A GROUNDING IN NUMBERS

Let me just point out that after David Jackson left the band in 2006 and I first heard "The Hurlyburly" off of Trisector, I had written off VDGG. I just wasn't interested in hearing this aged band anymore without Jaxon and with Hammill playing more guitar. Finally, months after A Grounding In Numbers came out, i decided to give this incarnation of VDGG a try. Good move because I think this is a great album. Sure David Jackson's presence is always a plus but Hammill, Banton and Evans prove to be capable of creating and recording great music. Some people call this a Hammill solo album under the VDGG banner. I don't hear it. Guy Evans and Hugh Banton without a doubt put their stamp all over this recording. Hugh's eclectic use of organs and synths flesh out these songs beautifully and Guy Evan's amazing drums drive all of these songs with aplomb. A Grounding In Numbers is a collection of songs that has the look and feel of of a concept album without actually being one. With recurring lyrical themes about numerology, the seamless way the songs segue into each other and the different moods created. Even Hammill's limited raw guitar playing finds a nice role on this album by filling up space. I still don't care for his tone though and he's far from being an expert. The band covers quite a bit on this album. An inspirational ballad sans cheesiness(Your Time Starts Now), Rockers (Highly Strung and Embarrassing Kid), experimentation (Red Baron and Splink) spacey funk (Smoke), jazzy quirkiness (5533) and good old fashioned VDGG done in a modern way (All Over The Place and Mr. Sands)

My only complaint is I wish they would get a decent producer. This album doesn't sound bad at all, in fact it sounds better than their 2 previous albums but a great outside producer would certainly benefit them.