SELF-TITLED DEBUT FROM COLCHESTER BASED BAND, THE ROUND WINDOW.
DISTRIBUTED VIA ROBIN ARMSTRONG’S GRAVITY DREAMS LABEL, THIS IS A DELIGHTFUL ALBUM
There are those of us of a certain vintage who will remember with fondness the three windows through which Brian Cant and his fellow presenters would tell the story of the day on the classic BBC children’s programme, Play School, namely the square window, the arched window and, thankfully for the purposes of this review my personal favourite, The Round Window. When you stop and think about such memories, you hopefully smile and consider what is and what might have been but not in a maudlin fashion. Thus, we have this album, a work which quite simply allows you the space to reflect and listen, but in a modern setting also looking forward.
I listen to new projects with much anticipation. The fact that musicians are prepared to brave what is an extremely challenging commercial landscape simply to make intelligent rock music, flying in the face of much of the mass market tripe which passes for creativity, is a cause for celebration and one of the major motivations for my setting this website up. The bonus is when they are bloody good, and the eponymous debut by The Round Window is just that, an extremely enjoyable listen.
You can see an exclusive interview with Richard Lock, whose early listening journey mirrors mine precisely, by clicking on the button above, and it includes a detailed discussion of the development of this project from first ideas to realisation. This review deals with the music itself, and, straight away, let me say that this album defies strict classification, and Rich discusses this in detail with me on the interview. If I were forced to provide readers with a classification, let us simply describe The Round Window as intelligent rock music for discerning listeners.
The album begins with an instrumental, The Window. There is a gentle piano to introduce us to the band’s music, before guitar chords lead us into the group settling in alongside some eery vocal effects. I noticed immediately the Jack Lock drum riff which kicks in one and a half minutes in. This is an atmospheric piece of music which features some interesting mood changes, and it leads us into Take My Hand, the first single which has featured on the frontpage of this website for a couple of weeks now as a taster for this review. Thomas Lock bursts forth with an impressive vocal in the initial segment before Rich leads in and the track features some impressive vocal harmonies. The song releases some of the tension built up in the opener, and there is a tasty guitar riff just short of two minutes in. Particularly impressive is the lush orchestration we are treated to just short of four minutes in after an extended piece of more traditional rock music. This combined with the vocal and lilting piano makes for an impressive passage which then builds up to a head nodding, toe tapping rock number with a deeply satisfying guitar riff to close proceedings. The contributions of David Brazington on lead guitar and Dietmar Schantin on bass guitar are very noticeable.
Among the Clouds follows, and this is, at its heart, a jazz number (that bass of Schantin is all over this) interspersed with eighties pop sensibilities which remind me so strongly of Tears for Fears in their pomp. What the band do so well here is to avoid the easy trap of simply putting out a retro number but have taken those obvious influences, notably the keyboards presented by Thomas Lock, and crafted something quite different and new with loving nods to the past, including a wonderful guitar riff. I really like this track which takes me back to my formative musical years and makes me smile.
Victory is a personal favourite of 2022. Angela Gordon of Mostly Autumn and Odin Dragonfly fame guests here with her evocative and plaintive flute from the outset. Lyrically, this track is a deeply intelligent commentary on the cult of leadership and the dangerous attraction of authoritarianism. Rich sings these lyrics with his own authority and deep feeling, and he is backed musically in a piece which is lush and expansive in its gorgeous wall of sound. Halfway through, there is the sound of Brazington channelling his inner Gilmour in a delicious guitar riff which leads us into the return of that flute which takes us to another level with the band leading us by the hand. When we segue into the closing segment, we are led into a vocal harmony which equals the best of classic Americana in its sentiments and every element fits together. If you listen to nothing else this week, then please do listen to this wonderful piece of music embedded below.
Out of Time is up next. You immediately notice Schantin’s bass riff on a very decent slab of blues rock. Thomas Lock provides us with some classic rock keys reminiscent of a certain Mr Lord in his pomp, and we also have some delicious guitar licks by Brazington held together by the underscoring drums all of which accompany Richard Lock’s voice which has that delicate yearning to ensure that what you want to get done is completed before time, indeed, runs out. I love the final half a minute in which the band plays out in a deliberately understated manner rather than screaming at us.
Nobody Home follows. It is a reflective piece of music about returning to places or events which shaped your formative years. The rhythm section shines in a quite basic manner, and this is very much a compliment. It underpins the entire song and the tapestry which is built around it. The keyboards are beautifully pitched, especially in the closing segment of the song which is a clear highlight of the album, and there are also some further well-crafted guitar licks by Brazington. No frills, no histrionics, simply a very good story very well told vocally and musically.
Avalon is, of course, the Arthurian place of legend, but this track transports it into a modern setting of a dream of a better place replacing much of the banality of 21st Century life. Richard Lock’s voice is simply beautiful and serves its purpose very well by ensuring we think of that better place. I like the string orchestration combining with gentle guitars, and Schantin again delivers deceptively simple basslines effectively underscoring all around him. I really like this track. It would have been easy for this band, on its debut, to provide us with a crowd-pleasing Wakeman-esque fantasy piece with swirling keyboards and operatic vocals. What we have instead is spot on for 2022, a commentary on modern life utilising a legend as its starting point, and a band confident enough to provide up to date and thoughtful rock music.
The album closes with Another Chance. At nine minutes, it is the longest track on offer and is extremely reflective in its commentaries on personal choices in life and those wider issues such as climate change which are more of a collective issue. Some gentle keyboards introduce the song before Richard sings above these and the effective single piano notes. The lyrics about embracing a new beginning and being far too careless with the past will particularly resonate with many of us, I think. Not in a depressing manner but using such experience to influence how we move onwards. Following a lovely piano led passage, the main segment of the song kicks in where Brazington treats us to a moving guitar solo, all the while strongly supported by the rest of his bandmates in classic fashion, and therein lies the true appeal of this album in that couple of minutes – a true ensemble. The vocal crying harmonies lead us into the closing passage in which Lock plaintively calls for another chance and where Thomas provides some wonderful keyboards which lead into more of those delicate piano notes accompanying the final vocal and a blues infused guitar outage. This track is also embedded below. Enjoy.
I would wish to thank Richard and the band for sending me this album in advance of its release to review. It is available from Gravity Dream records, and it is fair to say that Robin Armstrong has excelled in the knob twirling duties here.
As you can see in the interview, the band are already preparing for the follow-up, and I think that that might well blow your collective wigs off. As it is, simply enjoy a very well crafted, performed, and in parts simply gorgeous album which is a very strong statement of intent with a mix of generations that brings hope for the future of intelligent rock music when the likes of Richard & I are listening to ancient recordings of The Friday Rock Show in the Old Folks Home.
Very highly recommended.
The full album aside is available from Friday September 30th 2022. For a preview of all tracks, please see my interview with the band, but please do support our artists by buying direct.