Customer Reviews

Storms Over Still Water

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Let me preface my remarks by stating right up front that this is not the kind of music that I would typically listen to. I usually gravitate towards jazz-fusion or the classic '70s progressive sound. (See my other reviews.) But this band was referenced many times by other reviews or websites of other prog bands, so I've sampled their music with their "...Anthology..." cd, as well as the recent "Passengers" and this new cd, "Storms Over Still Waters".

Initially I felt that Mostly Autumn's music was too derivative of other bands, a little slow-paced and formulaic. But I did enjoy the vocals, the catchy refrains and the long, slow guitar solo outro's to many of the songs (reminiscent of Pink Floyd's "Comfortably Numb" or "On The Turning Away"). I certainly didn't WORSHIP any of their cd's, as some of the ardent fans of this band undoubtedly do. BUT....there was always something - enchanting? mysterious? dangerous yet hopeful? - that had me returning to the cds for another listen. I must be gradually succumbing to their charms - this band is VERY GOOD.

If you're familiar with the Mostly Autumn sound, "SOSW" entertains with the usual MA fantasy/contemplative/poetic lyrics, sung well by Bryan Josh and Heather Findlay, the latter of whom gets a little more aggressive in spots on this CD. Three-minute songs start off the album; I was almost surprised at the brevity of the songs, especially when they're good and you'd like to see how far the band could go with them. The three longer songs that end the album are more typical of the Mostly Autumn song structure, and EXCELLENT ones at that (loosely held together with the sound of rushing wind between songs).

Overall, I like this album better than any that the band has done before it, and I do think it is very good. Personally, it dragged a bit for me in the middle few tracks where MA didn't seem to break any new ground and stretch out like they have the ability to do. And the two short instrumentals on the CD ("Coming To..." and the album closer "Tomorrow") are unremarkable as stand-alone pieces, and probably could have been worked into certain passages of other songs. But Mostly Autumn is developing a much more unique sound as a band, and showing a greater variety of songs on their recent albums. There are still some Celtic references, but those are better balanced with some heavier passages too. And the production and recording quality of this cd is just fabulous - a real treat for your aural pleasure!

Mostly Autumn is definitely more folk and classic rock than traditional prog, but there's also an overall technical proficiency to the band that allows it to overlap into the progressive rock domain. Their songwriting continues to be impressive, and they can cast a subtle spell over the listener if one simply leans back and lets the words and music wash over him/her. I recommend this cd as the best from a very entertaining band.

I value interesting music that is played and recorded well. This cd's rating was based on:
Music quality = 8.3/10; Performance = 8.5/10; Production = 9.5/10; CD length = 10/10.
Overall score weighted on my proprietary scale = 8.7 ("4 stars")

My first reaction was, "Josh is singing in his own voice!" As he has always sounded to me like David Gilmour (whom I love of course, but each singer has to have their own voice. I hope he keeps exploring his own unique sound.)

The cd opens with "OUT OF THE GREEN SKY" which is a terrific rocking (gasp) opener with Josh and Heather singing back in forth in turn accompanied by sweeping guitar back ups and the entire band putting everything they have into it. Passion! Awesome! One of their best openers ever and a definite favorite of mine.

"BROKEN GLASS" keeps the momentum sky rocketing from the energy of the first song. I love how Heather and Angela back Josh up being the harmony to his melody--it's interesting and very well done. This is one of the saddest songs lyrically on the album: "I left my dreams in broken glass the foreign scent of loneliness silent sorrow now. I'm running just as hard as I can giving everything I have, everything that's left inside..."Lord how will it end?" [One thing is for sure, I'm not leaving a single dream in broken glass! Why not you as well? We can make them into reality by sheer determination and hard work, never giving up. And in matters of the heart, this song reminds me to be thankful and blessed for knowing someone even if they seem to have left, they probably haven't because love never ends.]

"GHOST IN DREAMLAND" is third which kicks back into the first song's passion and intensity with Heather singing over and over "Find my way back home." She makes the song very engaging by singing softly and then as the song crescendos she rises up to the occassion. Heather is one of the best singers I've heard and a favorite singer of mine. "Frozen horses pulling me up to the sky, heavy stars are pulling me into the storm....spinning and spinning and spinning alone," GID is a gorgeous song complete with meaningful lyrics as are on all of the songs. Music with a message. Love it.

And here comes some soothing, exquisite flute of Angela which begins something of which all MA fans adore, Heather's solos, this one being "HEART LIFE." What is so pleasing here, besides Heather's heartfelt, lovely voice is Angela Gordon's remarkably stunning backup vocals in the chorus...WOW! She makes Heather sound even better than alone. Makes me think of the lovely harmony of the Wilson sisters in Heart. Heather wrote the lyrics and co-wrote the song with Josh. Any music she touches I love. Lyric sample: "Smoke curling wind whispers a leafy lullaby, spellbound the fingers of the trees caress the sky..." Definitely a favorite of mine.

Heather sings again in "THE END OF THE WORLD." And to bring back the balance of all that MA stands for Josh comes in and rocks it up a bit. And again, he and Heather take turns back and forth, female and male vocals--the yin and yang effect--just fabulous. And one of the main components of MA's winning formula. And this song isn't even one of my favorites! But it's just gleaming! I like the "rock" effect they have begun to get into in SOSW and hope it continues. It definitely does in the next track, one of my favorites on here, "BLACK RAIN." "...Do you see the fires burning? We're gonna need some of that universal love...Did no one tell you there'd be thunder, lightning? Oh we're heading for Black Rain, oh if we don't change." Josh and Heather again sing back and forth on this song too. I love it. It's only one of their winning formulas though. Mostly Autumn is FAMILY. They all bring their best to the music and build each other up with selfless joy and in doing so, the music Scintillates. There's no egos here fighting for the spotlight. They are all in the spotlight constantly in my book because of this fact! What a refreshing, precious and rare find in a band! Love it!

