LAUGHING STOCK

Mark Hollis and stallwarts Lee Harris (drums) and Tim Friese-Greene (organ, piano, harmonium, producer) share a vision toward increasingly minimalist sound in order to express themselves musically. This is their final studio effort together.

1. "Myrrhman" (5:33) so spacious you can hear the "brush strokes" of the effects pedals' oscillations. Mark's singing is almost Louisiana bluesy. It's the incidentals and odd chord and key progressions that help keep this Venning in the Prog Rock, but really, this could be jazz--or, in the chamber strings section, modern classical--as much as Post Rock. Hypnotizing! Definitely a top three song for me.(9/10)

2. "Ascension Day" (6:00) about three times uptempo as the previous song, there's actually some rock to this one--kind of raw, 1960s WHO feel, before Mark's vocal enters. (Man! I never thought of this before: but there is a striking similarity in his singing voice to that of PETE TOWNSEND! Pitch, tone, style, though not diction.) Drums are recorded so raw and natural--probably one single mic doing the job. Lee starts out with a kind of Steve Jansen style and patters before turning pure jazz rock. Near the halfway point a discordant passage from the chamber strings section throws everything into temporary turmoil, but then we come back to some bluesy jazz before releasing the "early Who" motif to take us back to Mark's vocals. Harmonica and organ join in in the fifth minute. Interesting. Another top three. (8.75/10)

3. "After the Flood" (9:39) roving piano notes gradually reveal a pattern as organ and reverse electric guitar notes rise up from beneath over the first minute. Simple, straight time "plein air" jazz drums, bass, and soft jazz electric guitar arpeggi then rise up during the second minute. Bass and organ become the most active and interesting. By minute three Mark's singing voice has entered. This is a lot like a combination of "I Believe in You" and "Life's What You Make It"--especially as Mark's vocal becomes more impassioned. Lots of additional instruments making incidental contributions. Raw, sustained electric guitar screaming solo in the fifth and sixth minutes while piano plays gently beneath--and the drums and bass play on as if nothing is happening. I like the steadfastness of the drums--and the fellowship of the bass and organ in tandem. Lots of cluttering incidentals join in during the seventh and eighth minutes--even while Mark is singing. The final 90 seconds are left to the main rhythm section to play out in their faithful way while several more incidentalists throw their contributions into the mix--to fade. Nice song. Another top three for me. (18/20)

4. "Taphead" (7:30) odd discordance or disharmony exists right from the start between the guitar's gentle finger picking, the keys, and Mark's vocal. Even the horn and strings' contributions seem only to magnify this message: as if the waywardness and dissonance of each of the individual instruments is intended to demonstrate disunity--or perhaps the difficulty of individuals to harmonize. I like the mysterious "message"--and understand the genius expressed here--but I am not really a fan of the music. (13/15)

5. "New Grass" (9:40) piano, gently picked chords of a jazz guitar, and jazz drumming accompany Mark's frail voice from the opening moment. The lyrics, I think, are what Mark thinks are the most important element of this song (a kind of numinous spiritual vision?) as the music beneath changes very little in pacing or expansion over the course of the entire ten minutes--only one instrument joins in for some soloing (beside piano and jazz electric guitar) and only a couple others for incidental contributions. Okay song. (17/20)

6. "Runeii (4:58) extra-bare, minimal support for Mark's almost-whispered vocal. Slow tremolo picking of single guitar strings is the only constant, with incidental cymbal play, and upright piano chords in a distant background. Nothing very special here. (8/10)

Total Time: 43:20

I can defintely see why so many people revere this band/man's work after (and, for some, including) The Colour of Spring. There is such purity of spirit to this music, so much to listen to because of the clear soundscapes. There might even be interesting messages being conveyed by Mark's vocals (I just don't hear them).

B/four stars; an excellent and definitely unusual addition to any prog lover's music collection.