Extremely good atmospheric instrumental album from Dutch maestro.
We do occasionally come across some strange confluences in our wonderfully happy lives. I was listening to Flamborough Head’s album Tales of Imperfection released in 2005 the night before Eddie Mulder, the band’s guitarist, unexpectedly contacted me regarding his eighth solo album release entitled Signature. Incidentally, there is a new Flamborough Head album imminent entitled Jumping the Milestone which I am looking forward to.
I have reviewed several instrumental albums this year, and most of them have been on the heavier end of the spectrum, so this more atmospheric album is a nice contrast which reveals, of course, the incredible range inherent within modern intelligent rock music.
Eddie has an extensive professional discography, which you can view on his website at https://eddiemulder.nl/discografie/discography/ and he is a strong member of a long and proud Dutch progressive tradition. You can purchase this album at https://independentmusicmarket.com/en/rock/3776-eddie-mulder-signature-5907811113521.html It is released on Oskar Records.
Much of this album takes me back to those halcyon days of the mid-seventies when it was possible to release such music and be raved about by the mainstream music press. This did not, to be sure, last for very much longer, but everything about this album takes me back to those days and some very happy memories without being in the slightest bit derivative. In truth, this is overwhelmingly a happy album.
The title track opens proceedings and is a classic prog rock track with initially bombastic synths overlaid above crunching guitars and a strong rhythm section before it settles down into a very decent pace. Mulder is a class guitar player and the atmosphere provided with this and the keyboards are fantastic, all underlaid by intelligent bass and drum interplay. This is a strong beginning to the album and speaks to me of an artist wishing to imprint his signature and individuality on his music and thus to the listener. The final minute and a half are taken over by a lovely set of synths acting in perfect harmony with a guitar solo reminding me of Hackett at his best to create a lush pastoral noise. Very satisfying.
Seahaven is very different. An acoustic guitar loop with gentle synths underpinned by some clever xylophone introduces us to brass and then a beautiful electric guitar solo underpinned by other guitar work which is very strong.
Winter Solstice 2021 is an acoustic guitar solo piece and is suitably reflective for this special time of the year. Listen to this below, close your eyes, and find some inner peace. Many people get depressed, the so-called SAD syndrome, in winter, but this track reminds one that there is a beauty in the chill and darkness of December.
Empty Woods is interesting. It opens with some fascinating sound effects and when the guitar and drums open the music, there is a bleak picture created, and I mean this in the atmospheric sense. The drums thump out a single beat very effectively, and this underpins a range of instruments, including a gorgeous flute all of which I think talks to the criminal destruction of much of our natural environment. The mood created here is one of anger, but also of wonder at what we are in danger of losing. This is a very good piece of music. Listen here and enjoy.
Old Places could not be more different, and you rather enjoy the naked eclecticism on display here. The flute provides for a bright and breezy introduction and this mood is created throughout. Whereas the drum utilised in Empty Woods provided for some introspection, here the jazzy grooves are entirely uplifting, and the guitar solo absolutely reflects this. Is Mulder reflecting upon past glories? Previous happy homes? Loves? Whatever, as a piece of reflection, this is about as happy you will hear in 2022.
Gravity features more of the clever percussion, and I do admire the simple chords which bang out and underscore the synths and guitar leading the piece. Just over a minute in, we get a fine electric guitar solo very reminiscent of Gilmour in his more upbeat moments, and these are then accompanied by some old school keys. I think my only criticism of this is the sharp ending meaning the track is cut rather short at 2:55. I think would have liked to hear it develop a bit longer.
Late at Night ’22. I have embedded this track here. Put it on after 10 o’clock. Pour yourself a single malt whiskey. Sit back on the recliner, and simply let it wash over you. This track is a snapshot of a moment in life, deceptive in its initial simplicity, because there is a huge amount going on here conveying that snapshot. Gorgeous. Life is a joy, it really is, and that is all this song has to say. It is more than enough, and this is a favourite of 2022, no doubt.
Moods is the second longest track at 6 minutes plus behind the opener and recreates the mood of that piece with the synths predominant for 90 seconds until we get a fine, dreamy, guitar solo which changes the mood upwards instantly. The synths and this guitar compete before the mood once again completely shifts with the return of the delightful flute and more up-tempo grooves. After a brief return to the theme of the opening passage, there is the most plaintive guitar solo to listen to closing a remarkably impressive piece of music. Moods? Well, certainly that final piece is deeply emotional.
No Return follows. The theme of this reminds me strongly of some of the late ‘60’s R&B I enjoy so much. I hear the expansionist percussion of Mick Fleetwood, the subdued blues of Peter Green, and some of the atmosphere of The Moodies. Regular reviewers of mine know that I do not like stating that so and so track or artist sound like this or that classic act, and I continue that here. There is nothing remotely derivative on this track. The comments I make here reflect the mood that Mulder instils, I believe quite deliberately in a very reflective piece of music.
Summer’s End. This time of the year has always brought a mix of moods for me. It signals the end of the cricket season and the fact that I get cold at anything lower than 20 degrees. It is a time of dying, but it is also the start of some of the most gorgeous colours in autumn, to contemplate what has gone, but also what is to come, and this gorgeous track has all of this, with the acoustic guitar especially plaintive.
Enigma is next and is suitably mysterious. The synth, bass, and guitar interplay are very interesting and there is an urgency to many of the guitar chords on offer which is a direct contrast to the ethereal keyboard sounds produced.
The Flow is the penultimate track. This repeats some of the breezier moods we have had throughout the album, and I love the brush on the drums. The guitar provides us with the perfect progressive jazz theme and the strings which enter over two minutes in reinforce this. Just go with it. Forget all your troubles. Forget the fact that your team ain’t gonna win nothing this year. Just drink in life.
Balanced closes proceedings. The choral effect at the start is impressive before the haunting steel guitar enters. The accompanying keyboards provide a simple pleasure in what is at the lighter end of the prog range, but no less enjoyable for that.
Mulder has assembled a very impressive set of guest musicians on this album. Colin Bass of Camel fame, keyboardist Gert van Engelenburg, Osada Vida keyboardist Rafal Paluszek, Ton Scherpenzeel of Kayak fame, Albert Schoonbeek very impressively on drums, Henk Stel and Peter Stel, Mulder’s bandmates in Leap Day.
Signature deserves our respect and your attention. It is the sound of a very impressive and long-established musician still producing seriously good music. I am grateful to Eddie for sending me this music to review and inform readers this is a very good album.