FRIEND OF ALL CREATURES

"Have you seen this episode here It's considered the best of the genre that year Yes it's a language I don't really speak Still genius work considering"

Have you listened to this new P-SA offering yet? These lines from one of the tracks in their first album speaks well for the quality of their new one. It's certainly one of the best for me in the Cross Over category for this year so far, and indeed, in my opinion this qualifies as a genius work well worth investigating.

As most know already, the rootstock of the band emanated largely from Spock's Beard, which was something I did not know when their first P-SA album was released, nor did I care as I wasn't a particularly big fan of SB's work. Perhaps this is my bad as I probably should take a deeper dive into their catalogue. That said, I was given a copy by a friend of "The Kindness of Strangers" which I rather liked, but my understanding after the fact is that it wasn't particularly well received by the SB fan base, nor was it representative of their best work. So, to be candid, for me, this connection between the two bands is something of a 'whatever' kind of point of interest. Perhaps, it was even a good thing that I wasn't aware of the connection as I had no preconceptions of what P-SA could, would, or should sound like.

Frankly, P-SA from what I can tell through my limited exposure to SB has an entirely different sound palette, one that I really enjoy. I would go so far as to say that P-SA from their first album forward have a quite distinct sound that is unique and easily recognizable. This is no easy fete when so many bands are borrowing ideas from each other and often sound similar. But musically, lyrically, and vocally there is a fresh optic here. This, of course, isn't to say that they don't do a little tapping into the grand pool of ideas out there now and then as I will allude to, but it's all within a framework that makes it their own.

As noted, I have been following this band from their first album, and it has been enjoyable to watch their progression and evolution. They seem to just be getting better and better. I have been wanting to review some of their albums before now, but this one has actually gotten me motivated to do it. I had been wanting to do a review in defense of their second album "Prehensile Tales", which I thought seemed to be their most prog oriented offering, yet ironically the lowest rated on PA, although still a respectable 3.66 score . I also had come close to reviewing the last offering "Spooky Action at a Distance", which has some marvelous offerings on it, but it was, as much as I like it, a bit large in scale, a bit all over the place, and I just couldn't get focused enough to do it.

But this new one, "Friend of All Creatures", is just absolutely right in my eyes. This is the album that they have been building up to. It's tight, focused, and the tracks are well ordered. It starts out great, stays strong, and has a grand escalation to a conclusion that will leave you wanting more. The lyrics are memorable, with some great chorus work, and hooks. Yes. Hooks. In prog. Who would have thought? Being cross over, it is of course accessible, but never pedestrian. The musical exploration is top notch with some lengthy instrumental sections, and continuous and frequent tempo and instrument changes. The lead vocal and secondary vocals are simply magnificent throughout. There are some influences from their previous albums, but plenty of new ideas for our listening pleasure. There is so much talent here that it's hard to put into words.

This new album is a shorter effort and offers up only seven tracks. This is considerably less than their previous album which show cased twice as many songs and nearly double the run time. This helps considerably in making this album accessible, absorbable, and memorable, and one you will likely want to return to frequently.

Before getting into my impressions of the tracks, I must comment on the album cover art. I liked their previous covers, but this one is just special. It's simple but memorable. Let's call it elegant in a Tim Burton kind of way. The use of striking red in contrast to the dark blue, gray and purple hues of all the previous album art is a nice change and seems indicative that we can expect new things in the music too. Seriously, this is probably going to be one of the most striking, memorable, and readily identifiable covers of the last year or two, and perhaps into the future as well. A keeper for sure!

Now, getting into the music itself, the album is broken down into four long tracks, 8 minutes and longer, and three shorter ones that are less than 5 minutes. My initial reaction was that I was immediately drawn to the longer tracks as being the stronger ones, but after multiple listens, I have come around to fully appreciating the shorter ones as well. Given that the album starts with the two longest tracks, you can't help but feel that this is a band at its creative peak and it just exudes absolute confidence in what it is doing, and rightly so. So, here we go.

