Mostly Autumn is now a venerable band, having released their first album in 1999. My initial exposure to them was in 2001 from Cyclops Records with The Last Bright Light, and I fell in love, and remain in that relationship. Their music has brought me an inordinate amount of pleasure over the years.
Seawater is their fifteenth studio album, not a bad output rate in twenty-six years, one which if applied to this dear old country of ours might just drag us out of the doom loop we seem to be stuck in.
I pre-ordered the Special Edition double CD, and have had it for a month now, with steady listening bringing an appreciation of the work. It’s a solid addition to a rich tapestry of music from The Boss, Mr Bryan Josh, Mrs (Olivia) Sparnenn-Josh, Iain Jennings on keys, Andy Smith bass, Henry Rogers on drums, Chris Johnson vocals and guitars, Angela Gordon flutes, whistles, and backing vocals with their special guest, the incredible Troy Donockley on his pipes, whistles, and bouzouki.
There are ten tracks on the main CD, and eight on the bonus. Given the latter was restricted to 2,000 copies pre-ordered, this review deals with CD1, although I might add that if you really like the band’s output, the additional material you get in the pre-release campaigns are thoroughly worth it.
Josh is responsible for writing the bulk of the tracks, some in partnership with Mrs Josh, and Jennings only contributing co-writing credits on one track on the bonus, Winter Dreaming, which is a wee bit of a shame, because he is a strong writer, part of the collective, and it is rather good.
From the off, with the band riffs in conjunction with the pipes, you are in happy territory. Opener Let’s Take a Walk is over nine minutes long but feels so like an old 45 single as it races along. The harmonies are gorgeous, as ever, Gordon complementing the main protagonists very well.
On every track, Josh simply confirms his status to me as the natural heir to Ritchie Blackmore in guitar hero terms, the solos clear, dramatic, leading the charge as the great man once did. On Be Something, Josh writes and sings about wanting to be someone making the most of his life. Well, to this longstanding observer, Bryan, you have.
The band always did do introspective melancholic music well, and When We Ran is a fine addition to that tradition, Josh writing about being older now than when his father died, thinking of lost friends, but also looking forward with his own children, and Jennings announces this with some almighty soundscapes. It is a lovely piece of music, loud and proud, a symphonic rock masterpiece, with another almighty nod to Spirits of Autumn Past at the close. Further, My Home is a deeply emotional reflection on a home no longer standing, shot into pieces, burning in the rain, clearly referencing war, the eternal curse of humanity.
Olivia has grown so much as a lead vocalist. I adored Heather Findlay, but her replacement is one hell of a singer, and on If Only for a Day, her voice trembles with emotion, taking me back to that ultimate Autumn classic, Dressed in Voices. It is dripping with feeling, getting older, regret, the price of time amongst survivors, and Josh reciprocates with a superior guitar solo.
Mars (never take them for granted) is a touching love song, Josh lamenting the possibility of never seeing his loved ones again, the harmonies on this delicate before Olivia responds, the passion burning. Future is a Child is simply a paeon to our personal and collective futures in our children, who society at present really is letting down. The acoustic guitar work on this is stunning before a massive rock out led by Josh.
The title track is a mega epic and closes the main CD. Nineteen minutes long, it is a monster, huge in scope and dealing with the almighty tsunami climate change has wrought, and will continue to do, from Whitby Abbey to the other side of the world. In parts, it is absolutely not a typical MA track, the church organ and choral voices rising from the abbey providing for a distinctly eerie feel, quite unlike anything else I can remember them doing. The traditional does reassert itself, but in a very interesting combination with what preceded it, at times minimalist, at others scorching, imperiously disturbing vocals from Josh as the reckoning smashes against our coastal cities, this segueing into a mass symphonic noise, a lament for our planet. It is a fine track, and a brave one, the sound of a band not wishing to stand still on its laurels.
Readers of this review should take my comments in the paragraph above as absolute proof that this is not a standard, typical day job Mostly Autumn album. It is another exceptional work from a band which continues to delight and comes very highly recommended.