LEAVES

Nine Stones Close

Leaves

Adrian Jones is not a man that likes to be pigeon-holed. His involvement with the spectacular The Path of Least Existence by Jet Black Sea (the duo of Jones and Michel Simons) brilliantly showcased his love of the experimental, soundscapes and instrumental workouts. With the latest album by Nine Stones Close, he has once again shown he is not afraid to push the boundaries.

Leaves, the fourth outing for the Anglo-Dutch outfit, shows such a change and development in sound, that some may wonder if it was recorded by the same band. That said, only two-fifths of the line-up that recorded 2012's ,One Eye On The Sunrise feature here. Adrian Jones (guitarist / driving force behind the band) and Pieter van Hoorn (drums) remain. The new recruits are Christiaan Bruin (keyboards), Peter Groen (bass) and most significantly Adrian (AiO) O' Shaughnessy (vocals).

Previous Nine Stones Close albums have always had a distinctive, atmospheric sound with nods to bands such as Pink Floyd, running through them. Amongst this, Jones has never been afraid to use introspective lyrics and with this album, Nine Stones Close has moved more deeply into that territory with their music too. Long-time fans of the band will no doubt find this surprising at first and there will certainly be some who will find O'Shaughnessy's vocals a little difficult to adjust to, such is his difference in style to Marc Atkinson. Therein lays the beauty of this album. It would have been easy to find a vocalist closer in range and technique to Atkinson and simply carry on. This album is heavier, darker and infinitely more brooding than any of its predecessors. With this in mind, the performance of O'Shaughnessy fits perfectly. In any case, Jones has never taken the easy route or the soft option. During the making of this album, over an hours' worth of material was shelved and the entire writing process re-started, such was his desire to make this album a real statement of intent.

And so to the songs themselves.

Opener, Complicated (on release for several weeks before the full album) clocks in at five minutes dead and is the shortest track on the album by another five. It is immediately apparent that this is a new Nine Stones Close and while Complicated isn't completely indicative of what's to come, it is enough of an appetiser to show that the band really is onto something different here. The lush keyboard introduction hails back to sounds of previous albums but the arrival of the driving bass and a staccato guitar riff, take us somewhere totally new. Within the first minute, the lyrics reveal just how dark this journey is going to be. "Another scar, another day, just want to close my eyes". Even by his standards, Jones' has really opened himself up on this album and the lyrical darkness is a constant throughout. Written well after the other tracks on the album, it must have been an easy decision to place Complicated first in the running order, as it makes a bold statement about the new line-up and new sound in a short space of time. Without being a throwaway track by any means, with Complicated placed here, it seems introductions are made and the serious business can truly begin.

The next four tracks, which comprise the dark heart of the album, are all at least ten minutes long and allow for deep exploration of the band's new direction. This album hasn't been designed to be an easy listen; it needs time to really get under the skin.

Second track Goldfish is a sprawling, inspiring and frankly superb thirteen minute epic warning against the hypnotic effect of 24 hour media. The track builds superbly, "I watch TV, I hit the key, desire on demand" sings O'Shaughnessy in the opening moments, pulling us into a dreamlike trance. Grunge influences are strong in this song but there is great diversity between the different sections. There are moments taking us back to Fugazi-era Marillion (particularly on the guitar solo during the final quarter) and there are several flashes that wouldn't be out of place on one of Steven Wilson's most recent solo outings. It may just be the best thing the band has ever produced.

Lie, just a few seconds short of ten minutes, is the closest we get to prog-metal on the album and stakes its claim as the heaviest and dirtiest track in the Nine Stones Close canon. The louder instrumental sections demonstrate just how well the rhythm duo has gelled; Peter Groen plays like he's been here all along. It also gives much credence to the view that Jones' approach to guitar on this album contributes fully to the band's engine room. As part of an album with intense, ominous lyrics it's hard to point to any moments of light. Lie continues this, "I'm obsolete and replete, I dance to your beat and sing your song". Jones writes lyrics which invite deeper analysis and Lie is no exception.

