GODBLUFF

Ahhhhhhh, this is more like it! Finally, after having several years to mature his style, Hammill is back at the helm of VDGG Mark II, and the band was never more at the top of their game. Compared to the amateur experimentation of Pawn Hearts, Godbluff is a true masterpiece album; unlike previous releases, Godbluff boasts no musical loose ends and no lyrical cliches, in other words, none of the crap which marred their earlier work. I simply adore this album- every song on this album is so well constucted and executed, I am in awe to describe it. Godbluff represents a dramatic change in approach for VDGG- a tight, clever, and more straightforward jazz rock replaces the shodily constructed drones and seemingly random, psycedelic trips of the first period, and the lyrics rely less on fiction and fantasy and more on subtle imagery and metaphor to get the point across. In short, the band were persuing a much more direct, calculating, and ultimately successful aesthetic vision. This one is a must get, if for the closing track alone. The Sleepwalkers is a truely bizarre, dark, and all-out rocking piece that captures the new VDGG at their essense. Hammill's performance on this one is stunning, and is worth the price of the record alone (but don't just download it here- the record has three other tunes which are also phenomenal). I urge all fans of clever and deep prog to get this one. Bested by Still Life? Perhaps by some tracks on that one, but without a doubt, Godbluff is the Graaf's most consistently great creation.