EATING.SEATS

— First review of this album —

This album certainly has its share of Pink Floyd influences and references. The vocals are reminiscent of early, psychedelic-era Floyd as in, for example, "See Emily Play". At other times however, the vocals remind me of the half-sung, half-spoken style of Deluge Grander on their "August in the Urals" album. Floyd influences aside, the vocal style is very unique, and upon first listening you might be slightly taken aback, as I was. But it grew on me, and I'm fully engaged with it. The electric guitar playing certainly exhibits David Gilmore's style. And there are a few other Floyd influences, noted in my track notes below...

1. Secrets About September. This piece begins with a slow-paced, somewhat foreboding, swirl of spacey synths supporting breathy, non-spoken vocals. The music slowly morphs into a more structured song as percussion, bass and guitar emerge from the swirl, climax in a swell of wordless vocals and backing, then diminish before being suddenly sucked into abrupt nothingness. The guitar work throughout is very Gilmorean.

2. Kelso. A growling space monster leads you into a brief, symphonic-prog sound track, followed by a slowly picked guitar, rambling over the steady strokes of a brushed snare drum rhythm. Airy vocals, reminiscent of early Floyd, emerge in a somewhat odd, unidentifiable musical scale. Midway thru, the tempo picks up with the guitar starting out softly picked, then changing to an edgy, metal-tempered style. A long-sustained and distorted guitar runs over some psychedelic keyboard noodling, before returning to the same slowly picked guitar motif, brushed snare rhythm, and airy vocals that started it off.

3. The Colour of Eternity. This piece begins with swirling synths and the almost spoken vocals in the style of early Deluge Grander. The song structure, still reminiscent of early Floyd replete with Gilmorean guitar, is the most traditional song-like structure so far on the album. And if that weren't enough Floyd references, the piece ends with the "tolling of the iron bell" albeit somewhat distorted.

4. Who Has Got The Last Laugh Now? Wails of trapped psychotic souls, the words in their heads leaking out, greets you at the beginning of this track. An electric guitar with long sustained notes sets an eerie backdrop. Stark brash strums of an electro-acoustic guitar interrupt the psychasm, then mutate into a mildly metallic interlude, before commencing with wonderful mid-tempo, melodic vocals -- perhaps the catchiest vocal melody on the album. Then the ersatz Gilmore takes us out with a wonderful guitar climax at the end.

5. Heppet Et Noru Dest. You're at someone's house. A pleasant upright piano plays in the background, while an unintelligible discussion takes place in the kitchen as someone is washing up the dishes. That is literally it. A reference to Alan's Psychedelic Breakfast, maybe?

6. Who Painted The Sky? This is a nice, rambling, slow-paced number with traditional percussion leading a repetitive guitar arpeggio with backing keys and bass. The inimitable vocals build to a swelling, layered vocal chorus, before being replaced with a picked guitar carrying the melody forward. The backing elements fade, as the picked guitar, becoming more airy and echoey, takes us out.

7. Postman. Think "Money" (the track from "Dark Side of the Moon"). An alarm bell goes off. The snooze button triggers a driving guitar with pulsating bass & percussion. Catchy vocals frame the psychedelic feel. This is a head-nodding, foot-tapping, and sing-along (if I knew the words) kind of piece. Half way thru the rhythm section takes to the foreground, with guitars riffing and vamping in the background. A female voice begins presenting the days news, in German, in a flat, matter-of-fact kind of style typical of a radio newscaster. But as the piece continues, the reader's voice slowly becomes more and more agitated until it becomes downright angry and dramatic, ending with a sigh of relief. It's Monday, after all.

8. Who Painted the Sky? (Reprise). Simple piano chords back a nice prototypical vocal and Gilmorean guitar with no percussion. Then the drums and bass kick in, accompanied by soaring unspoken vocals in the style of Floyd's "The Great Gig in the Sky" -- albeit with less gospel influence. A nice finish.

Plenty of Floyd influences, without sounding copycat-ish or derivative. Eating.Seats have a unique style -- one that grows on you. This is a very good work, and you can download it for free from their website! Essential? Maybe not. But certainly fun, enjoyable, and well executed. I give it 3.5 to 4 stars.