THE DEPTHS OF WINTER

Review # 73 Tiger MothTales is the personal project of the English singer and multi-instrumentalist Peter Jones. The Depths of Winter is his 3rd release, that comes after Cocoon (2014) and Story Tellers Part.1 (2015).

When I learn about his new albumI felt really excited, and I couldn't wait to listen to his new material. I was a little bit surprised by the overall style of the album, because it is more 'serious' and more melancholic than his previous 2 albums; so I had to listen to it a few times in order to feel familiar with it. Especially in comparison with Story Tellers, that was a fun and rather happy album, the difference in the major style and sound is more than obvious.

If I had to compare this album with his 2 previous ones, I would say that I could place it over Cocoon, and below Story Tellers. It includes some wonderful melodies, like for example Winter Maker; which I can't stop listening to, or Hygge, with the strong Genesis influences. Another song that I have to point out is The Ballad of Longshanks John.

There are 3 long (over 10 minutes) songs here, all of them very interesting ones; Winter Maker, Exposure and The Tears of Frigga. But as I wrote above, Winter Maker is the best of them by far.

Another very interesting point here is that despite that Tiger Moth Tales is a one-man-band, the sound is very rich, and not depending on keyboards like many other one-man-bands and projects. If you don't know that, is not possible to guess that every instrument here is played by only one person. And for that, it gains lots of points from me.

I can't say that I'm perfectly pleased or disappointed by that album, simply because I was expecting something very different. Well, maybe I'll have to wait for Story Tellers Pt.2 for that. But the truth is that The Depths of Winter is a very serious and well-made piece of work. For that reason, I will give 3.5 stars. (But I will rate it with 4.0)

Multi-instrumentalist (and Camel live keyboard player) Pete Jones is back with his third album under the name Tiger Moth Tales, and this time he has brought in some friends to assist him on a couple of songs, but for the vast majority of time it just Pete. Mind you, a very special mention must be made of Luke Machin's incredibly fluid solo on "Winter Maker", one of three songs that break the ten- minute barrier. The album isn't a concept album per se, more a thematic collection of wintery concepts, and stories that take place in the winter season. There are a number of different themes explored, including winter folk tales and characters such as the Ojibwe wind spirit, Biboon, the Viking legends of Baldr, Loki and Frigga, and the death of English folklore hero, Robin Hood. As with previous Tiger Moth Tales albums, this new collection of works includes a broad range of musical feelings and emotions, from dark themes such as a grim fight for survival in "Winter Maker", and the terrible scenes described in "Exposure", based on the Wilfred Owen poem of the same name, to the warmer feel good tracks such as the joyous and exuberant "Sleigh Ride" and the closing track "Hygge".

Unlike many multi-instrumentalists Pete has a strong voice, and writes to his strengths, so that the songs always feel emotional. There are definite nods to Hackett, both solo and in his time with Genesis, and there were times when I found myself wondering if a particular song might actually fit on 'Wind & Wuthering', such is the quality. There is really only one downside to me with this release, and that is the "drums". Pete really needs to invest in a live drummer as opposed to a machine, as it definitely drags the music down, and with a quality person behind the kit it would assist in taking this to the next level. As it stands, it is still an essential release, and I am very much looking forward to the next one.

Having listened to 'Story Tellers Part 1' back in the day and not being particularly enthused, I was watching the Prog from home concert and Peter Jones popped up playing Hygge as a piano and vocal slot (with a Firth of Fifth intro) in his garden (complete with chirping sparrows!) and I was immediately hooked... I then investigated the album version and WOW what an absolute gem of a track.

The album itself ain't too bad either, he has certainly matured since the earlier album (and now he's the keyboard player with CAMEL - some promotion).

But this one track is beautiful - set in 3/4, it ebbs and flows from peaceful to powerful, quiet to loud. On its own a definite 5 stars.

The rest of the album is quite clever with the intended bleakness of winter, including various nods to Steve Hackett and Frost. But when one considers that the whole gamut is performed by Peter Jones this then becomes nothing short of extraordinary (flute and brass excepted).

However, a very strong 4 stars - apart from that track Hygge (5 stars).

Wonderful multi-instrumentalist and vocalist Pete Jones, ie. Tiger Moth Tales, chose to deal with wintery themes in his third album. And no, it definitely hasn't much to do with Christmas! Many songs are inspired by old British or Scandinavian folklore. Jones has played everything himself (I have to agree with the previous reviewer Kev that employing a real drummer instead of using drum programming would have done good), with a few exceptions, and those guest appearances add very nice details to the whole, which would have been pleasant even without them.

The opener is just a half-minute instrumental featuring Emma Brown's flute, followed seamlessly by one of the three tracks of over ten minutes length, 'Winter Maker': a mellow and dreamy piece slightly resembling the Wind & Wuthering era Genesis. Besides the flute there's also a brass section, but it's Pete's excellent work on keyboards and his warm vocals plus the lead guitar guest appearance of Luke Machin that make this song lovely. 'Exposure' (13:36) based on Wilfred Owen's poem has nearly four minutes of instrumental serenity --that could grace some of the better Steve Hackett albums of the recent decades -- before the vocals enter. The composition's melancholic beauty reminds me of 'Ice', one of my dearest Camel instrumentals, but it increases, perhaps a bit unnecessarily, its prog dynamics with more rocking moments too.

My least favourite on this album is probably the Robin Hood themed 4th track, which features voice-over sections of Jamie Ambler to underline the narrative level. Also as a song per se it feels more cliched. 'Migration' returns to the slow-tempo mellowness with an autumnal mood. 'Take the Memory' is another excellent song, featuring a clarinet solo from Pete. 'Sleigh Ride' is a very enjoyable and fresh instrumental, again sonically resembling Genesis circa 1976, with the flute addition.

'The Tears of Frigga' is the other (and better) legend-based song co-written with Jamie Ambler. By the way, Pete's vocals remind me of Happy The Man, as well as the playing here and there on this album. The mellow and pastoral song 'Hygge' is one of the highlights, and I don't mind at all that it makes me think of 'Entangled' by Genesis. I recommend this beautiful 71 minute album especially to those who enjoy the quartet-era Genesis and the most pastoral side of Steve Hackett.