MUSICIAN'S CORNER

It's very much a John Hackett and associates feature this time round with several albums from that marvellous group of musicians to put under the spotlight, not least the latest John Hackett Band album itself.

First up, a brace of albums by the band's guitarist; Nick Fletcher. The trouble is, he just doesn't look like the kind of musician who can unleash such ferocious music upon the listener! A quietly spoken man but wielding a ferocious axe! And he wields it to tremendous effct on both these albums. Quadrivium and The Mask Of Sanity are both suites of music, the kind of which you more usually find in the world of orchestral music. But there the comparison ends however, as what you have here is beyond that.

Attempting to describe either if them track by track would take too long and even then I am not sure of I could do justice to them. Here you have a musician prepared to push his boundaries as a composer/musician and challenge our expdectations as listeners into the bargain.

Musically these albums cover so many bases it is breathtaking to listen to them. Jazz, Fusion, Rock, they are all here in equal measures. There are musical nods to several other musicians/bands and several tracks have the tinge of epic Prog tunesmiths, Pink Floyd whilst others would have the likes of Al di Meola and Weather Reports cheering from the wings.

Nick is ably assisted by several equally talented musicians, not least Dave Bainbridge who lays down some gorgeous keyboard work. What vocals there are, are ably provided by Dikajeee whilst Anika Niles provides drumming and percussion which ranges from quietly understated to full on metal barrage both delivered with equal gusto.

The end results are scintillating dioramas of musical excellence which will leave you breathless but eager for more, so , to paraphrase the words of Oliver Twist... please sir, can we have some more?


Nick Fletcher: Quadrivium RDACD010

Nick Fletcher: The Mask Of Sanity RDACD014

Of course, it would be remiss of me not to pen a few words about the new John Hackett Band album as well, so here goes...

It has been a while since I had the pleasureof penning a few words about a new John Hackett Band album and they have been back on the road too and if, like me, you were lucky enough to see them (see review elsewhere) then you will know what to expect.

The band have continued to expand their musical horizons since they first appeared and that expansion has continued and is ecident on the new album which gets under way with Stella, already a live favourite a love song with an Eighties vibe to it which sets things up nicely.

Theme & Rondo, a slightly pretentious title perhaps? But it does exactly what it says on the tin. This is a jaunty Prog romp with its tongue placeed firmly between its cheeks. A homage to the likes of Gentle Giant and King Crimson amongst others with some fine keybiard work from Mr Hackett and some equally impressive guitar work from Nick Fletcher.

Who Let The Rain In? Is a brilliant indictment of today's social media driven lifestyles and how inward looking and self centred socir=ety has become. I love the line … “Must take a photo of my food”. Is this what we have been reduced to?

Claire's Tango is a cybernetic dance with morse code keyboards along with military style snare drum from Duncan Parsons whose drumming throughout the album although often sparse is always highly effective. Nick Fletcher lets his Jazz Fusion demons out of the box again on this one with some superb riffing.

MDLXXXIX – that's 1589 to those of you who didn't have the misfortune of studying Latin at school. A bot of a historical romp this one. The year in question was they year after the defeat of the Spanish Armada and the threat from Spain was still very real. It tells the story of one of the sailors of the ill-fated Drake-Norreys expedition to Cadiz to try and destroy the remains of the Armada before it attempted its job again. The expedition was a costly failure. Told through the eyes of a drowning man, this one is suitably dramatic both in terms of lyrics and music with some fine Ian Anderson styled flute playing from John.

What can I say about the next track that hasn't been said before? I Talk To The Wind, one of the earliest Prog classics by King Crimson and a direct influence on both the Hackett brothers and it was this one that inspired John to switch from guitar to flute. Here it is given a wonderfully respectful treatment by the entire band with the added bonus of the wonderful vocals of Amy Birks – can't wait to hear this one live!

Too Easy, a relationship gone wrong with wistful musings on what might have been. The slightly out of tune guitar being a metaphor for the unravelling of the relationship contrasting with the irresistibly jaunty rhythm – hope against cynicism - all of which is once again underpinned by some tasteful drumming from Duncan Parsons.

The Committe gets under way with some decidedly Floydian guiar from Nick Fletcher which is coupled with some meaty bass lines from Jeremy Richardson. I'm not entirely sure what the Worboys reference is all about but whatever the track is another fine example of the band's combined talents.
Brotherhood too featurs some fine ensemble playing from the whole band with a bit of a nod to Mark Knopfler's Local Hero to my ears at least with some more impressive guitar work from Nick.

Butterfly Banshee – what a superbly evocative description of growing pains! All sound and fury which leads us nicely to...

The calm before the storm which is A Country Gentleman, soogthing and melodic, a suitable paregoric before the mayhem that is...

Red Institution – the insane asylum of life. Not easy listening and it is peopled with some decidedly uncomfortable music and lyrics, none more so than … “Final Solution, measure out the plan/Because you can...” Hell has set up shop here on earth. There is no calm resolution to this one, it leaves you challenged and emotionally drained.

And there it is, another sloce of remarkabke music from a band of musicians whose work never fails to impress. Not an easy listen, but the best music never is. If it makes you tjink and re-evaluate then it has more than done its job. Is it Rock? Is it Prog? You decide. Whatever it is, I like it!


John Hackett Band: Red Institution HTRX014.

And now for something slightly different. These days you will find yourself bombarded with new music online everywhere you turn, with the ubiquitous “hook” of a free CD, download and so on. Now, being a slightly cynical kind of person, I usually ignore these using the old “what's the catch?” mentality. Well, I may have to revise that mentality now that I have encountered Neon Fields.

They drew me in with the same offer – an album I could decide how much I paid for but it was the accompanying video snippet from one of their songs ; Light Them Up which drew me in – a teasingly infectious song which resonated long after the clip finished playing. There was enough in that three minute segmnet to peruade me that here was something worth exploring so I invested, not only in the album but its accompanying live album.

The result? Two albums which have invigorated my jaded senses. Here we have music which communicates a message through each and every song. Dark and dramatic by turns with flashes of light. For me, there are echoes of previous purveyors of electronic rock such as OMD and Savage Garden and thats no bad thing but Neon Fields have a sound all of their own which is a refreshing change these days. Not easy listening by any stretch of the imagination, songs such as Cage of Lions and Shelter present a post apocalyptic vision which is truly frightening in its intensity. The imprecation “please open your mind” on the as yet unreleased Summits on the live album is highly appropriate. The band even prove they can turn their hand to a nifty cover version as well as they make Duran Duran's classic Save A Prayer their own with a brilliant take on this marvellous slice of Eighties New Romanticism and following it with their very own new born classic: Light Them Up is inspired but as if that isn't enough, the live album concludes with two incredibly rousing anthems which would not be out of place in Wembley Stadium.

Incessant rhythms, haunting lyrics and a quality which is lacking in so much music these days, Neon Fields offer the listener a truly uplifting experience of dramatic beauty. If there was any justice , this band's name would be on everybody's lips but they are doing things the old fashioned way, earning their dues and creating some of the best new music around. One of the best investments I have made in music in ages – more please!


Neon Fields: Neon Fields (No Catalogue Number)

Neon Fields: Live (No Catalogue Number)