BROKEN SPELLS (AS JO BETH YOUNG)

Jo Beth Young, the etherealist, returns with her first album in her own name. Other artists have contributed musical ideas and performances, but this is Jo Beth in charge of writing, playing, singing, arranging, producing, the artwork and half the mixing. Broken Spells is a concept album built on personal lessons learned, each one illustrating the breaking of a spell once cast over the songwriter, spells broken as she experienced spiritual rebirth. In proper prog style, the album grew on me, especially with some profound songs having unusual rhythms and moving melodies. If you haven't heard her vocal chords in action before, head over to Bandcamp and give Standstill and Kinder Sea a whirl or two.

My first impressions were of haunting, simple melodies conjuring dreamy soundscapes that express pain and healing rather than melancholy. From track two onwards, there is a darkness lying beneath the waves. It works for me and that is why I am a fan. Pleasantly innovative, some of the rhythms click fully into place with subsequent listens, which is how I like it. The electronica bursting out of Broken Spells provides variations that may challenge the purists, but go with it and get with it, I say. I find the music spacious in places and almost rasping in others to great effect. Drama reverberates along the cliff edge before the angelic vocals carries one away.

Lyrics from deep in the heart of the songwriter journey through the hidden recesses of our beliefs and decision-making. I admire the aesthetics of this album's cathedral of music. From Brigid's bright stained glass windows to Ockham's Razor's dark alcoves; from Standstill's spacious nave to Kinder Sea's alter; from Lazuli's memorial to Burning's full on church organ. Don't let the gentle wolf at the door keep you out. The key to the album's soft opener is in the lyrical "Such a pretty way to die". The wonderful singing continues on from Jo Beth's previous albums, with maturing performances everywhere (vocals, songwriting, cello, guitars, beats, etc.). All is arranged for dramatic effect and it deserves the statutory three listens of any highly rated album on this website of marvels.

8 months on now from its release and Jo Beth has already moved forward to her next project, a multi-talented exercise in film-making called This Quiet Light. It promises to knit together original music and video across the theme of rural workers and their wisdom in working in tune with nature, wisdom that we are slowly losing as modern methods prevail. You can find out more as the project progresses on her webpage and her Ko-Fi site.

I had a tussle with Broken Spells over it's qualifications for essential progressive music. I would definitely say that if Kate Bush qualifies for her own ProgArchives page, then so does this artist and album. Whereas the likes of Aerial dazzled with long instrumental passages and longer songs abound in Kate's later works, Broken Spells does not boast long tracks. Yet, observing the criteria for progressive music, the album has no simple verse-chorus songs, it experiments with exaggerated dynamics in places and it is a concept album. It has added flourishes throughout and fresh guitar sounds to enhance it's messages. Allegories run rife through the lyrics and a new dive into electronica for Jo Beth diversifies onwards from her previous works. A final thumbs up to the cover artwork, which I always look to as a quick guide to whether an album has prog leanings. Indeed, an excellent addition to the collection of any fan of crossover prog. Essential? Maybe if you really love it, so 4.5 stars if that is permitted.