TRISECTOR

The band's first release as a trio was 2008's Trisector. Songs on this release are (mostly) terser than their prior output, but considering some of the bloat on Present, that's a good thing. "The Hurlyburly" fades in slowly with a twangy guitar line, but it's got a really fun groove once it gets going. Hammill's guitar playing still isn't great, but it's more competent than elsewhere on this album. Despite this being a decent track overall, the loss of Jackson really stripped the band of a lot of their distinctiveness. The fact that this track is an instrumental only seems to exacerbate its genericness.

A somewhat Baroque organ-and-piano pattern opens "Interference Patterns". Hammill's voice goes a long way in defining the Van der Graaf sound. The melody is the band's signature minor-key weirdness, and his theatricality is greatly appreciated. "The Final Reel", meanwhile, is a slow-moving piece with subtle jazz touches. It reminds me a lot of David Gilmour-era Pink Floyd ballads (including being two minutes too long).

"Lifetime" tries to be moody, but it's more boring than anything else. "Drop Dead", in contrast, is a hard-rocking piece with a somewhat-awkward bluesy riff. "Only a Whisper" plays with dynamics a bit but remains mostly quiet throughout its runtime.

"All That Before" is one of the best cuts on the album. Hammill's guitar and Banton's organ have great synergy, and the vocal melody is memorable. The lyrics are pretty fun, too.

At twelve-and-a-half minutes, "Over the Hill" is nearly twice as long as the next-longest song on Trisector. The slow, organ-led intro reminds me of material off of Still Life. Instrumental passages feature interplay between organ and piano with oddball riffs and unusual chords. In the song's second half, Banton's organ gives this cut a swelling, triumphant atmosphere. During the climax, Hammill's guitar evokes Jackson's saxophone style marvelously.

Trisector ends strong. "(We Are) Not Here" features an eerie, ominous organ line, and Evans's percussion has a difficult-to-describe rhythmic oddness. The vocal performance is also classic Hammill. It's emotive, idiosyncratic, and over-the-top, featuring both his uniqueness and his ability to sing in conventionally "pretty" ways.

Review originally posted here: theeliteextremophile.com/2023/07/10/deep-dive-van-der-graaf-generator/

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