IF IT CARRIES ON LIKE THIS WE ARE MOVING TO MORECAMBE

Last month I could listen to Matt Stevens' last solo album, which I really loved. This time I was informed he was about to release a new album, but now with a band. I was really interested and did not hesitate listening to it, and now I can say I am pleased once again. The name of this project is 'The Fierce and the Dead', a trio that consists on Stevens (guitar) Kev Feazey (bass and synth), and Stuart Marshall (drums). The album features ten compositions that make a total time of 37 minutes. It kicks off with 'Flint'. The first two minutes are like an explosion that is progressing little by little. Then the bass lines mark the rhythm, nice drums appear and the sweet guitar creates a soft post-rock feeling, and a charming sound. There are some minor changes while the music passes, but the rhythm is constant and the sound really enjoyable. 'Part 2' starts with a bass line for some seconds, and later drums and guitar join. The sound may be repetitive but addictive at the same time, Stevens guitar work is really delicious and that can be transmitted in each and every of his notes. The first two minutes are gentle, sweet, charming, but all of a sudden it explodes and creates a powerful yet disarming sound. Later it slows down again and finishes as it began. The third track reminds me a lot of some older post-rock acts. The mellow and sweet sound of this two-minute track called 'The Wait' will make you feel comfortable and pleased, even tranquil. With 'H.R.' that feeling disappears and instead, here I can sense some kind of tension, a story of someone waiting for something to happen, until it actually happens. After two minutes the song explodes and that tension becomes a chaos, the sound is of course, louder. 'Hotel No.6' brings a curious atmosphere. I imagine several things in each song, here, after that previous chaos, I imagine the person (imaginary character) being calmed down, resting and thinking of what is coming next; like a moment of reflection and reaction. On the other hand, I also imagined some kind of natural death, the last moments before all goes dark and your soul vanishes.

But wait'you were not dead, you now realize how difficult life is, so you want to escape somehow. That's what I think ofwhen I listen to the nervous and powerful 'Landcrab', a two- minute explosion where drums and guitars take over and decide your destiny. 'Daddies Little Helper' is now something completely different. The charming sound and the post-rock feeling returns. The bass notes are pretty nice and the atmosphere created really friendly. Additionally, here they invited a guest musician, whose saxophone sound is exquisite and fits the occasion. I love when it reaches the third minute, that passage where the drums are announcing another explosion, but all of a sudden the song changes, the sax returns and all together the instruments make an electronic-funk experimental track - weird, but cool. 'Woodchip' is the shortest composition. An electronic and atmospheric interlude, nothing more. '10x10' has a wonderful texture. I love how it progresses while the seconds pass, how more elements are being added, and how the repetition of rhythms creates a true interaction between music and person. The last minute is emotional and particularly good. The album finishes with 'Andy Fox', which happens to be the longest track. This may be the most complex and ambitious song of them all, here they know how to share their feelings, how to put people in the mood and how to use the instruments at the right moment. I mean, I love the piano sound here, the slow-tempo rhythm bass and drums, and once again, the saxophone. All of them create several feelings for me, and a sense of satisfaction. After four minutes the music turns louder and stronger, but at the same time disarming and purely emotional, something that the listener really has to thank.

What a great debut of this new project. I hope they continue with this positive path, and give us (even) better albums in the future. My final grade will be 4 stars.

Enjoy it!

UK progster Matt Stevens has been receiving some noticeable attention lately, with his solo material becoming talk of the walk among prog circles. The Fierce & The Dead is a band of his, and this act is where Stevens appears to throw all of his post-rock inspiration. After a couple of mini-albums, the band has come out with their debut, 'If It Carries On Like This We Are Moving To Morecambe'. Eclectic is one word I would use to describe what goes on with this album, although everything sticks within a post-rock genre. Post-rock is often a hit- or-miss type of music for time, and this album has a share of both hits and misses, although the pros happen to outweigh the cons.

Here, my strongest reaction was from the sheer diversity of different post-rock styles this band was hopping between. Here, I am hearing Godspeed You! Black Emperor explorations, the cinematic harmonies of Explosions In The Sky, the dissonant meandering of And So I Watch You From Afar, and even jazz blending that I might hear from the genre's more adventurous musicians. Keep in mind that none of these styles are really mixed together to create a common identity for this album. Instead, what we have are a sample of the styles within post-rock that must have stuck out most for this band, and they then chose to dabble with each of them, presumably to see how it turned out. Remarkably enough, more or less everything here pulls through. The album opens with an interesting concrete sound experiment, using plenty of digital loops and what-have-you, and later in the album I am hearing guitars express everything from anger to romantic beauty. The Fierce & The Dead's best emulation of a style is likely the times where they go for the Explosions In The Sky feel; they really manage to batter down that minimalistic, yet bright and uplifting feel.

Of course, the problem with an album that seems defined on copying others is that inherent lack of originality that comes with it. It's true that The Fierce & The Dead could have put their own spin on these styles, but that simply is not the case for the most part. Here, I am not hearing a band with an identity play, but rather a trio of skilled musicians paying a respectable tribute to the icons of post-rock. That isn't so much a bad thing as it is a disappointment. The fact that these guys are able to imitate a style so well makes me wonder what an album of theirs would sound like if they went their own way with it. The most original and striking thing I heard on this album was the last track of the album, in which they finally start getting something a little more refreshing together and a saxophone solo even comes to lead the band away. That is what I want to hear form the band, more moments where I get excited, rather that cock my head in nostalgia for the times I was listening to other post-rock bands.

The Fierce & The Dead are certainly an able group, and there's really only one thing (albeit a large one) that's keeping them from fulfilling their talents. Their debut is rather promising, but I need more from this band before I can say I'm really impressed.