Future Perfect World (9:38) The most striking part of the intro initially is the violin giving it a bit of an Irish feel, but this quickly fades off as the keys take front and center with the guitar work running side by side. Happily, the violin work will keep reappearing throughout the album. Great lyrics, great vocals, great instrumental sections by the keys and lead guitar. This one just keeps building and building, and lets you know that you are in for a great ride to come. A hint of the Glass Hammer vibe here that I really like. A fantastic up-tempo opener, nine minutes of cross over bliss! 10/10

Another Holy Grail (12:20) Opens with lyrics over a light soundscape that then turns into a 4 minute plus instrumental workout where all the musicians get their moment to develop the musical theme. After a second block of lyrics, another more energetic instrumental section mostly featuring guitar follows. Then a third block of lyrics and another instrumental stretch continuing the build up but this time featuring a more keyboard driven section, and what seems like violin. But perhaps in this case it isn't actually a violin as sometimes it's hard to tell what is and isn't a synth anymore! Anyway, it all builds up to a climatic finish. Another very strong track. 9.5/10

Down the Darkest Road (4:34) Following the complexity of the first two big energetic tracks with all their tempo changes, lead instrument pyrotechnics and shifts, this is a short and extremely well-placed ballad. It creates the re-set that will start from here and build up all the way until the end of the album. It is by far the most straight forward and simple song on this album, but it has some nice elements. The vocalist has a haunting quality that is hard to forget. The violin, this time for sure a violin, returns to add to this eerie atmosphere. The guitar picking and soft synth wash underneath it all creates a nice, chilled tempo that is a welcome respite after the workouts both these instruments had in the first two tracks. 8.75/10

In My Dying Days (4:42) Another shorter one here, starting with a special guitar sound that's been pretty unique to the P-SA sound from the very beginning. It has a kind of beachy, western like sound. Difficult to describe but think perhaps the B-52s doing a score for a western film. In some of the previous albums this sound has been more omnipresent, but this is the only time it shows up on this album. Something of an expected prerequisite, so bravo. The violin runs along side in a prominent fashion, creating a bit of a Kansas like aura. Again, a somewhat less complex song than the first two, but stepping up their game and the pace as they move into the second half of the album. 9.25/10

The Seventh Sleeper (8:11) This starts with speaker jumping synths and some vocal sound bites that immediately reminded me of Seal. Yes. That Seal. The one that did the Super Bowl commercial. Quick as it appears for a moment or two it is gone again never to return. Perhaps this is the band showing a bit of a sense of humor. From there, everything else joins in and ramps up and at two minutes plateaus out for lyrics over a somewhat prog jazz type arrangement. I really like the lead and backing vocals interweave here. Part of the time the backing vocals are first with the lead vocal repeating the lines, and part of the time the reverse. All are talented singers and this really shines. At about the 3:45 mark there is a notable guitar lead section that runs for about two and a half minutes, dropping back into the final vocal section. Definitely another great track building towards the conclusion of the album. 9.75/10

Days We'll Remember (3:54) The shortest of the short tracks, and the best of the three short ones in my humble opinion. This is just pure ear candy, a mid tempo ballad, that is up lifting and simply makes you silly happy. More pop than prog I suppose, a simple enough song structure, but so far elevated above the fare you might hear in the mainstream that there is no comparison. Prog people aren't so much about singles, but this would be a great one! Nearly perfect. Sets the stage for the grand finale. 9.5/10

Words of Love Evermore (8:41) Starts with light keys, and then guitars thunder in with slow drawn out chords, somewhat ominous, and then rolls into the main theme of the music, big and lovely. Drops back for slow lead guitar and first vocal sections. Just love Ted Leonard's vocal in this tract, so emotional and compelling. The harmonizing secondary vocals of the band are fabulous also and lifts this way up even more. So much talent here in the arrangement! Next up is another instrumental section starting at 3:30 with emotive piano forward, then guitar, and big synth outpour, wow! Drops back to a short almost ambient section, and then back up into the main musical theme. Starts the concluding vocal section, that leads into a three minute plus outro featuring the main title chorus lyrics with fabulous guitar solo over the top until it all fades away. Big finish to an even bigger album! Just exquisite! Again, another 9 minutes of cross over bliss! 10/10

In conclusion, this is simply such a great album. It really could be the best of the genre this year! We will see. In any event, it will surely gain them considerably more exposure and broaden their fan base. As I mentioned at the outset, this is the one they have been working towards. It is certainly their magnum opus so far! Every track is needed and wanted and is in the perfect spot, and the overarching arrangement of the songs is brilliant. So much thought put into this production by the band without question. I have been playing this every day since it dropped in February, and just love it more and more. Not even close to moving this out of high rotation any time soon. If you like cross over prog, this is an absolutely essential album for your library. Five stars without any reservations at all. Enjoy!

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