Composed & recorded by Robert Köhler (keys) and Dirk Krause (vocals & guitars), Six Tales of Perception is the realisation of their Castle Mountain Moon project, alongside guest musicians Gerry Wassong on drums; Frank Piontkowski, cello; and Johanna Köhler playing posaune (trombone).
So, the album, which you can pick up at https://castlemountainmoon.bandcamp.com/album/six-tales-of-perception has, in fact, seven pieces of music, thus immediately telling us that perception can naturally mean different things to different people.
Opener Perception is an instrumental which could be described as Floydian in spirit, voices, interesting effects, and setting a dreamy canvas for the main proceedings, with the close describing something strange happening.
Blue Sky Machine starts off the six tales, in what I take to be our beloved planet earth. There is more than an element of Kraut infused electronica here, a modern version of Kraftwerk classics from days of yore. The synths which take precedence as the lyrics are repeated are pretty before the more traditional, as it were, rock band bring us a lovely passage of a deep rhythm section and a lush guitar solo from Krause. It is an interesting track, for sure.
Elephant is lyrically and thematically fascinating, the title referring to the elephant in the room, the way we are manipulated by a perpetual game of thrones by those who lead us, but with the acute warning to our leaders that nothing, indeed, lasts for ever, and the somewhat deep gloom which seems to be hanging over many western nations at present is, I feel, a symptom that change is afoot – it is, of course, our responsibility to ensure the change is positive, but for the right things, not artificial constructs such as “god and government”. All fascinating stuff. Eight minutes of music, from the off we get a wildly different musical feel to proceedings, a deeply satisfying classic rock vibe emanating from the speakers, with some corking skins work in particular. The “nothing lasts forever” chorus is expansive and beautiful and there are some very interesting expressions of the aforementioned elephant in the room alongside an organ which is insistent and spoken words which remind me a bit of Belew. It is embedded below.
Fly talks to me of ambitions and dreams which come into contact with reality, at which point you simply want to fly away, the fight or flight instinct which is in us all. The opening passage is deeply traditional prog, with some soaring keyboards and crashing drums underneath before a fine guitar riff takes us to the words sung very delicately. I think a shorter version of this would make a very good single release. There are some very nice guitar notes throughout, and the closing section, almost joyous circus inspired, is a sheer joy, the posaune jumping out at you.
To the Moon strikes me as being a deeply reflective set of words, perhaps thinking about mortality, or needing to strike a clear and certain path to the future. There is a darker hue to this, almost post rock in the intensity of the opening chords and words. The guitar work is exceptional on this, displaying a bright level od complexity, and the mellotron and organ provide a solid texture to the song’s mid-passage instrumental, whilst the closing segment is full of interesting effects.
Who is perhaps the track I can most readily identify with, not merely from this album, but all year, as my contemporaries and I have been talking about the close of our careers, far from the enthusiasm and exuberance we displayed years ago, with a rather dissolute weariness, and the realisation that the government machine will most certainly not remember us when we disappear into that glorious retirement sunset. There is a fusion feel to this, some magnificent bass and drum grooves underneath soaring keyboards, so the reader will hopefully see that this duo have provided us with a rather eclectic range of styles and influences, because the main part of the song transforms itself into a decidedly Floydian feel with soaring guitar and Hammond leading a head nodding charge. For traditional prog fans, possibly the highlight, and it is embedded below.
We close with Suddenly, which to me is a mortality song, “this journey may soon be over”. The song is deeply pastoral, and the words seep regret at what has been, what might have been, and what, perhaps, is to come. The cello adds to this sombre mood to magnificent effect, the acoustic guitar providing a delicate backdrop before later the electric solo taking the emotion to a different level distinctly influenced by three-man Genesis in its execution. This song is lovely and is a strong contender for this website’s “ballad of the year” in the annual awards soon to be announced.
Another winner for 2024, an album I think you will all enjoy.