THIEVES' KITCHEN

I love Thieves' Kitchen! Vocalist Amy Darby is so unique--kind of a cross between THINKING PLAGUE's vocalist from 1996-2008, Deborah Perry, and the great ANNIE HASLEM. She has a strong, soothing voice that delivers her lyrics clearly, cleanly and yet with a melodic styling that is both unusual and interesting. On this new album the band is joined by some (ex-?) ANGLAGARD members to great effect--Thomas Johnson's keyboards, though mostly serving in a support role, and Anna Holmgren's flute contributions are quite welcome and provide a warmth and fullness that support Amy's vocals quite wonderfully. As always, I absolutely adore the pastoral themes--both musically and lyrically--that Amy and Rob explore.

Favorite songs: the gorgeous epic 5. "Germander Speedwell" (14:32) (10/10) which is a welcome addition to my all-time favorite prog epic list; the simple yet perfect folk song "The Weaver" (4:33) (10/10) and 2. "Deor" (7:51) (9/10). "Hypatia" (8:56), "A Fool's Journey" (8:19), and the jazzier "Of Sparks and Spires" (12:49) are each solid, interesting, and pleasurable 8/10 songs.

A 4.5 star album that I'm not (yet) willing to elevate to "masterpiece" status. Give it some more time. Highly recommended.

I met Mark Robotham a few weeks ago and he told me how well this was selling, a fact also confirmed by Malcolm Parker at GFT. I was determined to give this a good hearing so I waited until I was in the car for a long drive and put it on. There are only four songs, but the album is over an hour in length, and they have decided to print the lyrics, but each song in a different language! (My good mate Artur Chachlowski provided the translation for "Escape").

"John Doe Number One" kicks off the album, and at twenty minutes plus I settled in to be impressed. You can tell that there is a 'but' coming, can't you. It's not my fault. I really wanted to like this album, I was determined to do so, but it cannot be my type of prog. I found that my attention kept wandering. Passages that should have gripped my attention just didn't. I know that there are going to be some who feel that this is a wonderful album, bringing together bands as diverse as King Crimson, Gentle Giant and Genesis, but it just didn't do anything for me.

Originally appeared in Feedback #63, July 01

I was on www.progarchives.com the other night posting up some old reviews, and one of these was for TK's 'Shibboleth'. It was only then that I noticed that they had a new album out, so I went over to their website and after swapping some emails with guitarist Phil Mercy I ended up with a copy of 'One For Sorrow'. I originally got involved with TK when they formed in the late Nineties as I knew drummer Mark Robotham who had previously been with Grey Lady Down, but he is no longer with the band. 'Shibboleth' was their third album, and to my ears easily their best, although I did question at the time as to whether the band should consider becoming an instrumental group as I felt that their complexity didn't always leave enough room for vocalist Amy Darby. Apparently there has been an album between this and the last one I heard, and there have also been some line-up changes in that while Thomas Johnson (keyboards, ex-Anglagard) is there with Amy and Phil, the rest of the band are currently guests with Paul Mallyon (drums), Brad Waissman (bass) and Anna Holmgren (flute, also from Anglagard).

But, this doesn't come across as a project in any way as this is a band that know exactly what they are about. The music is incredibly complex, and at times has a hard rocking neo- prog guitar edge while at others it is much more symphonic. However, the big difference for me is that there appears to be a far greater understanding of the nuances of atmosphere and delicacy, combined with loads of control. This means that Phil and Thomas are quite happy to take the lead on instrumental passages yet also know when to rein it in and provide just the right amount of space for Amy. She has an incredible voice, particularly in regard to her breath and note control so that long drawn out sections is not an issue for her. At these times her voice is very much to the forefront, lifted over the maelstrom that is going on behind her. Thomas uses a great deal of different keyboard sounds and textures and that definitely adds to the picture that they paint.

