We may know Lee Abraham and Dean Baker from the British neo-prog band Galahad or solo work, with which Abraham in particular is quite successful. I didn't know Andrew Lyndon, but he turns out to be a good and stable vocalist. With Where Do We Go From Here we are dealing here with a new album that is actually not new because the recordings have been on the shelf for many years, since 2008. Still, together with Polish label Oskar they decided that it was worth it to come up with this album. Rightly so? That is of course not up to me but is entirely up to the men themselves. There are quite a few moments that are reminiscent of Galahad and you could imagine the voice of Stu Nicholson on some tracks. There are twelve tracks on the album and the length varies from barely two to over eight minutes as in Alone and that is immediately one of the most beautiful songs. Lyndon's voice is good but of the thirteen in a dozen type. Abraham is allowed to play a guitar solo every now and then, but you can also hear that he has continued to develop after that, which has significantly improved the quality of his playing. That Baker has a penchant for more experimental keyboard parts is well known but you only hear this occasionally, he plays a very nice part in the already mentioned Alone. He is also responsible for the programming of the electronic drums and they sound fine, but of course the preference would be for a drummer of flesh and blood. And the music in general is actually fine, we hear a mix of pop and prog with sometimes catchy melodies that occasionally sound quite familiar. More Than A Feeling is a good example of this, the more than seven minutes long song leads us along a combination of atmospheres without really containing a surprising twist. That's also where the shoe pinches, it doesn't really surprise anywhere. Some tracks disrupt the flow of the album for me, Wanting You is a radio friendly song with acoustic guitar and offers little to the prog lover while Glow stands out because of its recognizability. Opener After The Storm and All Of Her Days are both short soundscapes with lyrics spoken by children and women. As is often the case, the long title track is the highlight of the album, in just nine minutes the men show the potential of their collaboration. Okay, nothing surprising either, but just very well executed neo prog with all the right ingredients. Beautiful solos on keys and guitar, emotional vocals, a wonderful melody and a nice build-up to a real finale to end quietly with Lyndon's voice on a bed of keys. Closing bonus track Wrong is a terrible song with a hackneyed melody and would have been left out if you asked me. You wonder how a band can make such choices but it is probably because of the variety. In the end, Where Do We Go From Here is a pleasant album to listen to if you don't expect dazzling prog, don't mind the short pop tracks but can enjoy unpretentious prog pop. It doesn't have the overall quality of Galahad but does come close at times. ***- Erik Fraanje (edited by Tracy van Os van den Abeelen) Where to buy? |