Up next is Spoils, the longest track on the album at sixteen-and-a-half minutes, which twists and turns like an espionage thriller. There's definitely an element of Led Zeppelin in the chemistry between the guitars and the keyboards in the first half and also in the chunky chords of the latter section. Spoils, like most of the album, has so many layers, haunting, echoing, distant vocals can be heard in the quieter sections, that much praise should be given to the mix and mastering of sound engineer Paul Van Zeeland. The sinister, sombre lyrical themes don't let up throughout. "Keep this up, cellophane lie, forget the world, forget people, forget love"

Rounding off the album is the fourteen minute title track. It is the most atmospheric, ethereal track on the album with a drone-like sound and a lyric that is forever searching for some kind of freedom; "Seems I only drink when I'm drowning, at least that's what I tell myself, yeah?I only drink when I'm drowning, guess I just don't swim too well." It's lengthy build up brings to mind, structurally if not musically, A Few Words For The Dead from Marillion's Radiation album. Leaves is a slow burning epic closer which builds an enigmatic theme with empyreal guitar and quiet but insistent cymbal, before exploding eight minutes in. Portentous bass and a questioning, anguished vocal, (Did I ever really live my life?), bringing the main part of the song to a close. That leaves us with the beautiful piano-based coda, based on a guitar part from earlier in the track. After an album of solemnity, perhaps this displays the hope that should never be fully driven from us or maybe its melancholic timbre validates the fact that in the end, we all "leave".

Leaves is an intense emotional journey and those looking for an album of background music or one that will click into place on first listen should look elsewhere. This album grows and claws at you with each play. The direction the band has taken shows not only courage but the unwillingness to stand still. The new line-up should rightfully be proud of such a work and they deserve this album to take them to the next level.

Where Nine Stones Close goes next will be of great interest but I can only hope that in this age of speed, instant information and "goldfish", listeners will give such a worthy opus the time it deserves.

Sombre expanses, decidedly forceful environments and desolate reactivity. Nine Stones Close (NSC) have altered their state, moved beyond the zone of calm twilight and flung themselves into a completely different sonic dominion. A rather massive shake-up of personnel was at the forefront of such an adjustment as Adrian Jones on guitars and drummer Pieter Van Hoorn have re-tooled their muse, bringing in talented Dutch keyboardist Christiaan Bruin (who has a few albums under the 'Chris' moniker), bassist Peter Groen and a versatile Irish vocalist Aio O'Shaughnessy (Frameshift) . Adrian's fabulous Jet Black Sea project obviously tailored a new and fresh direction, a stark universe loaded with intensity and gloom. While quite a new experience from their previous works, their melancholic nature is forever present, now heightened by a sharper palette as well as a more masculine vocal presence that does take a little getting used to at first.

Things start out in classic form on 'Complicated', a brooding mood swings in the atmospherics and little time is wasted to introduce Adrian's scratchy guitar and Aio's rather exalted vocals , elevating the power levels to raunch and launch, the driving bass and van Hoorn's powerful drum fills giving all the support needed. Angry and, well ''complicated'! Sinuously seductive with a dash of sonic perversity, this could have been a heavy Porcupine Tree styled song, if not for the more urgent vocal stylistics. Short and to the point, welcome to the new NSC!

The next 4 tracks are all 10 minute + affairs, so this is a dense, developed to the gills opus that provides immense depth and width. First up, 'Goldfish' is a whopping expanse of annoyed ambiance, heavily drenched in cyclical psychedelia that forges mood over matter, feeling over formula. Fizzy somnolence allied with electric rage, there is a panorama of emotions that span the gamut, from anguish to irritation, showing little penchant for platitude. Adrian laces a myriad of licks, bites and chomps to the synthesized stew, at times clanging, chiming and ringing chords to great effect, using some slide guitar phrasings to add some garnish. Bruin remains discreet, effectively coloring the arrangement with tons of modern flourishes, rich in electronic effervescence. Aio languishes in his lament, cuing the rhythm section to forcefully kick in the door and let the power enter the fray, brutally and uncompromisingly! A tremendous epic track of the highest order.

The bittersweet expression of 'Lie' is totally unexpected, an oblique, raw, almost dissonant and grungy piece that exhorts a desire to stupefy and confront. This is a heavy, greasy and unshaven colossus, hinting toward a more hurricane-like delivery that yearns for discomfort and sleaziness. The stunning vocals are desperate, almost frenetic, hence quite the polar opposite of the more feminine (but brilliant) style of Marc Atkinson. The insistent rough guitar shrapnel pains, threatens and scars the uninitiated listener, all kinds of interesting stylistic experiments that truly are progressive in terms of evolutionary context. Yes, this is more demanding and complex that the previous NSC works, requiring open-mindedness, participation and concentration. Adrian outro solo is agonizingly stellar.

