GLASS SHADOWS

Mostly Autumn have done it again - to their huge credit they have produced an excellent album despite some turbulent times on the personnel front.

"Glass Shadows" is the band's seventh studio album (or eighth if you count "Music Inspired by the Lord of the Rings"). I think that Mostly Autumn have moved on in terms of their musical development on each successive album and "Glass Shadows" is no exception to that.

In terms of soundscape, whilst "Glass Shadows" is still recognisably a Mostly Autumn album, I do feel that there is more reliance on acoustic guitar at the expense of electric guitar and a musical genre shift towards the commercial end of the spectrum.

I don't find that shift in musical direction a problem - I think the album works very well as a coherent whole and, in fact, I prefer it to "Heart Full of Sky". It has already gone in the "bucket" of my favourite Mostly Autumn albums, along with "Spirit of Autumn Past", "Last Bright Light" and "Storms Over Still Water".

Hardly surprising - I would rate six of the ten songs as faultless - 10 out of 10!

The album opens in fine style with "Fireside", a song driven along by a strong, incessant and catchy riff played first on acoustic guitar, then on electric. A good rock song!

"The Second Hand" follows, more melodic but not hugely inventive, it's a pleasant song but, along with the fourth song, Heather's "Unoriginal Sin", it's a contender for the weakest on the album.

Sandwiched by these two is what is one of my favourite tracks - "Flowers for Guns" - rightly or wrongly it's a song that transports me back some 40 years to the "flower power" generation. Infused with a catchy beat and an acoustic guitar accompaniment and some flute adornments, it's a gorgeous song!

"Paper Angels" opens with simple piano accompaniment and a beautifully sung melody by Heather before some of Bryan's fine lead guitar comes in about half-way through.

Good as these opening five songs are - and they are very, very good - the closing five for me are just perfection itself! I suspect not all fans of the band will think the same, especially those who, unlike me, have followed them from their earliest days (when their celtic-rock influences were strongest), because the closing two numbers are the most commercial I've heard the band play. They work for me though, so you never know.

Before those closing numbers are three gems that fall more into the traditional Mostly Autumn style. "Tearing at the Faerytale" sees Bryan emulating Heather with a stunning vocal performance, delivering a sweet melody before the song ends broodily and powerfully - stunning!

"Above the Blue" is my favourite. Trademark Mostly Autumn with a simple piano accompaniment opening, lush string arrangement and uilleann pipes joining in, it has Heather's most wonderful emotionally evocative singing - she sounds as good as Karen Carpenter ever did (those who remember her will know that's a huge compliment to Heather). I get shivers down my spine every time I hear it - absolutely wonderful! When a song fits Heather's voice, she can transform it into the most heavenly music - something she has done more than once with this band of course.

The title track, "Glass Shadows", is the album's only long, slightly "progressive" piece and is another excellent song from Bryan. It has a good driving beat and a powerful arrangement; the music in the latter half becoming evocatively portentous.

And so to Mostly Autumn's "pop" side: but what wonderful "pop"! "Until the Story Ends" is a happy, folky tune with acoustic guitar and penny whistles, which nicely offsets "Glass Shadows"'s sadness.

Finally, the 3-minute pop-single - or it should be! "A Different Sky" is a wonderful catchy song, a perfect summer song, again reminiscent in some ways of US west-coast music from the late 60s. It's a new feature to their music, for sure, but I love it and I hope you do too! If there was any justice in the world it would get to Number 1!

In reviewing Mostly Autumn's last album, "Heart Full of Sky", I had looked forward to this one in the hope that its gestation and recording would prove more incident free. That hope was not realised and, like "Heart Full of Sky" before it, the gestation and recording of "Glass Shadows" was beset by changes to the band's line-up.

In March 2008 the band announced that Angela Gordon and Chris Johnson had left to be replaced by Liam Davison, Iain Jennings, Anne-Marie Helder and Henry Bourn.

So how has this affected "Glass Shadows" overall? It has meant that the only musically creative contributors have been Bryan Josh and Heather Findlay. Of the four whose arrival was announced in March only Anne-Marie (flute and harmony vocals) and Henry (drums) are listed as band members in the CD booklet. Liam and Iain have been prior members of course, and Liam does get a shared writing credit for the penultimate track "Until the Story Ends".

However, as you have already read, for me at least Bryan and Heather have been more than capable of carrying the creative burden on their shoulders and have produced one of Mostly Autumn's most satisfying albums. So all that is left to say is, well done to them, and bring on the next one!

I must agree with the previous reviewer J Foulger, I have followed Mostly Autumn's career develop over the last 7-8 years,I have seen the band live 7 times and I have bought all their albums the last 3 albums I bought without even hearing a note (ltd edition versions) and they have cost £27 per item which I dont mind paying because they must struggle financially and it would be a shame if a band this talanted called it a day.But I feel that this album as been affected by changes in the band over the last few years, its very wishy washy, apart from the first track every other tracks starts off very slow and then ends up sending me off to sleep, I'm glad to hear that Iain Jennings is back in the band because he has been badly missed, but hand on heart this is a very poor offering compared to some of the fantastic music that they have produced over the last decade or so.

Ian Russell Blackwood, Gwent

Review of the Special Edition.

I'm a huge MA fan since discovering them a few years ago. They're a great live act and they've produced some cracking work in the studio - and this album is no exception.

Comments on the individual tracks have already been made and they largely coincide with my own but there are no weak tracks and a song that may pass you by on the first few plays WILL get you in the end.

How this band has failed to make it big (so far at least) is a mystery to me. If you like Fleetwood Mac or Pink Floyd you'll love MA but this does them a dis-service because there is so much more to them and their music.
Heartfelt vocals and soaring guitar work blend effortlessly with celtic instruments.

Ballads follow hard-rock numbers and they all fit, perfectly.

I strongly encourage all to listen to this album and the rest of their back-catalogue. Better still, go see them play live. I've introduced MA to my friends (in the 50s) and to my son (at uni) and his friends - they all enjoy the music and the live shows. You will too.