The Round Window need little introduction to regular visitors to this website. From the moment I heard their debut album in September 2022, I was hooked.
The band, who hail from Colchester in Essex, have recently commenced the live phase of their journey, and I truly hope that a future tour will bring them within travelling distance of Lazland Towers.
Meanwhile, on 29th November, they release their third work, an EP entitled Fram, with three fresh musical delights to entrance us.
The core band remains the Lock family, namely Jack (Drums and Vocals), Rich (Vocals) and Thomas (Keyboards and Vocals). They have collaborated with guitar contributions from Robin Armstrong (Cosmograf), Gareth Cole (The Bardic Depths) and Per Malmberg (Salva). Robin also contributes bass as does Alistair Martin (Cosmograf).
The work is reflective, and the concept is, I believe, very apt for the strange and disturbing times in which we live. The EP invites the listener to gaze through the spyglass, out beyond the warmth by the fireside and flickering candlelight, to where the stars shine and the frost crackles. To the time and place where reflection, peace and hope for a brighter future hang suspended in the stillness.
The band jump straight into it with an epic to open, over eleven minutes of proggy delight in The Silence, so showing no lack of adventure at all. The opening notes with the bell do put me in mind of the latter-day Floyd The Division Bell. When the piece kicks in in earnest, the effect created is awash with melody and sound, and the lyrics are so thoughtful and intelligent, referring to our common humanity, something our leaders would do well to recognise. You picture the vastness of the universe as you look beyond our narrow confines, and the band continue their art of providing us with a dense, lush, cinematic soundscape with some quality solos, but each contributing to the whole. At about the six-minute mark, the storm brings us a messenger with the most delicate passage of music before the final three minutes is marked by an expansion, Jack impressing on drums here, the whole passage having a yearning quality to it, Richard Lock bringing such emotion which bears fruit with the main guitar solo which follows by Per Malmberg, the choral voices soaring above. The close has a pretty piano solo to bring us and the theme down.
I am in the process of putting together this website’s annual awards. This fine epic is a strong contender for the “epic of the year” award and is simply a must for those of you who love intelligent symphonic progressive rock.
Next up is the title track, and this is embedded below. Armstrong contributes a beautiful, blues-infused guitar to this, sheer quality oozing from each note in what must be the most understated piece of electric beauty in 2024. I think that Thomas is creating such powerful soundscapes here – it all sounds so full. The song provides the sailors of a ship which crashed through the waves to reflect on what has happened to them, glory, success, and bitter failure. All these emotions are wrought large in the closing passage, which is stunning, loud, proud, and urgent.
The EP closes with Hourglass, the shortest track here just shy of the six-minute mark. Thomas again provides the mood at the opening with his delicate piano. As the candle flickers, we reflect on the passage of years. Do we yearn for more? Could we do more? That time is now. This gorgeous song is a classic prog wonder (think Wind & Wuthering) both musically and thematically. Gareth Cole provides a lovely guitar solo reenforcing that sense, and as I sit here reading the newspaper full of worry, conflict, and fear, I think that need to reflect on where we want to go has never been more important. Those in charge of us could do a lot worse than listen to The Round Window. The closing piano again takes the sting out of the emotion, allowing us those quiet moments of solitude and thought.
Three tracks which I think are a marker laid down by this impressive outfit for a class third full album. One of my favourite modern bands has delivered again, in spades.