A GROUNDING IN NUMBERS

While many of prog's classic darlings have either disbanded or significantly watered down their sound since the glory days, Van Der Graaf Generator is one of those few that are still up and at it, to some extent. Widdled down to a trio over time, Van Der Graaf Generator may have aged greatly since their golden years as one of the 70s most inventive bands, but as their latest album 'A Grounding In Numbers' goes to show, they still have the music in themselves to keep going. Although this album certainly does not have the masterpiece qualities that some of their earlier work did, 'A Grounding In Numbers' can be appreciated for the fact that even after such a long time that the band has been going, they stay true to the progressive formula. That being said however, the album stays very mellow throughout, and may bore those who want a little more dynamic and vivace from these guys.

Although not necessarily a concept album, 'A Grounding In Numbers' does share some themes that run throughout it. Among these is a fairly down-tempo pace that much of the music takes, and the recurring lyrical topic of numbers and formulas. Both of these are best represented in the album's most memorable track 'Mathematics', in which Peter Hamill croons on about various mathematical formulas; a lyrical theme that is done surprisingly well here, but still verges on silliness and irrelevance. True enough, Hamill's voice is the center of attention here, as most of the instrumentation is too laid back to jump out at the listener. Hamill's voice has always been a point of derision among listeners; you either love it or hate it, and this paradigm is quite important with 'A Grounding In Numbers'. So much of the musicality that drives the album is invested in Hamill's very British vocal style, and while time has taken a strain on his voice, there's still power here that you would not expect out of a man who has already seen past his sixtieth birthday.

The instrumentation is maybe the most disappointing aspect here. Gone is the jazzy inventiveness of earlier albums. Instead, Van Der Graaf Generator gives a very mature, but rather impersonal performance that does not compare to their youth. In terms of the songwriting, things are rather hit-or-miss, but the album as a whole does grow after listens. Some moments that appear boring at first do reveal themselves after the listener has invested some time into the record, but make no mistake; 'A Grounding In Numbers' is no masterpiece like 'Pawn Hearts' or 'Godbluff'. If anything, Van Der Graaf Generator's biggest accomplishment here is that they have still retained their core essence, even though the passion here is much more subtle.

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