"COMING TO" is a short instrumental leading up to another "winning formula" of theirs a long, epic piece of music, "CANDLE TO THE SKY" but this is actually a teaser (not really as it lasts over eight minutes) as the last song is always the epic. Another of their "winning formulas." Of all the songs, CTTS reminds me most of Pink Floyd by whom they have been heavily influenced since the beginning but they are moving away from that and finding who they really are which I have to admit, I've been wishing for. I love Pink Floyd though, don't get me wrong. I just want MA to BE MA. As David Gilmour said, "Don't copy something, copy how it makes you feel." I believe they are doing that more and more in their music. Bravo!

When I first heard "CARPE DIEM," although it was stunning I was a bit disappointed because it means "Seize Life" so I was hoping it would be their ultimate ROCK OUT song! It's not. However this is actually one of my favorites. Heather follows her heart and as she states in the song, "These days are a privilege they must be seized" she does seize my heart in this and I think that was the band's desired effect, to make the listener think about a better way, a higher path. The song is inspired by the events of Boxing Day, 26th December 2004. "Carpe Diem" actually does rock it out a bit in the end and it sure to please and it leads up to their finale and title track, "Storms Over Still Water."

"STORMS OVER STILL WATER" took me more than one listen to fully appreciate. I think I was comparing it to one of my favorite epic finales of theirs, "Mother Nature" from 'The Last Bright Light' which isn't fair. I must say that Josh impressed me the most with his singing probably on this song. As I said at the beginning of this review, he has found his voice. Great job, Josh! You guys are reaching the summit! Don't stop!

As SOSW ends with an instrumental titled "TOMORROW," I fully see this as a promise of a Great tomorrow and expect their next album to the best yet. Until then, SOSW is likely my favorite of theirs but it is hard to say as I love each and every album. You need Mostly Autumn's music. I give 'Storms Over Still Water' a very high recommendation. o8E "Dance, spin, run like a child" and---Soar!

I can't seem to talk about Mostly Autumn without repeating what I've said about them before. Their defining characteristics are present here as always: top-notch songwriting, a magical way with melody, a skill at blending hard rock with occasional folksy touches, beautiful atmospheres that fill every sonic space possible. Think Porcupine Tree crossed with Sandy Denny with a huge dose of Pink Floyd and you'd be scratching the surface.. and yet again, they've made an album that unmistakably changes their sound. We're hearing a rawer & darker MA than ever here, though just as majestic & powerful. Heather Findlay still has one of the most stunning voices you'll ever hear, Bryan Josh's guitar work would make David Gilmour proud, and the whole band brings a passion to the music that's only intensified with each release. In most hands the tendency toward grand sweeping song structures would have become a cliche long before now, but they're still staying down to earth enough to make it all work.

High points? Almost everything. "Out of the Green Sky" is slow and almost grungy, setting the perfect brooding-yet-captivating tone for the rest of the disc. "Heart Life" gives the best kind of sultry spine-tingling chills and is definitely in the running for Greatest MA Ballad Ever. The band rocks out more than before (e.g. the hard-driving "Black Rain" or the souped-up "Broken Glass"), which adds another allure for anyone who fell in love with "Never the Rainbow" as much as I did. There's hardly a complaint to make, except maybe "The End of the World" which has silly lyrics and meanders without much of a climax, but that's just one little flaw.

Their tradition in the past has been to conclude with a grand soul-kissing epic, and they go all-out here - we get *three* eight-minute masterpieces in a row, each more stunning than the last. "Candle to the Sky" runs the gamut from drifting ambience to a heavy singsong chorus soaring through the heavens. "Carpe Diem" is a bittersweet ballad carried by a melt-worthy Findlay performance. The title track brings everything together into the perfect eargasmic finale with the perfect guitar solo. Any one of them would have made a worthy high point in its own right; having all three strung together is almost too much beauty to handle.

Even with the insane amount of music I enjoy, I've still found hardly anyone else that transports me the way Mostly Autumn does. Any one of their discs would make a great way to begin; if you've got a human side, chances are you'll like them too.

I love this album! I think it is absolutely awesome, especially the song, "Storms Over Still Water." I listen to Mostly Autumn more than anything else I own. And, I own a lot! I recommend this and all the music by Mostly Autumn highly!

When I heard the first four songs on this album, I was stunned.

They were flat, lifeless, uninspired, cliched.

This was a sore disappointment, because at their best ("The Last Bright Light"), Mostly Autumn is one of the best prog bands around.

I almost didn't continue.

Fortunately, I did.

And I was rewarded. The last 7 songs are brilliant: varied, unpredictable, soaring, delicate, involving. Songs 5-11 get back to Mostly Autumn's great strength: a wonderful blend of Pink Floyd and Enya (or maybe Kate Bush).

These songs are truly fine, and make the album worthwhile.

But I wish they had junked the tired pop of the first 4 songs and waited for more inspiration before releasing the whole package.

Storms is the Mostly's latest studio release and is perhaps there best work yet. However, if you are just getting in to this Band, I would recommend the 2CD anthology to start with to get the historical feel of the Band. Next I would buy The Story So Far live DVD and then the V Shows live DVD. By that time you will be permanently addicted to these guys. Now you are ready to buy Passengers and Storms and the rest of their back catalogue. I can't wait for their next CD scheduled for sometime in 2006. If you like intelligent prog and classic rock, like Floyd, Genesis, Tull, Deep Purple, Yes, Barclay James Harvest, Rennaisance, Caravan, Camel, etc., but are looking for something new, fresh, original and leading edge, then this Band is a must to try on.