STALAGMITE STEEPLE

The previous album "Fall of the Watcher" released in 2022 made my heart flutter so deeply that an EKG was not necessary in determining the workings of my arteries. So, what? I fell in love again! That is what romantic progressive 'pop' music can do to the melancholic soul, if so inclined. Not only did I place that album very high on the 2022 altar, with a rather emotional review on my trio of sites, I also chased down the previous albums, especially the equally stunning "Erebus" from 2019. What seduced me thoroughly were the unimpeachable (excuse the pun) melodies that seemed to be created with divine inspiration, particularly when paired with a voice that scours the heavens. Robin Peachey has that rare talent in spades, as every word uttered is clear and poignant, tingling the senses way beyond the norm. One doesn't need a lyric sheet to follow his utterances. When notified that a new album was in the works, I felt both exhilarated at the prospect of another sonic jewel waiting to be discovered and yet somewhat worried that the bar was too high and perhaps unattainable. I needn't have bothered, as the new album is a gigantic winner. Both Robin and Paul Johnston have concocted a sophisticated shift in composing and arranging six dark tracks that 'progress' to an altogether denser and more distinctive level, perhaps even gloomier than before and reflective of the currently troubled state of humanity, individually and collectively. Just the song titles alone reflect this painful discourse, as both the music and the lyrics underline both tragic loss and wishful eternity.

Setting the sombre tone with the strenuous "Dark Morality", a ghost emerging from the soul's inner sanctum, waiting patiently as the mournful piano exposes the stark ethics, a rivulet of bass torch lighting the road ahead, Robin softly choosing his imperative words for maximum effect. His trusted electric guitar raises the bodily hairs with doomsday incandescence, the percussive pulse forges ahead as if leading a funeral procession. The outro ends in dissonant confusion and fatal surrender. Maintaining the devastating melancholia, "The Final Time" is just too much for anyone to bear, a cello driving home the stake of despondence, an ultimate meeting of closed eyes. Resonant piano and trembling voice reiterate the bluish haze, as a fluid guitar seeks desperately some kind of positive closure. A heart squeezing melody once again.

The epic, nearly 10-minute title track is the epicentre of this remarkable recording, starting off as a simple story purely sung, with a dire piano as the only partner. The jarring electric guitar is the tool with which the arrangement gets ratcheted up into a whirlwind chorus of atmosphere, passion, and melodic acquiescence. The bleak, almost minimalist mid-section beats like a pained heart, a bass pumping a mild sedative as the pain permeates every pore and sinew. Its haunting, perplexing and brazen in its restrained agony. The duo made sure to keep things from being overproduced with any coats of syrupy gloss, a superb piece that has not a single second of fluff.

Hey, it gets worse. Maintaining the eerie shadows and the sinister sonics on "Meaningless to Worth", the notion of trust is examined, at best a vanishing concept in today's world, where everything is questioned for ulterior motives and agendas. Cannot have the truth without trust, so that means two are down, I am afraid. The second section serves as a hopeful apotheosis, where shimmering keyboards, shivering guitars, and shifting drums, mean more than money and fame.

The sublime vocal on "Die For Me" steps through the void, and is only matched with a sensationally anguished melody for the ages, a pleading declaration of salvation of any ilk. The mood is raised to a turbulent level with a shuddering guitar rant. The kindly Steven Wilson would be green with envy, as this is a dramatic 9-minute masterwork of melancholia with an extra dose of sorrow. The solemn piano mid-section could be either Barbieri or Holzman, with sparse, minimal but beautiful piano, like a soft echo in a fertile valley, as Robin intones 'shouldn't be this way', paralleled all the way through by his querulous guitar. Beyond gorgeousness.

Looking out over the ocean where humanity's destiny lies, the ebb and flow of "Raging Sea" connects land and sea, sky and earth, an ideal of peace where we need to return to. The wavering voice matches the fluctuating words, buoyed by a floating bass line and a surging melody not far removed from Tim Bowness' style. Robin sings with his consuming guitar firmly aimed at the stars above, and letting it cry.

Returned to the Earth have proven persuasively that their musical path is now fully set, fine-tuning, and honing their precious craft towards a future farther from any overt pop sensibilities but also closing in on the apex, a proverbial peak where intelligent and meaningful art can and will prevail. Forever more. A must have release .....

5 caveman spires

I love it when I can connect with an album. When I was cycling through "Stalagmite Steeple" by UK band Returned to the Earth for review purposes I felt a bond being established. It was probably the third time through when I had to leave the house... and I didn't want to turn the music off!

