STORMS OVER STILL WATER

Now that it seems to be OK to admit to liking prog rock again, maybe this hugely talented, and shamefully overlooked, British band will finally achieve the attention (and sales) they deserve.

I first discovered Mostly Autumn last year via a US internet radio station called Radio Paradise. There isn't much chance of hearing them on the UK airwaves. That's a great pity, as their music blows away much of what you'll hear on radio in this country, even on specialist rock stations.

Storms Over Still Water is a varied album. I wouldn't say there are any weak tracks, but (as with all the Mostly Autumn albums I've heard) there is a wide range of musical styles, and most people will prefer certain tracks to others.

Another reviewer mentions as favourites Out of the Green Sky and Ghost in Dreamland. These are relatively short, fizzy numbers, the closest Mostly Autumn come to mainstream pop. Personally I prefer the longer, more lyrical tracks such as Candle in the Sky, Carpe Diem, and the title track. I'd love to see any of these performed live.

Mostly Autumn have been compared with Pink Floyd, but that doesn't really do them justice. Their music has similar melodic qualities to Floyd, but there is also a strong Celtic influence. Another difference is that whereas Pink Floyd numbers tend to focus inwards, on alienation and paranoia, Mostly Autumn have a more outward-looking stance. Several of the songs on this CD (Black Rain is the best example) concern nature and the environment.

If you haven't heard Mostly Autumn yet, but you like Pink Floyd, King Crimson, Led Zeppelin, Yes, and so on, I'd say you owe it to yourself to give them a try. I'd also particularly recommend their two-CD album 'Catch the Spirit', which is a great value introduction to their music. Also available from Amazon!

I'm predisposed to like this sort of music, suckled as I was at the teat of prog rock in my student days and waxing into manhood among the byways of English and Celtic folk music. You read a few reviews and see MA compared to Pink Floyd... Jethro Tull... Renaissance... what's not to love?

Well, this album has been such a struggle for me. So much here that I ought to be loving and raving about, but so much that infuriates as well. I've ended up coming to the conclusion that I like this record simply _because_ of its contradictions and inadequacies, but more of that anon.

Mostly Autumn (MA) are clearly in the English prog tradition, branching out from Songs from the Wood era Tull or A Song for All Seasons era Renaissance: here are the crunching riffs, the sprinkling of soaring female vocals, sudden changes in time signature and offbeat lyrics that meander through leafy Albion, when they're not speculating about sci-fi prophecies or supernatural love affairs. There's an athletic multi-instrumentalism, a tincture of flute and mandolin and ne'er a concession to dance rhythms or drum machines. Most laudable.

And yet... and yet... In terms of songwriting, MA aren't Tull and boast no Ian Anderson among their ranks; the vocal stylings are energetic, but there's no Annie Haslam knocking your socks off with multi-octave trills. It's all pretty good, but it doesn't really rise above the "pretty good".

The cute thing about Mostly Autumn is that nobody's told them they're not out of the top drawer, as composers or performers. Consequently, they just keep pushing the envelope: going for that just-out-of-reach note, manfully struggling to weld not-quite-cohering rhythmic structures together, melding not-quite-harmonising instruments. If these guys and girls settled down to produce by-the-numbers folky pop (step aside Corrs) they'd have it nailed. But no. They're determined to be the next Mike Oldfield. Catch is, they aren't _quite_ good enough. I mean, these are the people who saluted Jackson's Tolkien movie with a Lord Of The Rings concept album. Gives you an idea of the ambition and/or hubris on offer here.

So I ought to be binning "Storms" with a contemptuous sniff, or filing under "N" for "Novelty". Yet, strangely, this disk keeps returning to my turntable. Why's that then? It's not a "grower" in the sense of slowly unveiling its hidden delights: on the contrary, its shortcomings grow more apparent with each play. But they also become more endearing. Like hearing a Sixth Form band essaying the entirety of Sergeant Pepper, there's something about MA's earnestness that gets under the skin. And there _are_ many standout moments scattered throughout this collection (many of them guitar solos or fadeouts), although no one song that sustains standout quality throughout its duration. I'll admit also that the material gets better in the second half of the album, with 'Carpe Diem' and the title track working particularly well. Still not quite "5 stars" well though.

I suspect, with MA you're hearing the sound, not of genius, but of moderate talent pushing itself heroically beyond its actual limits. There's an ambition here that's quite selfless. And that does in fact make for music that is compelling not in spite of, but because of, its sortcomings.

Mostly Autumn just keep getting better and better.
I ordered this album from their own record company and it was worth the wait. It begins with the fade out from the previous album Passengers, and remains a strong album throughout. Best bits?
Apart from the whole album, I'd say that the opening track, Out of the Green Sky, with Ghost in Dreamland and the fantastic title track itself. I've often wandered what the band would be like live; I caught them at the recent free festival in Richmond, North Yorkshire and the band blew me away (almost literally as, due to the press of people, I ended up near one of the main speaker stacks).
Be good to yourself, buy this album and enjoy an amazing band.