As always, Rob Aubrey has done a sterling job with the production, so it doesn't matter if it is a quiet passage or bombastic, everything can be clearly heard and give the right emphasis. If I had to pick just one band for comparison then the obvious would be Renaissance, but with Amy singing more contralto than Annie's soprano. I am extremely reticent to provide more than one album with a 5 * rating in a sitting, and I have just done that with the new Comedy of Errors CD, but in all conscience I can't give it any less. I love it. www.thieveskitchen.com

It is probably fair to say that over the years I have not been TK's biggest fan, so when this arrived in the post I was in no rush to put it in the player. However, a long drive home one day gave me the opportunity to listen to this all the way through in one sitting. But even from the first delicate notes and drum introduction of "The Picture Slave" I felt that something quite dramatic had changed either in the music or in my appreciation of it. There is a feeling of sense of purpose ? the band knows what they want to achieve and are going to get there, no matter what. This is complex prog with the entire band linking in at a very high level indeed. This hearkens back not to the heady days of neo-prog but further back to the time of bands like ELP where musical ability and a lack of knowledge or caring of boundaries made the prog scene so vibrant and exciting. There is more than a hint of jazz (particularly in some of the keyboards), and one is kept looking for the next stage.

The one thing that the band now needs to consider is whether or not they need to become one of those very rare beasts, an instrumental prog outfit. It isn't that Amy's vocals are poor, just that for most of this album there is no room for her, and even when she makes an appearance the vocals aren't as high in the mix as they might be. But, this does give the music a different edge to many.

This album has certainly caused me to have a major rethink of TK, and I am sure that many more progheads will be turned onto the band by this superb album. With one track nearly twenty-four minutes in length there is something here for everyone, with enough twists and turns to make this constantly interesting. This is an album that I have really enjoyed and which has made me look forward to the next one, which will get onto my player with far more alacrity. For more details visit the web site at www.thieveskitchen.co.uk.

Kicking off with a magpie-themed nursery rhyme, One for Sorrow, Two for Joy marks the point where Thieves' Kitchen have become periliously close to being the proverbial axe whose head has been replaced five times and whose handle has been replaced three times; with the departure of Mark Robotham (replaced by guest drummer Paul Mallyon), only Phil Mercy remains from the "Head" lineup. In addition, it's also the first album to follow the departure of the Andy Bonham/Mark Robotham rhythm section which had underpinned the band's sound since Argot, and in fact the album is recorded with a "guest" rhythm section.

Of course, bands have survived lineup fluctuations before and thrived (see the example of Renaissance, for instance), and arguably Thieves' Kitchen have never quite managed to actually deploy a stable lineup from album to album. However, the lineup troubles since The Water Road have resulted in something of a musical regression, with the band essentially reverting to a sound reminiscent of Argot or Shibboleth. Despite Anna Holmgren's presence on flute, the band seem less keen on chasing the intriguing explorations of earlier prog - particularly protean prog sounds from the early days of the scene - which had made The Water Road such an engaging listen. I suppose this one will pass muster in the eyes of the band's fans, but I can't help but think the band are treading water and not actually getting anywhere.

It's been a long lay off for Thieves' Kitchen, Phil Mercy's hand tendon problems have made it five years since the band released the very well received "The Water Road". They return in January 2013 with this album featuring the same line up. After the first track which is just a rendition by Amy of the children's nursery rhyme about magpies it's on with the music. This is a good album with thoughtful lyrics and likeable songs, many of the lyrics seem to be influenced by ancient British mythology and paganism. Phil Mercy's guitar playing is a bit overstated and showy at times but in general he does find the right balance. On the other hand, the keyboards of Thomas Johnson, a long time member of Anglagard, are certainly more understated and stay mostly in the background. He does contributes an excellent mellotron solo midway through the track "Fool's Journey" and he makes a vital contribution to the jazzy sounding parts of the track "Of Sparks And Spires". This track and others also features lovely flute work by another Anglagard member, Anna Holmgren . Johnson's keyboard work is integral (even when in the background) to the success of this album as are the terrific vocals of Amy Darby. The tracks "Germander Speedwell" and "The Weaver" are mostly tranquil and acoustic in nature with the former praising the beauty of the light blue flower of that name while the latter includes pagan and Anglo-Saxon phrases in its lyrics to tell of the weaving of ancient tales. In conclusion, a very nice album, a little bit like Solstice in style, well worth buying and giving an extended listen.

