BREAKING THE CIRCLES FOR A WHILE

Nomads of Hope is the new project from progressive music veterans Ingemo Rylander and Johan Hedren, who hail from bands Kultivator and Ur Kaos in their past. Together since the 1970s, the pair have over the years "collected more or less fragmentary ideas of songs, which eventually gave birth to Nomads of Hope. This history explains the mixture of progressive rock, world music, folk music, ancient music and grunge."

This is a very interesting recording that sounds like few others I've heard. At first play I didn't like it but I'm glad I returned to try again later. The album is very intimate sounding with a somewhat eerie, haunting production. Difficult to describe but it is an unusual sound they mine here. The music covers different styles but the base is an avant folk mixture with a wide variety of unusual instruments being employed. Certain moments can remind me of Peter Gabriel at the beginning of "Don't Give Up" before the vocals begin. Vashti Bunyan. Laura Nyro. Happy Rhodes. Joni Mitchell. Pererin. Ragnarok. Samla Mammas Manna. Those are all very complimentary comparisons whose main theme would be complete freedom and an eclectic spirit. Traditional song structure is not employed here but rather a willingness to experiment and a seeming affinity for trance friendly sounds. Often the two musicians seem connected in vision and the mood of the track but are willing to drift in to their own improvisational spaces from time to time, it makes for fascinating repeated play as one hears new things each time. At times it can seem quite sparse and minimalist with two people using acoustic instruments but at other times it can be just opposite, with so many sounds happening all around, it borders on chaotic frenzy. A wide variance of energy levels. The mood of the music is another pleasure in that the material is for the most part relaxing, uplifting, and quite ethereal. While I think the music itself is every bit as interesting as everyone's favorite underground band Comus, it is hugely different in that this is a positive vibe rather than dark one.

This is rather poor review writing on my part because I can't figure out how to articulate this band properly--it drives me nuts when I can't find the right words to describe a sound. But if you enjoy a very unique prog-folk that is not dark, and has some world music flavor, this is really one to check out. Another highlight of 2014 for me. Thank you Nomads for releasing such a beautiful album.

1. "Breaking the Circles" (3:00) Opens with some heavily treated guitar familiar to me from years ago via Jan Akkerman and The Edge. There is a little PINGVINORKESTERN in Ingemo's vocal's melodic sense. though her soprano floats and lilts over the top of the music sounding a lot like Lush's Miki Berenyi. (9/10)

2. "In The Shadows" (3:21) opens with some heavily treated, layered electric guitars very much like ROBIN GUTHRIE. The vocal enters like a beautiful LUSH song from their first album (Robin Guthrie produced), "Sweetness and Light." Beautiful guitar chord progressions. Some nice Mellotron, too! (9/10)

3. "Every Daybreak" (6:13) opens like a set up on a classic PETER GABRIEL soundtrack song, like from Passion: Soundtrack from The Last Temptation of Christ or Rabbit-Proof Fence or even "Signal to Noise." When Ingemo's gorgeous voice enters it is like none other than KATE BUSH. Awesome layered guitar work. Three songs into it and still not a drum, snap or click to be heard! (9/10)

4. "The Day" (4:26) is, for me, the weakest song on the album. Some abrasive slapped guitar and dirty percussives make an incongruous background to Ingemo's whispery voice. (6/10)

5. "Kindly Winds" (4:17) involves Ingemo's lilting voice floating ethereally over heavily treated piano and guitars and some drums. The song has trouble deciding whether it's going to kick in or hold back. (It holds back.) Some nice guitar lead in the final minute. (7/10)

6. "Politics and Dreams" (5:01) begins very much like an old PETER GABRIEL song with dated electric piano (midied with organ?) Ingemo's vocals are quite strikingly reminiscent of quintessential KATE BUSH. The Celtic-like flutes and hand drums make it even more so. Nice song. (8/10)

7. "Connections" (4:13) opens with a heavily treated guitar strumming with a second less-muddied guitar and bass playing along. Ingemo adds background ghost voices before coming in with an echoed lead vocal. I like the construction of this song--chord progressions and vocal melody. It's quite unusual and alluring. Ingemo's voice styling here is quite a bit like that of KATE BUSH on the "Man with the Child in his Eyes." Quite nice. (9/10)

8. "I Used to Forget" (3:52) opens with an old sounding electric piano before drums, bass and voice join in. Rolling toms like a gently rolling sea accompany Ingemo's layered singing--which sound like KATE BUSH singing with the Mediæval Bæbes. The keyboard interludes sound like a live, over-amped keyboard--"Bob Mayo! Bob Mayo!" (they yelled on Frampton Comes Alive!) Nice flute solo. Awesome song! One of my favorites. (10/10)

9. Hear My Voice" (6:18) opens with some dirty, grungy bass, drums and guitar. Ingemo's voice sounds like she's trying to provide the interpretive glue for the song like Kate Bush, Elisabeth from FUNIN, BJÖRK, or one of the BRAINTICKET chanteuses. Nice chunky bass à la Tony Levin or Bill Laswell. The guitar interplay in the fourth and fifth minutes is awesome and is followed by an equally intriguing weave of voices. Another favorite. (10/10)

10. "Gloomy Silvernight" (5:12) opens kind of Canterbury jazzy with some mediæval folk instruments woven into the mix. A wooden flute pulls the song even more into medieval folk realm, but then it feels equally Indian in its pulsing, snaky, hypnotic weave. The vocal doesn't begin until the 1:46 mark. Once again feels like KATE BUSH--a very breathy, Sensual World-era Kate--in both style and melodic sense. Another awesome favorite. (10/10)

11. "All Nights" (2:56) opens with almost a Rolling Stones guitar sound--a little more treated--and then a very Miki Berenyi (LUSH)-like lead vocal. (8/10)

12. "Water Flowing" (7:32) returns to the familiar PETER GABRIEL/BRIAN ENO/JON HASSELL foundational rhythms and sounds. Singing about the fall of the Berlin Wall, Ingemo's stylistic approach is again very similar to that of KATE BUSH--again, Sensual World era. A Very powerful vocal to go over another beautiful blend of hypnotic music. This is the best song on the album both in terms of content and feeling fully formed and polished. (10/10)

Overall a very pleasant listen--one that draws me in and entices me to push "replay" or "continuous play." I have favorites but it all flows and fits together nicely. And I love the album artwork!

A Solid four star album--excellent addition to any prog lover's album collection.