“What Lies Beneath” is an album by keyboard player and singer-songwriter Mike Kershaw, who has released several albums over the past few years both under his own name and under the moniker of “Relocate to Heathrow”. While it’s promoted as a progressive rock record the focus here is on songwriting rather than complex instrumentation. It boasts an impressive supporting cast with, amongst others, past and present members of Galahad, Also Eden and Fractal Mirror.
Unfortunately the album gets off to a very poor start; nine-minute opener “Gunning for the Gods” combines cheap and nasty 80s synth sounds with a borderline unlistenable vocal performance and comes over as The Folkie from Viz fronting a second-rate neo-prog tribute act. The next couple of songs aren’t quite as god-awful, but neither are they particularly memorable.
It’s only once you get into the second half of the record that things improve. Much of the time Kershaw does sing within his limitations, and while his vocals never rise beyond workmanlike he manages to avoid ruining the songs. The highlights are “Two Eyes” with some delightful melodic guitar work, the Floydian “Another Disguise”, and the atmospheric ballad “Wounds”, the last of which features Tom Slatter on vocals. In the end, the closing track “The City of My Dreams” epitomises both the album’s strengths and weaknesses; a very flat vocal drags down what could have bought the album to a soaring epic conclusion.
This is a curate’s egg of record; Kershaw clearly has plenty of worthwhile ideas as a composer and arranger, and Gareth Cole’s guitar work is impressive throughout. But the way the one track with a guest vocalist stands out leaves you with the impression that Kershaw might have been better off working with a proper lead singer able to bring the material to life rather than singing most of the lead vocals himself.
Haken are one of the best of the current generation of progressive rock bands. They combine the required level of instrumental virtuosity with a degree of songcraft and compositional skills unmatched by most of their peers. The band came of age with their third album “The Mountain” when they transcended influences from Zappa to Gentle Giant to created a clear musical identity of their own. After the rather more experimental EP “Restoration”, they’re back with their fourth full-length album, “Affinity”, and it might just be the best thing they’ve done.
There is no other band quite like Knifeworld. Led by Cardiacs and Gong alumnus Kavus Torabi, the eight-piece band with their unique brand of horn-driven psychedelia with added bassoon has made a big impact on the festival circuit over the last couple of years.
Wytch Hazel are a band with an unashamedly retro sound. Their connection with the New Wave of British Heavy Metal goes beyond having a name that includes the word “Wytch”; vocalist and guitarist Colin Hendra has also done a stint with a recent incarnation of NWOBHM stalwarts Angelwitch.
Kiama are a supergroup side-project comprising Magenta’s Rob Reed on bass and keys, Maschine’s Luke Machin on guitar, Shadow of the Sun’s Dylan Thompson on vocals, and Andy Edwards on drums. While some of the pre-release publicity encourages expectations of something in the spirit of the classic hard rock of Led Zeppelin and Rainbow, the finished album is something rather different.
Former Touchstone frontwoman Kim “Elkie” Seviour kicks off her solo career with the single “Fantasise to Realise”. It’s a dramatic record that combines a big pulsing dance rhythm and rock guitars with a soaring vocal performance that suggests the best may be yet to come for Kim as a singer. It’s the sort of things that deserves to be a dancefloor hit if you can find enough clubs that aren’t frightened of guitars.
“The Nostalgia Factory” by John Mitchell is the first release by White Star Records. Aside from a couple of backing vocals by former Touchstone singer Kim Seviour. John Mitchell plays and sings everything on this record himself. The only thing he didn’t do this time is write the songs. Though he’s a songwriter so prolific other musicians can’t keep up with him, this four-song EP is a record of covers.
Along with the likes of Knifeworld, Purson and fellow Finns Jess and the Ancient Ones, Finland’s Hexvessel bring the weird and wonderful world of late 60s psychedelia into the 21st century. Song titles like “Transparent Eyeball” and “Cosmic Dreams” make it clear where they’ve coming from, even if calling a song “Mushroom Spirit Doors” does sound as though they’re taking the piss.
Suede were always one of the more interesting bands from the Britpop era. Their dark lyrical themes and sometimes florid music meant they little in common with the likes of Oasis or Blur.
Along with the likes of Chantel McGregor and Jodie Marie, Rebecca Downes is a female blues-rock artist revitalising a traditional form for the 21st century, in her case turning down offers from X-Factor producers because she’d rather make real music of her own than someone else’s formulaic product.