STILL LIFE

Only six months later, the band released Still Life. "Pilgrims" kicks off with gentle, almost Canterbury-sounding organ. Hammill's vocals are delicate, and there's a jazzy character to the rhythm. It swells and recedes nicely; this is one of the band's more straightforward songs from their classic era.

Next comes the album's title track. The opening is understated, much like the preceding cut. It takes a few minutes to get going, but eventually Banton's organ gains some crunch, and Jackson's saxes add some staccato punch. In contrast to its impactful middle section, "Still Life" ends on a minimal voice-and-piano passage.

"La Rossa" jumps into things more quickly, and I get echoes of both "Lemmings" and "The Sleepwalkers" from this piece. This opening passage is loud and maximal, and I like how forward the bass is. Moving into the song's middle, things slow down, but there's still a sense of menace and darkness to it. Despite this song's length, it feels like one coherent, evolving piece, as opposed to some multi-part suite.

Side two opens with the smooth, sentimental saxophone of "My Room (Waiting for Wonderland)". This song's first passage is unhurried, and even when the band switches things up in its second half, they keep the tempo on the slower end of things. The arrangement is simple and allows the individual instruments room to breathe, as opposed to some of the smothering organ-and-sax passages on Still Life's first side.

Closing things out is "Childlike Faith in Childhood's End", one of my favorite VdGG songs. The opening flute arrangement is fittingly sweet for the title, and anxious currents soon cut their way through the song. As things move along, the urgency increases, and Banton's organ swirls commandingly. Hammill's voice is as powerful as ever here, and his lyrics really enhance things. In the second half, weird jazz flavors affect the instrumentals, particularly Jackson's saxophones. The conclusion is huge and important-sounding; it's an exceptionally strong climax.

Review originally posted here: theeliteextremophile.com/2023/07/10/deep-dive-van-der-graaf-generator/