelling any misgivings. The Rogue enjoys being challenged, musically and otherwise. Sometimes thought-provoking music can come across as masturbatory displays of ego-driven chopzilla (as I witnessed sadly at a 1973 Return to Forever concert, opening for Focus of all people, and Stanley Clarke’s spot was so crass that the devout fans started booing him). This is absolutely not the case anywhere on this album.
Let us dive in, so to speak. “Anaraknophobia” could very well be a fear of spiders that thrive in a polar anorak , only Lester knows for sure. This is a great introductory piece that combines sturdy bass playing, brass instruments and electric guitars , as well as the percussive talents of the man in question, providing some vibraphone inserts as well . Its very modern jazz, with overt influences of that glorious Brit jazz-rock school I particularly cherish with well-heeled names like Soft Machine, Hatfield and the North, Nucleus, Neil Ardley, Gilgamesh, Penguin Café Orchestra, In Cahoots, Catapilla, Blue Drift, Turning Point, Back Door and many others.
So let that sink in before plunging headfirst into the colossal maelstrom that is the title track, a nearly 22-minute behemoth of bedazzling authority, stunning contrasts, roller coaster rides well within the free jazz lineage. It’s a master class of impeccable musicianship on a collective basis being the core strength attribute of jazz but where the solo spots are deeply entangled within the endless succession of variations, shifts, moods and atmospheres, every player taking a turn with the ball. Needless to state that this performance is worthy of the loftiest praise, placing this arrangement, an undeniably accurate comment may I add , on the same altar ruled by the previously mentioned stalwarts. The immediate impression is one of a sonic mosaic composed of a myriad of little details that interlock perfectly like an Inca jigsaw puzzle, a cinematographic soundtrack that may leave one confounded but never confused. Close your eyes, open your ears and imagine a place where speed, silk, swing, serenity, stupefaction race along the canals of your mind, finished off by a niggling hint of argy-bargy (i.e my favourite British word), rekindling a kind recollection of a Rob Harrison album title called “Explode My Head” ! Where the hell is my jaw, I can’t seem to find it anymore !
And to blur the issue even further, “Moonfire” is a giant leap sideways into more ambient realms, influenced by that classic SM track off Softs “Song of Aeolus”, a pastoral promenade that glitters gently like a sunny day in Albion, a gorgeous melodic asteroid of celestial joy, unpretentiously pretty and heartfelt. Really worth holding onto.
Thanks to an unexpected typo (are they not always unforeseen?), “Worth Holding Onto” has a garrulously rumbling bass leading the way, galloping all over the green valleys and glimmering meadows, with more stop and starts than a failing computer. Utterly playful, especially for a bass fanatic like me, I literally got off on this track, what a ride. The melodicism surfaces once again on “Joining the Q”, a line that dares to go around the entire block, keeping the easy-going patients entertained as they await their turn. The super cool vibraphone spot comes in to wink at the crowd, the bass burping delectably, and Lester doing his Buddy Rich thingy, shuffles and ruffles galore.
Just when one feels comfortable in getting the true meaning of an album, Lester takes this once again into a “Mountain Pass”, a short sonic slash between peaks that has the audacity to combine Celtic bliss with rapid-fire percussive agility! That’s right folks, it’s his mini-solo spotlight! Fabulous.
Finishing in style with a funky dispatch and perhaps waving mean polkadot handkerchiefs “Mister Meaner” has all the urban charm of a vivacious late afternoon romp around the various sites and sound of happy place, everyone smiling and content with the niceties of life (like great music). That insistent bass has totally seduced me, I must admit, I think I have fallen in love. The breezy keys, the daring electric guitar solo and the brass work are all the added spice one can ask for. And now, for the coup de grace (Pronounced “koo de grass” for you anglophiles ): all the instrumentation, recording , arranging and producing was undertaken by one Lester Greenhalgh . Golden buzzer.
4.5 hard machines