In Music : John Holden Thresholds

 Seventh Sojourn 

John is on a quest. He isn't coasting or taking it easy. If you listen to the lyrics of Seven Ages, giving up on being creative or learning what's out there is just not on the agenda, and in this piece of music, that unalloyed determination is writ large. The lyrics are a call to arms.  

By the time he takes the music down and quotes William Shakespeare, you know he has been reaching out, searching, but in that quote he also recognises that some fundamental truths about the human experience are unassailable and never change. His music never loses sight of the need to entertain as well as stretch him. 

"Seven Ages" is one of the best guitar-led pieces he has written. It feels more organic. It's extraordinary how you can have the pyrotechnics of the gothic rock of Mystery, and yet Peter Jones utterly commands the piece. Peter has such a powerful, robust voice. How do you put into words the sense of pathos you feel as the music progresses?

John has an eclectic range of music in his toolbox, but "Shape Remains" is best described as an elegant extended song. Lyrically, it feels very connected to Seven Ages. There are no fireworks here, but the semi-acoustic guitar work gives it character, and listening to Sertari, I am struck by her unique voice. Best described as an edgy melodic alto. She is robust without being shouty; she carries the a cappella opening melodically and then pursues a folk-dance narrative without sounding melodramatically folky or poppy. A kind of more tonally interesting Corrs. But John is super clever because he won't let you pin the piece down to a vaguely soft-rock mix of violin, simmering guitar, and block harmonies; it's other things too. This piece is a perfect example of why you need to listen repeatedly; it insinuates itself into your consciousness and reveals its charm slowly. 

Mohawk is the big one. I am not sure the first quiet segment, Part 1, picks up the historical precedents. It's more dreamy Appellation Fishing than Mohawk Hunting, but it's still very effective. Joe Payne contributes some great vocal gymnastics to Part 2, as moogs and guitars swoop around. Great percussion roles and riffing guitar create a mid-paced feel that lets us think about the men who built New York. Part 2 expresses the duality of home and away perfectly before launching into the certainty of Part 3. What always fascinates me about a one-man band is that you don't have to cater to anyone, so every flourish, every harmony, every keyboard harmonic anchor is for the song. The insistent riff of Part 3 anchors Joe's restrained storytelling. Yes, the piece is nuanced with content, but when he hits the chorus, "we are the highwalkers", you can just sing along or, if moved—move. Joe's voice is sensuous and teases out the libretto beautifully. This piece also shows that, because you have a synthesiser, you don't have to play tiresome arpeggios; you can lift the piece in a gone-in-a-flash moment.

I love Zero Minus. My name is Holden, John Holden. He kind of proves that any great musician can write a Bond theme song. His strings, and that's a huge part of Bond, are sublime and bang on. But John goes further; he uses the piece to orchestrate a fight. In that regard, it is not like the ballads, but like  Jack White and Alicia Keys, Another Way to Die. The perfect singer: Sertari. Go girl. 

With surrender, the deeply depressing frustration of where we are all being led is played back in the mirror, and so exquisitely expressed by first Peter and then Sally over a driving, robust, energetic music, almost emblematic of the remorseless stupidity of it all.

Sertari completes nails A Silent Spark. I can barely talk about the music, and that's a compliment to her and the lyrics. What do you call this: orchestral, soft rock, pastoral? No, fantastic and deeply moving! The strings and the guitar flourishes add so much pathos. A lovely melodic guitar searching for sanity in a dark, appalling world which killed this beautiful young girl.

And then we can DANCE to If I Knew. Those Moog bass accents—fabulous. I recently watched Michael on a flight and wanted to dance, but now, on solid ground, I can. Whilst listening to this, you can be forgiven for thinking that John is an acolyte of Quincy Jones. A rip-roaring, wonderful way to end this delightful and fascinating group of songs. And Peter carries off the syncopation with style and panache. What an amazing singer he is.   

Overall

John has not only produced a raft of interesting new pieces but has assembled a COLLECTION that you can journey through without becoming fatigued or overwhelmed. This is due to the wide choice of source material, as well as his use of different vocalists, who add their own distinctive style. 

I now know what I now know. This is a great Album/CD/Project

Star Ratings

These days, supporters of artists tend to give 5 stars for all their output. Close To The Edge, Beethoven's 9th, and Sibelius's 5th are unmatched works of art. But Jon and Vangelis's Private Collection is a wonderful fusion of their talent, and I would give it 5 stars, but in a sense it's a different group of stars. This album is as satisfying as any of John's projects, and all of his work is fascinating and top-notch; maybe that's another set of stars? Or, as William said, it's all in the stars, not earthbound ones.