AMID CONCRETE & CALLOUSNESS - Sounds Of A Starlit City CD Mini-Album

The second such mini-album from Livingston's finest and it's even better than the first – and that was groundbreaking for starters. Things get off to a rousing start as the band tear headlong into an opening track that is one seriously amazing new slant on the worlds of progressive rock and pomp rock injected with a solid contemporary indie heart. A swirling synth gives way to almost vintage seventies Yes-meets-Styx-esque guitars and rhythm section, only here crashing and crunching, riffing and driving, to a degree that those bands could never achieve. The lead vocals are delivered with force from a guy with one seriously distinctive lead vocal, topped by lashings of gloriously progressive harmony vocals. As the track judders, thunders, rocks, swirls and drives forward, there's this huge expanse of lead and harmony vocals that positively race along over the fast-paced backdrop of guitars, synths, bass and drums. There's even time to squeeze in a searing heat electric guitar and synth break and duel before the song returns and the whole band roar towards the final blow. “The Big Win” continues the pace and the piece with a soaring lead guitar over throbbing bass and tumbling drums before the other guitar fires up, the rhythm section clatters along and the sounds of a manically played piano, all herald the arrive of the excellent vocalist and his legion of harmonies, delivering another strong song with bite, enthusiasm, passion and intensity, yet the whole arrangement, despite having so much going on instrumentally, despite being a quite fast-paced brew of contemporary art rock, just keeps you absolutely riveted with its vast production, multi-harmonies, soaring lead vocals and some wickedly strong playing from the band, again, synth solos and red hot guitar work giving that extra depth and texture as the singer takes the song at breakneck speed but ensuring that the major accessibility, enjoyment and leaping about factors, all remain in tact. It drops back to the sounds of the seashore as this ringing lone guitar enters, joined by a deeper one and the track heads into the distance on waves of gentle guitars before “As We Watched The Waves” erupts into life with the rhythm section and synths and guitars all glowing in this blaze of accelerated indie-prog-rock glory. The vocalist then enters, that strong, nasally distinctive vocal flying over the crashing beats, choppy piano, rumbling bass and chugging heat rhythm and riff guitars. The song just soars and another gorgeous sea of vocal harmonies provides that amazing extra depth. As the song progresses, so it gets more progressive in a decidedly modern Scottish indie scenario, but the effect is nothing short of mindblowing. The massed ranks of vocals lift the song ever upwards as the piano turns into synth turns into organ, the guitars racing along underneath, the bass way upfront and the rock solid drumming never missing a touch, all combining to create a track that's absolutely remarkable, as indeed the whole mini-album has been so far. “Of Form And Flow” starts as a goregous ballad from the duof of male and female vocalists, more soaring harmonies and choppy, melodic, flowing piano work. They are then joined by crunchy percussion as the piano line mellows out and the sea of differing pitch and counterpoint vocals become the stars. A melodic, jazzy guitar break continues the mood and feel of the song, while the harmony vocals are pure seventies progressive. For such a bouncy, accessible, instantly likeable and heartwarming track, it's simply stunning. “My First Denim Tree” starts in altogether funkier vein before settling down into the now familiar fast-paced ocean of rampaging guitar undercurrents, swirling synths, driving rhythms and impassioned lead vocals topped with lashings of expansive harmonies. The main body of the song is more menacing, more twisting and turning than before and the paths down which this rock solid gem of a song travels, make the journey absolutely riveting from start to finish, complete with some amazing vocal harmonies, shouted hooks, angelic choruses, massive driving set of fast-paced but superbly structured and arranged music from the guitars, synth and rhythm section, never mind what sounds, at times, like a ton of voices in that awesome sea of harmonies not to mention a lead vocal who really delivers the goods in fine AOR-prog style. The track seemingly ends abruptly, but instead goes into a short burst of deep, bass set cosmic guitars before a bell sounds and it really does end. All of which leaves “Opening Lines-Future Echoes” that burst into life as a disco track – yep, that's right – a disco track!! The combination of electronic and percussive beasts work a trick as the other instruments try to catch up before it all sinks into silence and cosmic bliss, all highly reminiscent of the ambient nineties. Then, with an approaching swirl of space synth that turns into a classic slice of trance music, so the song enters with the soaring dual male and female lead vocals working in perfect harmony as the track veritably races along, while the vocal harmonies and leads are just sensational as this mix of proper trance and proper indie, really produces the goods. Then, totally unexpected, the dance beats drop, to be replaced by this juddering monster of juddering electronic and clattering percussive beats as this growl of a vocal is heard, then a brief rap and finally, with one scream, the whole thing is gone. Talk about innovative!!! But, overall, this is absolutely faultless in every aspect of its creation, arrangement, production and delivery – it's got some semblance of familiarity while at the same time on the contemporary Scottish unsigned scene, being thoroughly unique, addictive and commercial.

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