Once every now and again, an album hits you. Right between the eyes. An album which repeated listening brings reward, an album proud to be called genius. Heroic Materials is one such album
It is clearly Gravity Dream Records Week here on Lazland. Following hot on the heels of my review and interview with The Round Window, here we go with the boss, Robin Armstrong, whose Cosmograf project releases its ninth album since 2009’s debut, End of Ecclesia, a substantial work rate. I have all of them excepting that debut album, but this is the first time I have put finger to keyboard to write about the music, something which is very much a failing on my part as opposed to anything on the part of the project.
It is the case that when I was younger, I really enjoyed all those fantasy and hero centric concept albums, even when, as with The Lamb, I could barely make head nor tale of the actual story behind the overall concept. As I have grown older, I prefer my culture to be rooted in the real world and this gem of an album is one such work.
On a personal level, the exceptional story of William “Billy” May, a 99-year-old former airman looking back on his life and the state of the modern world, reminds me so much of my dear late grandfather, who died at the age of 93 and was the senior NCO in the Royal Artillery during the bombardment of Malta in WWII. I say this not to ponder personal issues, as such, but because the idea of getting to such a grand old age, and still being able to lucidly recount your experiences, and in particular the changes you have seen, is a fascinating concept very much rooted in the human experience. Indeed, I have to say quite clearly that I find this concept a damned sight more interesting than simply having a rant about, for example, the many evils of mankind. Yes, this album contains some extremely knowing commentaries on said condition, but it is done in an altogether intelligent manner in which you enter the skin and psyche of the man himself, and it is this which sets it apart from a simple moan.
Of course, it is the case that you can have all the grand concepts you like, but without the music it would all be for naught, so how does Heroic Materials rate?
The interest and imagination are captured immediately by the news broadcast of I Recall talking about Net Zero by 2050, the proposed ban on the sale of petrol & diesel cars earlier than planned, and the expansion of nuclear power, and I rather fancy that only the latter policy will survive the new administration in the UK. Armstrong then enters with a simple piano and his delicate voice telling how Billy recalls the days of train sets, saying goodbye to the ages of gold, steam, and ghosts, your sweet touch, and how he misses so much the era of his youth, and the plaintive cry alongside intelligent orchestration which accompanies this has me hooked. This is the central theme, the contrast between the (sometimes misleading) simplicity of one’s youth to the (deliberately establishment introduced) complexity of modern life, and how perplexing it all is.
The title track is an epic thirteen minute plus piece of music and has a grandiose entrance featuring some expansive keyboards alongside the piano by Danny Manners formerly of Big Big Train who shines on this piece. There is the most exquisite guitar solo two minutes in, and the plaintive vocals telling us of an 18-year-old engaging the enemy in the skies above Britain are simply delicious. Mention should also be made of the clever drumming of Kyle Fenton, relaying between a military theme, and thoughtfully pushing the music along. Other reviews will tell you of Armstrong’s guitar solos sounding like this artist, or the other artist, but to me this is a unique piece beautifully played. Everything fits together perfectly, the guitar, drums, keys, vocals, and vocal effects which scream in a deliciously understated manner as opposed to simply screaming at us. Yes, the spoken words alongside the Spitfire documentary are very strongly influenced by Final Cut Pink Floyd, but what is more noticeable is the grandiose organ which accompanies bringing a perfect sense of drama to what must in real life have been both thrilling and terrifying – there is a reason young boys are still enthralled by the toys Billy refers to later in life and the mournful desire to go back to those days, and this passage is extremely intelligent and knowing, a pleasure to listen to. The closing guitar solo is to die for. Believe me, when you hear this on the link I provide above, you will hit the purchase button.
Industry is a spoken track recalling the golden era of British sports cars (yes, back in the day, British firms made cars, something most under 50 now have no experience of). And thus, to British Made. Again, this is intelligent stuff. Because anyone who experiences any conversation involving a senior in the local pub or club will hear them waxing lyrical about craftsmen, British made, and how we don’t make anything anymore. Musically, this piece is initially very cleverly upbeat, more than you would think from the subject matter, because these are happy memories of a better time and the guitar solo which bursts out halfway through soars above you very powerfully before the following segment which is a mournful passage bemoaning our loss. Brilliant.
Mary follows. A love song. Will she wait? Is she living too fast? There’s never a chance to speak. Will she stop and talk to him? The desolation of young love unrequited, with all the confusion this causes. Remember, we are talking here about a young man fighting for his country who might have died at any moment, but as vulnerable as any young person is now when the “love of his life” doesn’t return his sincere affections. I tell you; you really do not get intelligent music like this on mainstream culture anymore, and our society is all the poorer for it.
Blinkers follows talking about the need to change the world, but how hard it is to change things you can’t replace. This is a deeply sad and reflective piece of music. It leads into If Things Don’t Change, the second longest track here. This is also very sad, with the world Billy knew shrinking away, with things never being the same again. It is again knowing in talking about one of the curses of being so old in that everybody you knew has gone but gives us then an upbeat note in that as long as he can feel the sun, he is happy to try. There is more clever use of the organ on this track, which can, of course, be a combination of the grand and the theatrically sad. The track expands just short of four minutes in, with Armstrong pushing his voice to the limit before the main theme returns, this time stronger and strangely more positive in that joy of still being here (unlike his peers). If Things Don’t Change, they’ll stay as they are. The guitar solo which closes proceedings is plaintive, and Armstrong and Fenton make for a strong rhythm section.
The Same Stupid Mistake opens with a backdrop commentary by Greta Thunberg, the “blah, blah, blah” retort at COP in Glasgow, and the album moves here thematically and musically to the urgent need for us to start living differently and to avoid the global mistakes which have brought us to the situation where a teenage girl must try to talk some bloody sense into us. The vocals are sensitive above a piano and guitar loop. The lyrics “let’s make it last some more” can, of course, apply equally to Billy’s desire to keep on living as it can to imminent climatic disaster.
This leads to the penultimate track, Regretful Refrain. I love the opening here, with that ghostly guitar against an extended keyboard chord with the backdrop of the Spitfire engine, and when the guitar explodes from your speaker, it is dripping with emotion and quite wonderful. When Armstrong starts singing, the lyrics talk of the regrets which come with age; should things have been done differently? Wouldn’t it have been better if things had stayed the same? Can’t the world stop this ceaseless waste? I think that as a modern society, we do not value experience and life anywhere near enough, and the gorgeous guitar riff at 3:50 minutes in tells me that Armstrong feels the same. The closing passage following this is anthemic in scope as Billy screams back at us and himself, especially regarding not keeping in touch with his friends, something all of us bitterly regret when we don’t.
The album closes with A Better World. It is an epitaph. It is a cry for understanding and a better future. It is a remembrance of those better times and the need to build them back again, but in the knowledge that the people building it will not be those he grew up with, and there is an anger at the dying light in the incredible riffs and chants which follow to close the album. I am still here, but not for much longer. Take note of me and my world!
I have enjoyed much of Cosmograf’s output over the years. This, though, is pure genius. It is a stunning album, and I really cannot recommend it highly enough. Interestingly, Armstrong has not placed it on streaming services yet, rightly stating that Bandcamp pay the artist more. Here, my friends, lies the future, and it is a bright one. Artists taking control against corporates to control their destiny and financial viability.
Glass half full…….