BREADCRUMBS

Matthew Parmenter and company are back with yet another poignant yet powerful offering of simple-yet-masterful prog songs.

1. "Breadcrumbs" (16:56) I feel as if this song represents a couple of old friends who hadn't seen or played with one another got together for lunch, talked about the state of the world (America, Detroit), which fueled the question: "We've still got something to say! With our music! Do you think we've still got it?" and this was the result: three guys getting together in their musty old basement studio with Matthew's "young kid" sitting behind la batterie to help them out, coming up with some simple music that could serve to see if they still had chops (barely) and could still turn a phrase (yes, if extemporaneously and as generically as ever). They sat down, found an Elton John "Someone Saved My Life Tonight"-like riff to build upon, and then pushed "record" on their digital tape recorder--and this is what they got! Not bad for a bunch of old geezers! It'll serve! (31.25/35)

2. "Keep the Change" (7:06) the first song I heard from the album, I thought I was listening to something from around 1970--something from The Outlaws or a rock band whose music would soon become established as what we in the US of A would soon be calling "Southern Rock." I swear I thought it was some long-lost song I'd missed from an old Buffalo Springfield, Stephen Stills, or The Allman Brothers album--or even something from early Lynyrd Skynyrd or very early Bon Jovi. I never in a million years would have pegged this as a Discipline song or coming from the voice of Matthew Parmenter! In the end, it's a nice, solid song--even though it definitely feels like one of the new AI-generated songs meant to recreate an old sound or style. Amazing the power that maturity can spawn. (13.875/15)

3. "When the Night Calls" (5:25) I am not used to hearing this version of Matthew Parmenter: his voice sounds thin, weak, even frail while I'd been used to him being so almost-over-the-top theatric. The style and melodic choices are all him, it's just that the voice sounds like . . . something has happened to him! (Like life, you moron!) Interesting sound engineering with minimal effects deployed on the band--almost sounding like one of those single microphone Joe Jackson recordings--here used on a older Billy Joel composition. Great Discipline/Parmenter-like chorus. I love the simple near-Latin riffs the whole song is built upon, the little but very effective accents, flourishes, and solos from Chris, Henry, and Matthew's organ, as well as his brief little Demetrios Stratos-like vocalese warbles at 3:40. (9/10)

4. "Aloft" (7:46) this one sounds like an instrumental continuation of the previous song on which the musicians pick up different instruments to lay over the steady foundation of bass, piano and drums. As Matthew's piano riff provides the song's foundation we are thereby offered a display of some of Henry Parmenter's instinctual talents on the drums. Chris Herin's choice for guitar sound reminds me at first of some of Robert Fripp's "Frippertronic" like stuff but then, around the mid-point of the song he switches (or else Matthew takes a turn on his own guitar--or vice-versa) to something more in the realm of Randy Bachman's sound on BTO's "Blue Collar" (as well as Roy Buchanan's beautiful tone for his classic "Fly ? Night Bird"). Matthew's overdub of violin (joining in at 3:10) sounds a lot like something from Mark O'Connor in his old (Dixie) Dregs-Shankar days. And then there's the interesting injection of what sounds like an old Farfisa organ. Peaceful and steady, the song is quite a balm for people craving less-complex prog music. (13.5/15)

5. "Aria" (10:41) though far more delicate and jazz-crooner like, there are moments on this song in which the power of the old Matthew can be felt and heard--and definitely in the melodic choices he takes. Piano based for the first five minutes, once Matthew steps back from the vocal microphone the band enters into some interesting, very proggy instrumental music--for about a minute. But then things settle back into the piano's pocket and by 6:45 Matthew is back at the mic, Chris, Mathew, and Henry stepping into line behind him. Enjoyably, there is a full three minutes given at the end for instrumental work: some really nice low violin strikes, smooth lead guitar work and jazzy lounge piano work over Henry's steady jazz-support drums. It's very pretty, very engaging and soothing. There's nothing like a good old solid song as medicine for the soul! (18/20)

Total Time 47:54

I have to give it to these old reptiles, they do still have it! Still using minimal tactics to tell their stories with their usual and very effective power and force. Mega kudos, Matthew, Chris, and Mathew (and Henry!).

The band may have mellowed over the years but then, like a fine aged red wine, it just goes down so smoothly, so satisfyingly.

A-/4.5 stars rated up for consistency and sustained allure: it just keeps growing on you! I don't know how these guys keep doing it with such simple music but they do keep doing it!

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