PETER HAMMILL/GARY LUCAS: OTHER WORLD

Ok. I didn't really know what to expect. I have always loved Peter Hammill's band Van der Graaf Generator. But then I get to his solo albums and I seem to have a hard time with them. I had to force myself to listen to "In Camera" and "The Silent Corner and the Empty Stage" numerous times before I could actually relate to any of the music and say that I enjoyed them...which is funny because I fell in love with VdGG immediately. Listening to "Godbluff" and "Pawn Hearts" blew my mind, and I fell in love with their entire 1970s output.

That being said, I found "Other World" to be completely accessible upon the first listen. I realize that this is a collaboration with guitarist Gary Lucas, but it still bears the striking signature of Peter Hammill. The music is more ambient and languid than much of Peter Hammill's oeuvre, but in a way this is why I like it. It has the psychedelic feel of early Pink Floyd, but in my humble opinion it is more musical, better produced and more cohesive as an album than some of that great band's early work. It may be worth noting that there seems to be some Brian Eno influence here as well (a good thing in my opinion).

Despite the presence of only two musicians, the music is rich, lush and at times veers between pastoral and psychedelic. It is very hard for me to pick a favorite song, but I am leaning towards the seven minute long closing opus "Slippery Slope". It is an instrumental, and about midway through it, I had to stop what I was doing and walk across the room to look at my MP3 player to see what the song was called. I wanted to make a note to myself to play it again. To my dismay, it was the last song on an album that feels way too short. I rate it 4 stars for now. The rating could change as I live with the album for awhile, but it makes an excellent first impression. It is rare that a Peter Hammill album does that for me. Perhaps Gary Lucas deserves a little credit.