Right up front I will mentioned that "Stalagmite Steeple" is very much akin with Steven Wilson's softer side, (like Hand. Cannot. Erase.). I would consider it art rock for sure, definitely progressive-adjacent. There is a high-standard of tastefulness in production, atmosphere and composition. It's an intriguing listen. Singer composer Robin Peachey's voice also reminds me of Wilson's (Peachey also performs on guitar, piano and synths).

If this album were a book, it would be a page-turner. Each track feels intimately connected and companioned- it is a spiritually cohesive whole. One concept tying it together lyrically is Robin Peachey's musings on empathy, escape, compassion and perhaps tragedy.

The album is largely slow without being plodding or diluted. Nor is it slow in the romantic or love-ballad sense. Melancholic? Maybe, but for me it's not depressing. Its only shortfall is that it deserved an exorbitant studio budget like in the days of yore when labels would spend a million dollars to record an album. On this project it would have not been wasted. So in that sense the canvas is slightly modest or sparse in parts, but since the material is so powerful it stands on its own quite confidently- a testament to all of the strong-boned melodies and composition.

The album is airy and spacious, carefully laid out and allowed to breathe, pulse, unfold deliberately and unhurriedly. That's such a different vibe than is so popular in the world right now; a world of maniacal TikToks, YouTube Shorts, busily shuffling Spotify playlists et al. Perhaps Stalagmite Steeple is a musical remedy or salve of sorts for this modern age- a balm for souls being run ragged- being pushed and pulled from all directions at once.

It's also beautiful. In fact the friend who recommended I check this album out used the word 'gorgeous', and he's right. The paradox here is that the album is also emotionally deep-cutting, drawing its listener into musical depths of profound contemplation.

There are no 'skip-pers' on this obviously carefully and lovingly crafted album. It's a consistently enjoyable listen throughout and there's even a nurturing quality or vibe I get from it. It has a timelessness to it as well.

I'm a new Returned to the Earth fan now, so I can't compare this to any of their previous 4 albums- I've not heard any of them! However I am so curious to explore them.

Fave track: Dark Morality.

The Prog dog score is 4 1/2 out of five dog bones. It's a gem.

This is the 5th album from UK prog band Returned to the Earth. They also feature a moody, atmospheric style, but more low-key, melodic, and gentler than most other prog bands, but beautiful and quite evocative. They are musically reminiscent of Pink Floyd and the gentler side of Porcupine Tree, Pineapple Thief, and Airbag. The subject matter of the songs can be quite sad or heart-wrenching, but the music remains beautiful and moving, if a bit melancholy. Overall, this may be a bit too low-key musically, as in some places it could some more punch, as there are some songs that seem to have a slow build to something bigger, and I keep expecting it to break out and explode into a big finish, but it never does and just trails off. Certainly, need to be in the right mood for this album, but it delivers some quite beautiful and moving pieces. Best Tracks: Dark Morality, Stalagmite Steeple, Die For Me, The Raging Sea. Rating: 3.5 stars

Life would be somewhat boring if we all liked the same thing, as I way saying to a friend the other day if that were the case we could all be listening to Kanye West and watching Love Island. Happily many of refuse to go with the rest of the flock and instead find our own paths which are often much harder to follow but are always significantly more interesting. Here we have the latest album from Robin Peachey (vocals, guitar), Steve Peachey (keyboards), and Paul Johnston (drums) who are back with their fifth album, their second for GEP. When I reviewed 'The Watcher' I said there must have been some discussions on whether to include these guys on ProgArchives as while they had been influenced by the likes of The Pineapple Thief there were also elements of Pet Shop Boys and Nik Kershaw.

This album is far more emotional and atmospheric in nature, and I would now add no-man and Porcupine Tree to the mix, and I can certainly understand why some people have been giving this maximum marks, but not me. To me this album is far too one-dimensional without enough dynamics, and while that makes it perfect background music is not something I really want to listen to intently as to be honest it is just too boring. There is a market for this style of prog, but to me it is just too middle of the road without enough twists and turns to make it consistently interesting. I am not sure if I am scathing enough to call it "prog by numbers", but it is pretty close, and even having played it multiple times I still feel that way. As I said at the beginning, it would be awful if we all liked the same thing, so be aware that many think this album is a wonderful release in every way, but I am not one of them.

The release of this British band's fifth album in nine years is some cause for celebration as their esteem in the prog community seems to only grow.

