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░ ██ ██ Artist: A Secret River ██ ██
▓ █░░ ■█ Album: Colours of Solitude █■ ░░█
■ █▓▀ █ Year: 2014 █ ▀▓█ ░
█ ▓ Rel. Date: 2015-10-18 ▓ █
▒ ▒ Genre: Progressive Rock ▒ ▒
█▄ ░ Label: self-released ░ ▄█
░ █▄ ░ Source: CD ░ ▄█
░ █▓ Type: Album ▓█ ░
▓ █ Quality: VBR, 44.1kHz, Joint Stereo █ ░ ▓
▓ █ █ ░ ▓
▄ ■ ■ ▓ ■
░█ █░ ▀
█ A Secret River is a new band from Gothenburg, █
█ Sweden, and it should be in a position to enthrall █
█ a vast section of the prog community, as it █
█ suggests a wide palette of sounds that are all █
█ executed with glittering meticulousness. 'Music █
█ for your heart and soul', they announce on their █
█ website and they deliver the goods on their debut █
█ album, "Colours of Solitude", a strong and █
█ confident of bright expressive prog that is █
█ ear-friendly , deeply melodic and ultimately, most █
█ enjoyable. Some have given comparisons to █
█ Anathema, Blackfield or fellow Swedes Moon Safari. █
█ The lovely sunlit cover photo actually illustrates █
█ the music quite well, a breezy, warm afternoon on █
█ a bench, cloudy wisps in the background and just █
█ chilling the day away. A strong quartet that seems █
█ to be in sync with each other, they offer a wide █
█ variety of styles from moody atmospherics, folky █
█ inspirations and driven symphonics, to little dabs █
█ of metal, neo and even a tinge of pop. █
█ Bassist/singer Andreas Al÷v holds down the low-end █
█ nicely and has a most pleasing voice, breezy yet █
█ evocative. John Bergstrand handles all things █
█ percussive and keeps time perfectly. Bj÷rn █
█ Sandberg handles the keyboards and is 'blessed' to █
█ be a former church musician, and finally, the █
█ acoustic and electric guitars are held down by █
█ Mikael Grafstr÷m, who has a cool jazzy folk touch. █
█ The compositions are quite appealing though, all █
█ pretty much in the 6-7 minute category and for the █
█ most part, the music is quite mellow and serene. █
█ The guitars and keys are more delicate while the █
█ bass and drums really provide the 'push' needed to █
█ give the pieces some vibrancy and zest. The vocals █
█ are of very high quality, the music quite █
█ un-complex, yet highly gratifying in intensity and █
█ dynamics. █
█ The opening cut is quite indicative of what is to █
█ follow, a meandering, fresh and upbeat river of █
█ mellow prog that serves a simple purpose, the █
█ ongoing and eternal quest for love in an █
█ increasingly complex and technological world. █
█ "Blinding Light" is utterly hummable, in a style █
█ that the prog ladies out there would swoon to, █
█ making us men willing subjects. Reminds me of that █
█ ultra-chauvinistic but very true Napoleon comment █
█ about" Wine pleases the gentleman when the lady █
█ drinks it!". While keeping things accessible and █
█ ear-friendly, it does not mean that they are not █
█ inventive, as the synths can shriek with the best █
█ of them, the mood can be densely mournful and █
█ reflective with heavy bass/drum swagger as on the █
█ lovely "No Way to Say Goodbye" and some passages █
█ within this nearly 7 minute song have some serious █
█ jazzy swirl to the gusto, such as the Booker T & █
█ the MGs-like groove half-way through, a pure █
█ delight. The bass pummels nicely, the drums good █
█ and hard, while the soloists flutter in earnest █
█ pleasure. The bass can be quite assertive, a sure █
█ sign I will enjoy this beyond its otherwise █
█ simplistic limitations, as shown on the ebullient █
█ "Starbomb". The instrumental title track is █
█ another winner, as ornate piano cavorts on top of █
█ some sweeping synthesizer thus providing all the █
█ necessary magic, with a hint of taciturn imagery. █
█ Hint of medieval and baroque, the feel just exudes █
█ a discreet confidence which is most appealing. On █
█ "Are You Coming With Me?", there is some inspired █
█ bass playing amid the twirling melancholia, █
█ another unobtrusive but addictive track, laden █
█ with all manners of little details that just cry █
█ out class. This just blends into the epic (7 █
█ minute 41) love ballad "A Place to Start" which █
█ could be best described as a mix of 10cc, Split █
█ Enz, and such, perhaps the highlight track █
█ presented here. Some chugga- chugga is provided on █
█ the punchy "Passing Grace", a seductive ditty █
█ where both bassist Al÷v and percussor Bergstrand █
█ really hit a muscle groove, a tight disposition █
█ that breezes along with supple synthesizer, █
█ shimmering organ and sublime but discreet guitar. █
█ The fragile "On the Line" is the menu finale, a █
█ thoroughly enjoyable collection of prog songs that █
█ get the job done and then some... █
█ If you were expecting another icy and reserved, █
█ mellotron-infested doom spectacle, so typical of █
█ Swedish and Norwegian bands, well you will be in █
█ for a slight surprise, to say the least. Truth is █
█ A Secret River is quite original, inspiring and █
█ has enough detailed points of interest (the bass █
█ is fabulous throughout) to merit a visit, just █
█ make sure the little lady is around. She just █
█ might pop her head through the door and say "Hey, █
█ that is really nice stuff you are listening to, █
█ for a change!". You smile, she smiles, you light █
█ the candle and she turns off the lights , well, █
█ you can guess the rest.... █
▓ ▓
▒ ▒
░ 1. Blinding Light 6:00 ░
░ 2. No Way to Say Goodbye 6:51 ░
░ 3. Starbomb 6:31 ░
░ 4. Colours of Solitude 5:31 ░
░ 5. Are You Coming With Me 5:14 ░
░ 6. A Place to Start 7:41 ░
░ 7. Passing Grace 6:15 ░
░ 8. On the Line 4:24 ░
░ 48:27 ░
░ ▒ ▒
▓ █ ░ ▓ ░
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