THE LAST PINK GLOW: AN INTERPRETATION OF JACK KEROUAC'S THE HAUNTED LIFE

This latest album (their 3rd) follows after their stunning and monumentally great prog rock opera Circus of Wire Dolls (2022), and this is a worthy successor and a great album on its own. Although this new project, which is based on the writings of Jack Kerouac and his Novella 'A Haunted Life' in particular, lacks the full depth and breadth of that previous masterpiece (with its sprawling scope, style, and numerous guest artists), it nonetheless maintains the beautiful songwriting, exquisite production, and impeccable arrangements and instrumentation throughout. Rocking Horse Music Club is a music collective/collaboration based out of Rocking Horse Recording Studios in New Hampshire, USA, led by primary composer/keyboardist (and studio owner) Brian Coombes. Consisting of 11 tracks and 61 min runtime, the Club has delivered another sumptuous feast of an album. This album takes a bit darker, more brooding tone than the previous album, but also features a variety of musical styles, incorporating prog elements with pop, folk, jazz, and blues to showcase various aspects of Kerouac's writing, and featuring the sweet vocals of Justin Cohn throughout. There's only one guest artist featured on this release, but it is a rare treat, Tony Banks (Genesis) contributes his keyboard sounds and artistry, and shares songwriting credit, on the lovely track A Haunted Life, which has a definite Banksian quality. In fact, multiple songs on the album have a mid-career Genesis feel to them (period from Trick of the Tail to Duke), which reflect the strong influence they have on Coombes' music. But a variety of styles highlight the album, from the slow jazz-funk of It's the Small Things (ala Steely Dan), the rootsy folk-rock of Ballad of Joe Martin, the engaging progressive pop of Changing Channels, to the blues-rock (via Pink Floyd vibe) of Big City Small-town Blues. A darker symphonic prog is evident on If We're Silent And We Listen, an upbeat instrumental prog interlude in Restless Wanderer, and more Genesisian style in the anthemic Splitting Atoms, which builds to an Afterglow-like grandeur. The album concludes with the extended title track for a most satisfying finale. Best Tracks: Changing Channels, Splitting Atoms, Ballad of Joe Martin, It's the Small Things, The Haunted Life, If We're Silent and We Listen. Rating: 4.5

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