Title: Spirit
Artiste: Comedy of Errors
Year 2015
Nationality: British
Genre: Progressive Rock
Rank: Noob
3
Expectations: I have no idea, but given that the band has been around since 1984, broke up in 1989 without releasing really a single album (a few demos) and then reformed in 2011, putting out three albums since then, I'm intrigued...
1. My grief lies all within: A powerful start, Yes/Spock's Beard-like, with stop/start guitar and keys, then the vocal when it comes in is a little vocoderish, eventually turning into again, a pretty Andersonesque one, the song moving at a much slower, almost morose pace. Yeah it's okay I guess, pretty derivative If I'm honest.
2. Infinite wisdom?: This one is very short and seems almost a continuation of the previous track. Is this a concept album? Wouldn't that be a first?
3. Spirit shines/Spirit: Nice organ driving this. Not sure why a four-and-a-half minute track needs to be split into two separate parts, but anyway. Nice synthesised brass and also piano or vibes or something, something tinkly anyway. Okay, well when it gets into the second part it's really quite moving. Love the melody here.
4. Can this be happening?: I guess it must be a concept album, as all the tracks seem to be segueing from one to the other. This seems like it might be an instru – no. There's the vocal coming in rather strongly now. Reminds me a little of Arena around the
Contagion era. Decent busy synth near the end.
5. In darkness let me dwell: This is like a hymn or a lament, starting off with
acapella singing but then rather surprisingly picking up on a bouncy keys and guitar combo, which works really well within the context of the song. This is going Green.
6. I call and cry to thee: Kind of similar really to the opening of the previous track, with choral vocals in a hymnal style, then some nice organ and then expressive keyboard with a bouncing little bassline changes the whole tone of the piece. Slightly incongruous; gives, to me anyway, the feeling that these guys are not quite sure what they're trying to do. They probably are, but the song goes all over the place and it's hard to pin down any underlying pattern. Gets a little into early Gabriel territory near the end.
7. Set your spirit free/Goodbye my love until we meet again: Finally, something that gets a Blue. This is a beautiful, stately, moving instrumental that, for all the six/seven minutes of the previous tracks, kicks the crap out of them. Seems to be just a simple rising synth line, but utterly gorgeous. YorkeDaddy, you'd probably love this track. Maybe not the rest of the album but certainly this one.
8. Ascension / Et Resurrextit / Auferstehen / Arise In Love Sublime, Arise / Spirit : Now we have a seven-minute track broken up into no less than five sections. Really, is that necessary? It opens with a kind of reprise of, or ending to, the previous track, adding in a few more effects and changing the melody up slightly, turning a little less melancholy and reflective and becoming grand and almost triumphant, with a sound like bells coming in on one of the synths. You know, I may have to revise my opinion of this track: it's turning out almost as good as the one before it, so far. Again, it's mostly simple layered synths with no percussion, I don't think any guitar (though it could be the thing making the ringing sounds) and now the drums kick in halfway through and the thing takes off in another, but still similar, direction. Vocals come in too. Yeah, I think this deserves a Blue too. I see the vocalist dropping the overt Anderson influence now, and he's much better for it.
9. Into the light: I wonder if it's jsut coincidence that this track sounds like Spock's Beard and also namechecks one of their albums? Very lively keyboard but vocalist is back to being Jon Anderson II, which is a pity; thought he was breaking away from that. Decent song, but not a patch on the previous two at all. This is way too Yes in the end section and SB in the opening.
10. Above the hills: Getting back to the really good stuff now, with a very catchy and memorable melody on this song. Great guitar solo too; haven't quite heard as much of the guitar as I would have liked. Very keyboard driven, as you would expect I guess. And they're back for the powerful, anthemic ending. Though the guitar gets its licks in too. Overall pretty fine. I wouldn't quite go Blue on it, but if there was such thing as a “high” Green, this would probably get it.
11. Epilogue: This is how it has to be: Sort of like an angelic choir (sample vocal chorus I guess) brings this in, then a really sweet guitar takes the tune, which I'm going to guess is an instrumental, though it is quite long, almost six minutes. We're through two of those so far and no vocals. Acoustic guitar coming in on the fourth minute, attended by sprightly organ. Nice piece, but I kind of question the point. The album had ended well enough already, so where was the need for a closing instrumental? Good enough I guess, if slightly bewildering.
Final result: It's a good prog album, nothing wrong with it but then I listen to so much prog (you didn't know? Really?) that for something to grab me it really has to stand out, and this just doesn't. The really good tracks are really good, but they're sort of surrounded, not quite by mediocrity, but let's just say they stand out while the others don't. There's also too much derivativity throughout much of the album. It's well played, well composed, there are some very good tracks on it but they're kind of few and far between, and I couldn't honestly say I'd be too interested in hearing the rest of their material.
Rating:
(Sorry but all YouTubes from this album are blocked)