SUN IN VIII

For this 2011 release Chris went back to basics, in that this is actually a solo effort (apart from vocals and narration by Ria Parfitt on one song). Chris has used sound effects in places to enhance the overall sound, a vocoder in others, and has created an album where the songs are actually quite different to each other as well as being very removed indeed from the previous album. Not only is this instrumental, but often the guitars are much more in your face than before, and "Ghost Planes of the Peak District" actually turns into a Wishbone Ash number with strong twin melody guitars before Chris decides to let that slowly drift away and instead make the keyboards the main lead. There is a real sense of adventure in this album as Chris looks back much more to what was happening in 'Garlands' than 'Art', creating something that contains space rock, psych, gothic rock and so much more.

The two albums are actually so different that they feel as if they are from separate artists, and in many ways they are as Chris has move from the band format with an external producer to one where it is simply states 'written, recorded and produced by Chris Gill' in small print on the rear cover. In many ways this album is more broad in that it contains so many styles, but the earlier one is more focused and more of the sort of thing that I would listen to for sheer pleasure. But, why not go to Chris's site at www.bandofrain.com and find out for yourself as it is possible to stream songs from each album and here is an artist well worth discovering.