DRESSED IN VOICES

Mostly Autumn had their origins in the mind of Bryan Josh in the early of 1990 but didn't come to fruition until 1998. Josh had been working on song material for several years. Other important founding members were the singer Heather Findley and the keyboardist Iain Jennings, who also played a major role in the compositions. Mostly Autumn blend progressive and atmospheric rock with motifs from the Celtic music paired with Pink Floyd and Genesis' sounds. In addition to guitars, keyboards, bass and drums, flutes, pipes, bagpipes, violins, etc., complement their type of sound.

"Dressed In Voices" is the eleventh studio album of Mostly Autumn and was released in 2014. The line up on the album is Bryan Josh (lead vocals, lead, rhythm and acoustic guitars and keyboards), Olivia Sparnenn (lead vocals and percussion), Liam Davison (electric and slide guitars), Iain Jennings (keyboards and Hammond organ), Anne- Marie Helder (backing vocals and flute), Andy Smith (bass guitar) and Alex Cromarty (drums). The album had also the participation of B. J. Cole (pedal steel guitar) and Troy Donockley (high whistle and bouzouki), both as guest musicians.

"Dressed In Voices" is a conceptual album based around the cold-blooded murder of an ordinary guy who just happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time, and challenging the murderer to see what he has taken away, both the life before the bullet and the subsequent life of which the victim has been deprived. It's a very dark theme and Josh questioned himself during the writing process as to whether the subject matter was just too bleak. But, the final result is a stunning piece of work that cajoles every emotion from the listener with great lyrics and astounding music.

"Dressed In Voices" has fourteen tracks. "Saturday Night" sets the scene for the story that is about to unfold in the following 60 minutes. It starts with a dark sequence, quickly followed by the high notes of Olivia. This is a promising opening. "Not Yours To Take" is a stunningly sculpted track from a band that is working as a very tight unit. This is a staccato track sung by Josh. The harmonies here are surprisingly fitting. "Running" features the main vocals by Olivia. It has an excellent combination between the voice of Olivia, the soaring guitar of Josh and Jennings' keyboards. "See You" isn't almost a track. With its 23 seconds it fits the theme, but it's superfluous. "Home" is a rock song with many interesting parts that can keep my attention all over the time. It's built upon with high contrasts like Olivia's voice versus Josh's guitar solo. "First Day At School" is the lengthiest track on the album. It's an example of a simple song backing of piano and strings, fronted by the male/female harmonizing. This is a track of contrasting halves, the first one is a ballad and the second is more up-tempo. "Down By The River" is a direct rock song, as happened on many of their recent albums. It sounds as a heavy rock played in the early 70's. It's strange to hear the contrast with the previous song. "Skin On Skin" is a traditional folk song from the earliest days of Mostly Autumn. It's the folksiest song on the album. It has a totally different atmosphere from the previous song and proves that the band has a distinct style very own. "The House On The Hill" is an acoustic traditional country music. It's a beautiful ballad sung with double vocal lines by Olivia. This is a quiet song with the aim of calming the listener after the loads of energy of the previous songs. "The Last Day" is a dramatic ballad eminently sung by Olivia supported by Jennings' keyboards. Jennings composed the music with Josh taking care of the lyrics. It reminds me the first albums of the band. This is another highlight on the album. "Dressed In Voices" has nice acoustic guitars, angelic voices and good lyrics. It has a quiet acoustic beginning and a guitar outburst in the end. All the good qualities of Mostly Autumn can be heard here. "The Library" is a slow short bluesy song, in the vein of David Gilmour, with Josh singing in the high regions of his voice, supported halfway by Olivia. "Footsteps" is another very short instrumental. It has some dark and looming sounds of footsteps, an intro for the last song. "Box Of Tears" ends the album with impressive lyrics. It's a beautiful ballad emotionally sung by Olivia with Jennings's piano and Josh's acoustic guitar on the background. This is a great closing track to the album.

Conclusion: "Dressed In Voices" is another excellent album of Mostly Autumn which seems to have brought together the perfect fusion of their influences. Previous albums have hinted at this fusion, but, invariably seemed to fall into the prog folk or the heavier side. Here, the band weaves between the melodic, symphonic, heavy and Celtic influences seamlessly. It has also a perfect interplay between the voices of Olivia and Josh, which is one of the huge plus points of Mostly Autumn, to have two vocalists who are individually superb but also harmonize in an amazing manner. To the usual followers of Mostly Autumn, "Dressed In Voices", can be a true revelation. And it can also be a great starting point for people who don't know yet the music of Mostly Autumn. "Dressed In Voices" is an excellent entry into their world. The album gets better with a repeated listening. "Dressed In Voices" is another Mostly Autumn's refined hour.

Prog is my Ferrari. Jem Godfrey (Frost*)

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