Rise and Fall - Making Deeper Connections

John Holden 

"Capture Light" was one of those projects which were so complete so perfectly executed that like "Close To The Edge" when you played it, it deserved unadulterated attention. Each listen was an event I felt as if I needed to "dress up" to experience it. It was a summit moment.

So how do you follow the perfectly executed, bring in an orchestra, jam more and write longer pieces? Fans of what was called progressive music in 1972 have experienced those choices from their bands down the years. 

John has the advantage of not being a precocious mid-twenties artist under pressure; instead, he can call on a lifetime of reflection and experience for the answer.

"Leap of Faith" begins with a nagging repeating piano figure evoking, mystery, questing all underpinned with a yearning emotionalism. You are drawn in immediately but to where? After this insistent beginning, there is no prog-rock transition instead there is beautiful maneuvering and mature musical repositioning and we receive our answer. The lyrical narrative reveals all, it is a quest of the spirit. 

As the piece evolves and develops I am put in mind of Ken Follett's Kingsbridge saga a tale of religiosity spanning centuries into which Noblemen Monks, Abbotts, and ordinary folk are woven but the central metaphor like this piece is the Cathedral and the Monks. I am not listening to clever arrangements, a tasteful production, guest artists I am taking an emotional journey through revelation, hitting the highs before ending where such a journey has to end. “We can all fly until we hit the ground" The music is exquisitely judged always supporting the lyrical narrative solo's add color and take it higher and higher but they are never "breaks". Everything serves the journey.

"Rise and Fall" John and Libby's lyrics are so well realized you cannot avoid having a view about them. So I understand the sentiment of this piece perfectly but do not agree with the third person! But that only goes to show how much is being communicated here. The vocal from Jean Pageau is "heartfelt" and a special mention for the wonderful sound capture of the guitar solo toward the end, a million miles from those L.A. guitar solos with their hackneyed balls to the wall attitude bravo!

"The Golden Thread" is the lyrical anthesis of "Rise and Fall." Every time I hear this song I well up. It's a beautiful tune, the piano-vocal entry is delicate and a charming dance. This is about love as graciousness as timelessness as everlasting. The string arrangements are gorgeous the performances perfectly judged, it's not maudlin or overwrought because it retains its dance and lightness of touch and the trick of bringing the two voices together works an absolute treat. As Chris Squire sang. "It's a perfect love song." or is it a song reflecting perfect love? So this is prog rock?

"Dark Arts" When I realized Nick D"Virgilio was to drum on this piece I was intrigued would this be Mystery Nick or BBT Nick. The former is energized open and inside the music the latter because the drums are often recorded "last" can sound as if it has rather self consciously been added into an existing musical narrative. So what would we get?  

Dark Arts is a departure for John. It is much more Mystery, robust ballsy and vaguely gothic and Nick knocks it out of the park.  Musically it works perfectly the programming reminds me of "Kashmir" with its exotic eastern figures, the bass from B. Sherwood has that "playing the other notes" feel. The guitar is hard-hitting but given just the right amount of space. It's a more musical less hysterical "Machine Messiah." or "Achilles Last Stand." This hard-hitting ballsy music plays out against a vocal narrative that reflects the anger and disconnection felt by many that they are being 'taken' by the political establishment and those that support it. The music and the lyrics are entirely Sympatico. The perception that self-serving forces drive the world in which we live is perfectly communicated. 

It shows John moving out of the comfort zone of "Capture Light' and adding to his repertoire of communication one should not underestimate such an achievement my bands from the seventies created some howlers trying to do the same thing.  

"Heretic" Of all the pieces on the project none communicate their subject matter better. The introduction communicates the alien, forbidding, uncomfortable, unknown terror of Jihadi's and extremism which is beyond the West's comprehension. But before we run for the hills a song of hope emerges that we (mankind) can regain our love of all that is righteous and worthy of retaining. The vocal is achingly prayerfully sombre and then switches to the chorus of hope utterly gorgeous. Back and forth the angst and release play out. "But there was a time when we lived here and loved here we sang our song" such hope!!!  The playing here is perfectly apposite the strings, guitar, piano runs all entirely on point supporting the narrative. At 5.43 the song evokes its subject with perfect stylistic ingenuity your out there in the sand-colored desert towns and villages with the unforgiving sun beating down on you. By 7.41 the instrumental narrative is the theme of hope everyone chimes in some acoustic guitar and then the final vocal a delicate statement of the hope theme. Outstanding everything I could want in a piece of music as I move through my sixties but with my desire for challenges to make journeys intact! 

In a sense, because John Holden is framed within the prog-rock universe it would seem entirely natural for me to wonder how it works compared to other prog-rock rather than Miles Davis, Sibelius or Holly Cole. I went back to some prog rock to see why John's music is such a joy and in one sense for me, it's not prog rock at all. It has none of that ersatz, ponderous mid-paced repetition that I listened to. Choruses and motifs don't beat you to death, there is none of that oh well we all have to be playing, one of the advantages of not being a band. Most importantly the music breathes and dances it communicates joy, grace, and charm. Oddly enough considering there is no "band" there is no wall of noise where instruments stream alongside each other without any real contrapuntal activity or connection instead it sounds like the players are really listening to each other working off each other. This witness's John's great skill as the director and pilot of the elements he is using. He has organized all the forces so that they are more than the sum of their parts and there is no fatigue whatsoever no sub Iron Butterfly intros with endless repeating staccato riffs. So this is prog rock?       

"After the Storm" is this projects "No Mans Land" slightly atypical in style, more relaxed a gentle folk feel to it and lovely guitar strumming this reminds me of some of Mark Knopfler's work, it's not a million miles from some of Chris Leslie's modern compositions with Fairport. Lovely dribbling guitar figures contribute to an intelligent organic arrangement. It flows beautifully propelled naturally by unfussy momentum from the 'batterie' who is this guy? He is showing the most empathy I have ever heard. His swing is more relaxed and he doesn't sound like he is hitting the skins as self-consciously hard as with one of his other projects. When the keyboard solo comes in its highly complementary and like so much of the lead work fresh-sounding neither too short nor too long exactly the right length. It's the kind of song that could go on forever the perfect car song. 

"Ancestors and Satellites" begins with Koto like sound reverberating 'out there.' Before a lovely questing vocal which moves into a 'coming home' chorus. It stops for some exquisite string sounds. I really love the accompaniment of the shuffling drums to this piece, which effortlessly propels a wonderful keyboard solo. It’s official I love Nick as much with John as Mystery.  But we keep coming back to that chorus. "Light the fire words are spoken incantations stories..." and then step higher through superb vocals and 'important' piano accompaniment. What really strikes me over and over again as this piece crescendo is how perfectly judged the arrangements are. They are not histrionic, fatiguing they offer EXACTLY what is needed. From 5.08 the music steps down and the vocal reflects before the final assault. Nick gives us a brief calling to arms at 6.28, elegant long notes on the guitar and then we climb urged on by perfectly judged propulsion from the drums but the musical expansion doesn't come from the pace it's from the width, we have arrived all is before us. The perfect ending.

So John has found a way to ascend beyond perfection to fly higher, by being more emotionally communicative. Each piece tells us more takes us further and opens us to journeys that are more profound, sadder, joyous well more everything. Thank you, John and Libby thank you, everybody and a special mention to Nick D'virgilio who for whatever reason offers as satisfying performance as I have heard of his recorded performances.