NIGHT OF HUNTERS

Sort of a musical version of comedy improv. Select various pieces of classical music from a set offered to you, now weave it into a story about a day in the life of a couple. Deutsche Grammphon her approached her with the rough concept. Tori delivers a song cycle story starting from the couple's tulutous arrival in a new place to ending up mending things in the end.

She hits on four of my favorite decomposing compsers: Satie, Mussorgsky, Debussy, and Bach amongst a few other notables. Tori does great justice to all the composers both her arrangements and lyrics (Greg Lake, eat your heart out). So you do get updated versions of old music. The non-vocal piece, Seven Sisters, though credited to a Bach piece, has a distinct Reich/Glass flavor to it. Take away all the voices and you would still have a decent classical album with a master piano player at the core of the various ensembles she assembled. With vocals of Tori and Natasha Hawley, you get something almost operatic (thank God not too operatic), that becomes something extraordinary.

Spring for the deluxe version with the DVD. There's much more to the story in, of, and around this album, plus it's a nice package to boot.

No, I'm not stating Morrissey and the Smiths for the sake of it, it's true. Well, she's not completely flatline and this time, Deutsh Gramophon, defebrillo pads in hands, is shouting 'CLEAR!' over this record.

To me, this record is the best in a long time, a change of pace, a breath of fresh air in her claustrophobic world. She is joined by her daughter on many tracks, and surprisingly, I'm not bothered at all by it. Nastashya Hawksley is bringing a new dimension to the story, playing characters and singing the best she can , not trying to copy mommy (which is quite okay).

The orchestration behind falls a bit short in grandeur, the whole music is somewhat put in the back row because Mrs. Amos' voice is, again, up and front. And it's one of my few negative comments on this record, the music could've been a tad higher in volume. A bit more crazy moments would've been nice. A shame since American Dull..pardon Doll Posse was filled with arrogance and rawness.

I think that what brings me to this record is the homogenic blend of her piano skills and the feel of a simple orchestration behind. We don't experience that often in prog rock, and even less often in general rock. So if you don't have an anti-guitar album, this one is thick and juicy piece of vegan chamber rock.

The whole thing feels lushious green and charcoal grey, it's a great match!