NUMBER SEVEN

I had listened to Phideaux a couple of times on Last FM, but never really seriously, until I downloaded this based upon strong recommendations as to how to spend my birthday money in December.

Boy, am I glad that I went along with the recommendations. This is a fantastic piece of work, lovingly crafted and executed, with a narrative revolving around a continuous struggle between dormouse & crayfish, but most obviously a metaphor for other types of eternal struggles. The narrative also includes an interesting (certainly for the first couple of listens) history of evolution lecture. You don't come across that every day!

I hear many influences in this album. Floyd, Parsons, Oldfield, and most definitely folk, including in a couple of passages, strangely, some of the harder crusty folk rock such as Tansads & Levellers that I still adore.

The playing is sublime. I have always loved piano led orchestral symphonic pieces, and this one does not disappoint, the vocals are spot on, and the ethereal chants add a majesty to the whole piece.

My only criticism is that the length could probably have been a tad shorter, especially in the second movement, but overall this has been a fine introduction to an artist rightly lauded on PA.

It will definitely move me to explore the back catalogue, and I can think of no better recommendation than that.

A strong four stars, and thanks to all my friends on PA who recommended it to me.