FLOOD

"Tales from the Four Seasons" is, at least to my knowledge, the début effort by UK-based composer and multi-instrumentalist Flood. An artist living in what was once the heartland of progressive rock, interestingly enough signed by a Canadian record label for this production.

Musically we're dealing with a creation that is a bit on the sideline of progressive rock though, at least if we're thinking about this genre of music from a traditional point of view. For starters there are few aspects of this musical exploration that can easily be defined as rock, instead I suspect that classical symphonic and chamber music may have inspired the composer on this occasion. Elements of these stylistic expressions are at least found throughout here, blended with folk music, some jazz-inspired tendencies in the rhythm department and what might be a nod or two in the direction of older musical heritages as well, of the sort one can argue about for hours if belonging to the folk tradition or the ancient classical heritage.

All four compositions comes across as contemplative in nature, works of art made to inspire the mind to reflection and the soul to flights of fancy. Music that inspires in a subtle and non-invasive manner. Slow, wandering acoustic guitar and piano themes are dominant aspects throughout, strings and reeds cater for most of the symphonic backdrops and soloing, while the organ is sparingly used and lush synths even more so. Bass and drums gets to underscore on occasion as well, but most themes are constructed without a place for this distinct rhythmic foundation.

And while all compositions are fairly straightforward affairs they are also made with a great deal of sophistication. The emphasis on mood and melody and the often subdued atmospheres explored are constructed in a subtle but elaborate manner. Multilayered textures are utilized to good effect even in the mellower parts of this album, and the more sparsely populated segments will often evolve to richer grounds if not contrasting a previous or forthcoming passage of this sort.

As the album name and track name implies, we're taken on a musical journey lasting for one whole year on this occasion. Which is pretty well executed too. And while I didn't find all aspects of the compositions to represent my expectations and experiences of the four different seasons represented musically, this is to be expected. Mainly because I live in a country where the differences between the seasons are much more extreme than what one might experience in the UK, but also because one person's view rarely will correspond with those held by others on this as so many other subjects.

Overall I find "Tales from the Four Seasons" to be a pleasant affair, and well worth examining both by those with a soft spot from the lighter side of symphonic progressive rock but also by those who are unknown to this genre but who do find pleasure in both classical symphonic as well as folk music. And while not a classic case of the awe-inspiring production heralding universal acclaim, this is a CD that will find it's way into the hearts and souls of many people. In addition, this is a good example of an album with a timeless mood and atmosphere. 20 years from now these compositions will sound just as modern - or not - as they do today.

Here is a little gem of 2009 from artist,composer and musician FLOOD ( Trevor Kenward).Tales From The Four Seasons take you for a colorful ride throught the English country side by imagining the changes of the 4 seasons.It took him 3 years to complete his project so the production is superb,he plays all the instruments ( guitars, flute,drums,bass,piano ect...) 4 long tracks ( Spring-Summer-Autumn-Winter) almost 20 mins each built into a variety of themes and movements.It's a beautiful instrumental music refreshing and timeless but difficult to categorize.You could say it's neo-classical progfolk new age rock? Imagine Anthony Phillips/Mike Oldfield/Gandalf and maybe a quiet Steve Hackett ( not bad for a first album) and on Unicorn Label who usually sign rockier & proggier bands but Michel St-Père ( Unicorn big boss) was so impressed by the talent and musicianship of Flood that he offer him a place on Unicorn.Like I said before it's almost 80 mins of very enjoyable music but you must be in the right frame of mind to really enjoy Tales From The Four Seasons=4 stars=absolutely worth listening.

Fresh News = Flood is already working on his second album that will blow your head off because he made a 360 degrees turn.I had the chance to ear 3 demo tapes from his upcoming cd and let me tell you it will be one of the favorites of 2010 or 2011.Still instrumental with shorter tracks but just long enough and more rockier and proggier,maybe in the style of Willowglass. With that kind of music I now understand why Unicorn have Flood on their list=simply brilliant for a musician to alternate styles so different.So check out "Tales" for relaxing music and his next cd for a more symphonic prog. A star is born! :) Gilles

Tales from the topographic punchbowl oceans? Well, actually not. Tales From the Four Seasons is more like a lot of Anthony Phillips solo albums as it is guitar dominated, with alternate tunings as well. I also hear some similarities to Shadowfax. Mike Oldfield are claimed as an influences by the artist and I do hear some of that in the music. The artist claims to make a mixture of folk, classical, and progressive rock music and that's a fairly accurate description. Probably lighter on the rock than many would like.

Flood, in the case of this album, turns out to be a completely solo act. Flood calls himself Flood and apparently doesn't have a last name. He plays all the instruments on the album and quite an array: acoustic guitars, piano, organ, synthesizers, flute, clarinet, cellos, acoustic bass, drums, birds. Well the last one is the only annoying aspect of this album. The first track, Spring, has this bird chirping that goes on a little too long. The other three tracks are named after the rest of the seasons, of course. They are all subdivided in five to seven sections.

Normally, I'd think writing a piece of this complexity is a bit of risky business, but Flood did take three years and it turned out very well. Also, he had some river scenery for inspiration. I can hear that in the music, too. If you like well-structured mellow music, check this one out. Great stuff to chill out to.