WATCH FOR THE UMBLES

"Ties" is the only instrumental on the album, and it's dark and intense to say the least. An ominous intro gives way to a heavy mid-paced melody which ends 1 1/2 minutes in. A lone guitar line is joined by other instruments. Check out the deep bass before 3 minutes ! The tempo picks up after 5 minutes. Guitar arrives 6 minutes in just ripping it up. A calm 7 minutes in before it kicks back in for a big finish. Nice. "Strayed Again" has this heavy, brooding undercurrent of sound with lots of mellotron. He really sounds like Hammill 2 minutes in. Cello and chunky bass after 3 1/2 minutes. Flute joins in. The calm 7 minutes in is almost haunting. Keys and fat bass follow. A full sound returns 10 minutes in with those Hammill-like vocals. "Below The Water" is the shortest track at just under 7 minutes. Melancholic with vocals as it plods along. Some cello before mellotron comes in and vocal outbursts. Guitar 2 1/2 minutes in, cello after 3 minutes as the guitar continues. Themes are repeated. This is my least favourite song.

"Into The Cold" starts with mellotron and is not as heavy as the first three. Flute,cello and piano stand out. There is a SINKADUS feel to the flute in this one. There is some sax 7 minutes in that continues as the tempo picks up with organ leading the way. Flute comes in until we get a calm after 10 minutes. It picks back up to end the song. The final track "Agitated Mind" is the longest track at almost 18 minutes and differs in that there is a PINK FLOYD, psychedelic feel to it. The vocals are more theatrical as well on this one. This one is fairly laid back except for powerful organ and more aggressive drumming after 5 minutes that continue until before 7 minutes in. That section is also where the vocals are at their most theatrical. We also get an uptempo melody before 8 minutes that is flute-led until the organ takes over a minute later. A calm 10 1/2 minutes in with spoken words that are kind of funny. 12 minutes in we get back to that laid back, psychedelic vibe from earlier. That's the way the song ends.

This album was a very pleasant surprise for me. Excellent !

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