POSTHUMOUS SILENCE

Hmmm it's all been said: This is a beautiful masterpiece of an album. However, just like that other masterpiece: "The Lamb Lies Down On Broadway" which has one song - The Waiting Room - that you just can't listen to. This album's equivalent track is Forgotten Virtue which is just too noisy and shouty for me. If I wanted shouting I'd watch Eastenders and listen to Whitney Houston. Anyway, putting that aside, the rest of the album is truly beautiful. The album starts with dreamy synths which build to a peak that gets so loud that it disturbs the dog! It then returns to sampled news broadcasts and a classical choir. Absolutely magic. Then straight into Bequest of Tears comprising beautiful piano. I've mentioned the noisy track and out of the 15 tracks there is one other which is called In Chains and is next. It's a bit whiny but you kind of get used to it and the majority of the song is pleasant enough. There's a nice keyboard solo in the middle - brief but very pleasant. Next is Bitter Symphony, lovely guitar and keyboard chords. The next song is Pane of Truth. It's 9 minutes of melancholic piano, cello (cello always sounds sad). The voice emotion is actually more uplifting than the music - but remember - sad songs are always the most beautiful.

Next is the 2 minute No Earthly Reason: gentle tinkly piano with synth chords. Lovely. Next is Forgotten Virtue which I've already discussed. Next is The Colors Changed. Nice piano start, cello and emotional voice so it makes your hairs stand up. A Sad Sympathy follows. This starts with atmospheric synth chords - quite dreamy and then piano and vocals start. Another lovely track. The next track is Questions which is so accessible that it seems radio friendly like Kayleigh by Marillion. Next is Answer To Life which is more about guitar and drums but it is perfectly melodic - you don't always need keys for melody. Message From The Past is back to the mounful piano and synth chords. Beautiful and yet desperately sad sounding - especially when the cello solo plays. The Last Embrace follows. Strange whispering vocals and it does get a bit shouty to be honest. The album then drifts into A Kind Of Eden which starts with birdsong and some out-of-body vocals (if you can imagine that). The album ends with the title track Posthumous Silence. This comprises mournful piano and synth chords and lovely it is too.

What I haven't mentioned is that peppered throughout the album are samples of an adult male and female arguing bitterly. We know that the album story is about a father who picks up the diary of his deceased daughter who we understand has killed herself, to try and make some sense of his loss.

Hopefully someone can explain this to me: The arguments are clearly between two adults and yet there is a news broadcast that describes how a little girl is found dead in a dumpster. So what is the relationship between the girl and the arguing adults????