The longest track, 'Spoils' clocks in over 16 minutes, an adventure in progressive mastery that may remind some fans of PTree's glorious epic 'Anesthetize', in that it stretches the scope from hushed romanticism to hysterical abandon, with every other emotion in between. The balls it takes to leave a man and a microphone alone with scarcely any accompaniment is quite the gamble, as Aio hurls forward his wounded venom, until the rage explodes like some monstrous cyclone of dread and doom. The Led Zeppelin (a la Kashmir) riff will catch you unaware (even if I gave it away), a sudden and booming elevation into the upper territories of bombastic symphonic prog, Aio bellowing and blaring with unchecked sizzle. This teeter-tottering between black and white, once soft and then hard is expertly displayed, in the most convincing manner by all the instrumentalists as well as the lead singer, each focused on the prize. The lyrical content is dour, pessimistic and flat out despondent. Another sensational but arduous ride, squeezing the soul with apparent impunity.

The final and title track is the clincher, a tremendous opus stamped with genius of unparalleled proportions, displaying incredible restraint and creative intelligence, Peter Groen in particular doing some finesse work on his bass guitar, Adrian caressing his frets with vivacious delicacy, the subtle jazzy drum filling and Aio's muttering grievance, all in tune as if in a gentle and relaxed bubble, waiting for the release. When he states 'I only drink when I am drowning', the sheer brilliance hits you like a ton of bricks, the soporific voice reminding one of vocalists such as Steve Hoggarth or early Mark Hollis, undeterred by the clever electronic keyboard barrage. The impression that this fleeting feeling can go on forever is slashed by a whopping guitar solo, a crescendo slowly building up momentum and passion that is purely mesmerizing. With more astute lyrics like 'Have you ever seen the light, have you ever lived your life', the realization that both artist and spectator are in a symbiotic pleasure dome that has achieved the loftiest level of intensity: aching beauty, delirious melancholia and the coalescence of simplicity. The finale is grandiose and explosive, proof is in the undeniable impression of sonic afterglow.

If a fan of the heavy progressive scene, you will find all the challenges that you need to continually discover new twists within tracks you may hear many more times gain, it's just THAT dense. It's not an easy listen, no fluff, no respite, no ballad, no top-ten attempt. The Porcupine has chopped down its Tree, perhaps it's time to rake in the 'Leaves'.

Just plain amazing!

5 Shrubberies

'Leaves' is the most recent offering from English/Dutch (and now Irish!) band Nine Stones Close, and if you're reading this review, you are probably already aware of their previous offerings ('St. Lo', 'Traces', 'One Eye on the Sunrise'). If you are a fan of any or all of these albums, let me say this simply: you owe it to yourself to listen to their newest album. It is a brilliant piece of work from start to finish.

One thing NSC have never been accused of is sitting on their laurels, and 'Leaves' is no exception. Most notable is the change in vocalist: Marc Atkinson is out, and Irishman Adrian O'Shaughnessy is the new man on vocals. NSC have also recruited a new keyboard player (Christiaan Bruin) as well as a new bass player (Peter Groen), so it should come as no surprise to anyone that we have some changes in sound here. Rest assured, however, that mastermind of the group Adrian Jones (guitar) is still on board, as is the incredible drummer Pieter van Hoorn. Adrian O'Shaughnessy is a much more muscular vocalist that Marc Atkinson, with a vocal style and range more oriented towards heavier music, and that vocal power is required on 'Leaves': this is a darker, heavier album than anything NSC have released previously. That's not to say that this album doesn't sound like a NSC album: the songwriting is, to these ears, a very logical progression from OEotS, but the arrangements here are often considerably more guitar-oriented and distorted than on their previous albums. And they make it work, believe me. Your first listen to this album may be a bit disconcerting, but by the end of your second listen, this album will definitely make sense as a Nine Stones Close album. This is a progressive album, in the truest sense of the word, by a band that does not believe in doing things the easy way.

This remarkable album clocks in at just under an hour, with only five songs present: opener 'Complicated' is the runt of the litter at only five minutes in length; this is followed by 'Goldfish' (12:47), 'Lie' (9:59), 'Spoils' (16:35) and the title track 'Leaves' (13:45). Rest assured that there is no dead weight in any of these longer songs: they develop, evolve, progress and move ever-forward, never outstaying their welcome. I won't review each song individually, as there are other reviews online which do this in great detail, and probably better written than I could manage! I will say, though, that the wide range of influences on show throughout this album - King Crimson, Pink Floyd, Alice in Chains, Soundgarden, Porcupine Tree, Marillion - are combined to produce an album that manages to never sound like anyone other than Nine Stones Close. Perhaps an more aggressive NSC than we've heard before, but with a lot of fascinating things to say, both musically and lyrically. Do yourself a favour and listen.