Passengers

On previous albums the lead vocals were shared between Heather Findlay and the guitarist (Bryan Josh) and I always felt this was a weakness. Bryan Josh has an interesting voice, and one that works well on the right song, but he lacks the range and expressiveness of a more natural vocal talent. That said, the element of choice of lead vocalist does allow the band to explore a broad range of moods and tones than either singer would be able to provide alone.
The end result is a much better balance than on earlier studio album "The Last Bright Light" and Heather Findlay's vocals on Bitterness Burnt and Caught in a Fold in particular are far better than anything I've heard from the band before.

Vocals aside, the quality of the musicianship was always a plus point and this album is no exception.
The guitar work and keyboards complement and compete with one another in fine progressive style without overdoing it or spoiling the songs and the rhythm section do a fine job keeping things tight and on track. The flute is used sparingly but to good effect on a number of songs and adds another dimension to the bands already rich palette.

The band have moved label since their last studio album and seem to have benefited from this particularly in relation to the production/sound quality on the album which is very good indeed.

Overall this is a fine album with a number of instantly likeable tracks and enough intriguing details to keep you coming back for another listen.

Passengers is their fourth album and continues in the same vein as their previous releases, thats not to say it is in any way repetitive or derivitive, its just that they do one thing very well and until they have full explored all the possible angles, have no need to drastically change their style. The Pink Floyd connection is a bit misleading, I guess, whilst some of the guitar passages wear that prog-rock hat with ease, they are a lot more than just a bunch of old school rockers with a guitar fixation. All the instruments have their fair share of the glory and the icing on the cake are the vocals. Heather Findlay has a georgeous voice, hints of All About Eve`s, Julianne Regan are there and whilst she has always shared vocal duties with guitarist Bryan Josh, this album sees her taking on a more dominant role which I, for one, like. Thats not to say that there is anything sub-standard about Josh`s voice, its just that some of the music lends itself more to a female harmony, that said there are some lovely joint harmonies on such tracks as Simple Ways and Answer the Question.

This is music that does not sit in any time frame, it could have been made anytime in the last thirty years, if it wasnt for the modern production of the album. It will definatly appeal to the old school and classic rock fraternity, there are hints of Tull, Fleetwood Mac and much of the approach reminds me of little known Irish band Celtus, whom I can`t recommend highly enough. The music is so wide ranging that it is difficult to find comparisons that sum them up, but that is for the good and shows an originality in their music.

Without dwelling on specific tracks the music blends all the instruments into a unique range of sounds, here a flute takes the dominant role, next single piano notes or washes of keyboards, take over, and the next moment you are whisked away by a driving rock guitar. The songs use that progressive frame of having unexpected changes of pace and timing, not for them the verse, chorus, verse, chorus, solo, chorus, and relax format. These are finely constructed songs, music that has an purpose and identity of its own. It a time when music can be as shallow as a vehicle for a bunch of catchy words, or words are just something to put on a catchy tune, the depth of the words and the music stand out, both are strong enough to exist without the other.

Music that moves from haunting vocal one minute to big operatic multi instrument arrangements the next, is a rarity these days, and this band are experts of the change of pace and direction. The music is exquisit, the lyrics range from the human eye view to the mysteries of the universe, all delivered with subtlty and finess.

If Progressive Rock conjures up images of Rick Wakeman dressed as a wizard, or fourteen hour guitar solos, then this is an album and a band to re-educate yourself with.

There are a few more up tempo tracks then we are used to from Mostly Autumn and also a few very quiet ballads.

The production is perfect, the voices are clear, the instruments are very distinctively audible. The keyboard is a lot more involved then on previous records, but this is not in favour of the flute solos which should have been a bit more present on this album.

A little detail: as always with Mostly Autumn, the album starts with a few seconds of the end of the previous album. The first track, “Something In Between” has a Fleetwood Mac sound, which is something I never expected to hear myself say about MA. “Pure White Light” is more a song that would have fitted on “The Wall” from Pink Floyd, but it’s not the first time there are Pink Floyd references in Bryan’s songs. This feeling disappears during the chorus.

“Another Life” is a very quiet (a bit to quiet for me) ballad, but it contains a brilliant guitar solo by Bryan. After her “Shrinking Violet”, Heather gives composing another successful try with “Bitterness Burnt” (dedicated to her Dad, who passed away last year) and “Caught In A Fold”, the latter being a real Jethro Tull rocksong, in which she sings better then she’s ever done. In “The Simple Ways” I finally hear the Mostly Autumn of the early days, building up from a quiet start to a heavier climax. Some wonderful symphonic keyboard playing by Iain.

“First Thought” is another ballad, sung by Heather and that ends again with a stunning solo by Bryan. The title track “Passengers” has a quiet verse with Heather’s voice accompanied by the piano and a more filled chorus, growing with each passing and topped off by, need I mention it, a Bryan solo. “Distant Train” is a beautiful instrumental, a bit Vangelis Unplugged. Although there are no vocals around, this is one of my favourite tracks. Another good “new Mostly Autumn style” rocksong follows this piece called “Answer The Question”.
And the finally we get to the final epic track, in three parts, “Pass The Clock”. This must be the track that will become a Mostly Autumn Classic. A more difficult track, which you will learn to appreciate after a few listenings. Part 1 is quiet and builds up to part 2. Wonderful contributions by Iain’s Hammond Organ, the folky violin sound of Chris Leslie and the Uilleann Pipes by Troy Donockley (Iona). Part 3 is a worthy conclusion of this trilogy with vocals and acoustic guitar. Tell your friends and catch this band live before they start selling out