The fifth album from Thieves' Kitchen finds them further exploring the jazzy symphonic fusion feel that marked their previous gem, 'The Water Road', and, like previous albums, 'One For Joy, Two For Sorrow' has a personality of its own. The flute adds a lot to these fine compositions, particular in the concluding opus, 'Of Sparks and Spires', and my favorite track, 'Hypatia', which I think is a fantastic piece of music, marked my great melodies, superb composition, and lovely vocals. 'Deor' comes in very strong as well, but the chorus might be repeated a time too many, so that by the end of the song I wasn't quite as enamored as I was during the first half of the song. 'Germander Speedwell' is another great track, featuring acoustic guitar, and reminding me a bit of 'Cirrus Bay'. 'The Weaver' is the one short track, a pretty acoustic piece that is growing on me, and 'A Fool's Journey' is a heavier piece, reminiscient of their earlier music. Overall, an excellent album throughout, with a whole lot more to offer than most of today's music, even among the prog world. 4 1/2 stars.

2013 brings the fifth album of this very talented British band and the wait of the fans for this new opus,definitelly worth it!It's another excellent album for THIEVES KITCHEN,and shows the natural progression of the band!TK definitelly has it's own style-Amy's voice is pure and trully heavenly on this album and all the musical ensemble is very solid and precise in it's musical message!What I really like and admire at TK is the jazzy approach and feeling when we listen Amy's voice-definitelly the big ace in the hands of the band,its trademark in fact!A very beautiful voice which slowly melts,flowing between the instruments and offers the listeners an excellent audition and brings them in a very special mood!The presence of the piano is another wonderful aspect of aTK's music and fits perfectly good in the mix of the musical ideas exposed !The compositions are quite long-only a track is under 7 minutes-the instrumental part of all songs is trully significant-what I miss a little-is the presence of more guitar solos in every track -only in the final song of the album-the brilliant composition OF SPARKS AND SPIRES -we can admire the guitar wizardry of Phil Mercy in a very attractive and spectacular guitar solo!The flute is another instrument which is perfectly well included in the TK's musical alchemy-and brings a special tone and feeling to the music!The production is very good and the sound of each instrument is clear and precise-Amy's voice is very well mixed too!A wonderful album which deserves many auditions to be fully understood-clever texts too-a mention for that -and the feeling that THIEVE'S KITCHEN still has a huge potential to deliver another excellent albums in the future!4.5 stars to a very likeble and solid eclectic prog album- a musical delicacy!

With a few members of Anglagard filling out their lineup, Thieves' Kitchen's latest album sees them moving away from the neo-symphonic blend of their previous albums to an intriguing new sound which seems to me to be a blend of symphonic prog, prog folk, and proto-prog.

To my ears, The Water Road is a piece distinct from most of the material out there which goes for a "retro-prog" sound - whereas many of those retro-prog artists mimic the surface motifs of a variety of different acts hailing from a fairly wide space in time, and Thieves' Kitchen don't do that here. Instead, they work on mastering and reproducing the compositional approach, tone and atmosphere associated with a very particular point in time - that strange period from 1969 to 1971 when the prog scene was coalescing, classics of the genre such as The Yes Album, Tarkus, Foxtrot and Aqualung hadn't come out yet and people hadn't yet firmly pinned down what "prog" really sounded like.

It's the sort of atmosphere I personally associate with such pieces as the first two albums by Rare Bird, or Renaissance, or Family, or the output of audience; there's a sense of the radical counter-cultural roots of prog coming back on this album, which is particularly refreshing given the rather safe and tame (or even quite conservative, in the case of musicians like Neal Morse) cultural outlooks of so many latter-day acts on the scene. Sadly, the line-up fluctuations which delayed this album so much have returned with a vengeance since its release, so it may still be a little while before we hear more from Thieves' Kitchen - but I sincerely hope we do, because they're onto a good thing here.

Although the vocals of Amy Darby add a new dynamic to the music of Thieves Kitchen, I can't help but feel that Shibboleth is a step down from the excellent Argot. For one thing, the mix of the album is just slightly off - this is particularly evident with Amy's vocals, and it makes them sound rather odd and stilted. Or maybe they were meant to sound that way? That's the other thing about this album - the songwriting and performances are just very slightly off-kilter, to an extent where I am literally not sure whether they are meant to be strange and dissonant or whether it's just a case of bungled production. And when you can't tell whether someone is being experimental or out of tune, it's a problem.