1. "Dark Morality" (7:19) the excellent PETER NICHOLLS-like singing of Robin Peachey is enveloped by the warm sounds of plodding drums, a spaced-out descending guitar-and-keyboard six-chord progression, and chugging single-note bass lines. Unfortunately, the song doesn't develop quite as dynamically or with quite the sophistication of the STEVEN WILSON sound they seem to be emulating. (13.25/15)

2. "The Final Time" (5:00) a beautiful IQ or THE PINEAPPLE THIEF-like song just sounds a little too much like all of the atmospheric IQ-like NeoProg bands that have appeared over the last 25 years. (8.875/10)

3. "Stalagmite Steeple" (9:58) gentle, atmospheric Satie-like arpeggiated piano chords cycled over and over open this song before a TIM BOWNESS-like vocal joins in singing a TIM BOWNESS-like lyric in a TIM BOWNESS or STEVEN WILSON-like style. The lyrics are almost embarrassingly recycled (from both Bowness and David Sylvian). At 2:25 heavy rock guitar chords jump in, amping up the volume--to which singer Robin Peachy rises in commensurate power and volume. A very pleasant if-familiar Dave Gilmour/BJØRN RIIS-like lead guitar solo ensues before the music backs down into a gentle, spacious, pensive motif somewhat like that of the opening (only the piano sound and order of the arpeggi has changed). Nice violin synth accompanies Robin's plaintive vocal in this section. The crystalline lead guitar returns at 6:48 with rich synth string support until 7:30 when drums, bass and guitar power notes ensue. Here Robin tries singing but is practically buried in the mix. Then we close out with some more beautiful yet emotional guitar soloing before the palette starts to break down, one instrument at a time. Actually quite well done--quite rich and engaging. I give it high marks despite its derivative constitution. (18/20)

4. "Meaningless to Worth" (6:09) too much like PETER NICHOLS and IQ. (8.6667/10)

5. "Die for Me" (9:09) though gentle, spacious, and fairly simple, the sound here is quite rich and the composition quite well-developed and successful in generating interest and intrigue--at least until the final motif--which is played out over three minutes from 6:04 to 8:24. (18/20)

6. "The Raging Sea" (5:36) what's with all the TOM PETTY-like sound palettes infiltrating Prog World this year? Add some NeoProg synths and slow plodding rhythmic pacing and you have another Tim Bowness/NO-MAN-like piece. A pretty song with nice sound but I don't really hear anything new here (unless you can hear and relate to the lyrics--a gift I apologetically lack). (8.875/10)

Total Time 43:11

Gorgeous NeoProg soundscapes with the awesome singing of Robin Peachey sound too much like IQ and Peter Nicholls or even Bruce Soord/The Pineapple Thief.

B+/4.5 stars; an excellent collection of beautiful, atmospheric NeoProg songs for lovers of anything Peter Nicholls, Bruce Soord, or Tim Bowness have touched.

3.5 stars. "Stalagmite Steeple" is the latest record from RETURNED TO THE EARTH released in 2024. After spending a week with their previous release "Fall Of The Watcher", I followed that up with a week with this their latest for comparisons sake more than anything. And I have to agree with the majority who feel this is a notch down from that 2022 recording. It's the same formula of slow to mid paced vocal tracks in a lot of melancholy and atmosphere. I just feel this latest one has less of those breakouts or deviations. I also feel less connected to this emotionally. A lot of extended passages here as well that go on and on. I still enjoyed playing it, but I knew from the first spin that this one wasn't going to reach the level of "The Fall Of The Watcher".

Like the previous record this has six tracks and clocks in around 43 minutes. This trio are all credited with playing synths, while Rob Peachey sings and plays guitar. And those guitar performances just aren't on the level of the previous one. Hey, I said I was going to compare the two. Steve Kitch the keyboardist for THE PINEAPPLE THIEF is back recording then mastering this album. While drummer Paul Johnston produced, engineered and mixed this record. There's some tasteful guitar and Steven Wilson-like vocals on the opener "Dark Morality". Spacey with piano as well. Get used to it.

"The Final Time" is one I like for the beginning and ending when the Soord-like vocals are almost spoken in piano and atmosphere. The title track opens with barely sung vocals in atmosphere with piano. It turns fuller around 2 1/ 2 minutes with what sounds like the organ floating. "Meaningless To Worth" opens with piano and atmosphere as vocals join in. It's fuller but not a lot on the chorus. "Die For Me" is the longest track at over 9 minutes and it has it's moments like around 6 1/2 minutes when the vocals return after this section has been building. I think I'm done by the time we get to the closer "The Raging Sea", but it's actually pretty good, although not closer worthy.

I will return to "The Fall Of The Watcher" in the future, so I'm really glad I checked this band out for that alone as I feel it's a special album. This one not so much.