IT'LL ALL WORK OUT IN BOOMLAND

"In Circles" kicks things off with an attention-grabbing, irregular riff. Harsh, staccato chords are contrasted with floating, jazzy arpeggi before diving into a slinking, twisting guitar solo. The drumming is deft and technical in support of Cross's masterful soloing. Dunton's vocals are subdued and smooth, and they are a strong complement to the unusual, tumbling riff that powers the verses along. Matching the lyrics of disorientation, the instrumental backing has a spiraling, twining quality. Cross flexes his technical chops again in the song's midsection. Despite the length of this instrumental detour, things remain coherent and enthralling for the entire duration. The song's finale features ugly, dissonant chords.

Following this thundering introduction is something much mellower. "J.L.T." is a quiet, pastoral piece that is primarily acoustic. Piano plinks out the main melody, and Dunton's gentle voice is a natural fit for a song like this. Chimes and subtle Mellotron make this folky little piece quite lush. The chorus swells a bit more each time it is repeated; the keys grow more enveloping, and Dunton's drumming becomes more frenzied. In this song's instrumental outro, brass instruments slowly fade in, matching the tune of the piano and chimes. This lends the song a sense of richness and importance, in contrast to its humble starting point.

Ending side one is "No More White Horses", a song Dunton had previously recorded with his band Please. A palm-muted guitar gradually fades in, building a sense of dread and doom. When the dam finally bursts, Cross's guitar solo is blistering and furious, full of tortured bends and nimble fretboard gymnastics. The opening riff of this song would feel at home on an early Black Sabbath record. In contrast, the first verse is slow and mournful. It's mostly acoustic, and Dunton's voice is again a perfect fit. The chorus is simple but memorable, and an acoustic-electric contrast is used to great effect. Cross gets another solo after the first verse, and it's different from and the perfect counterpoint to his first. This one is much slower and full of emotional weight that builds to an explosive climax. Piano shows up on this track too, and the delicate tone pierces through the thick distortion on the guitar. Brass brings a sense of majesty to the mournfulness. As the song ends, it descends into a dissolving pit of discordant distortion.

Side two consists solely of the 21-minute epic "Morning". It opens quietly, with just Dunton and acoustic guitar. The rest of the ensemble jumps into it on the first chorus, and there is an irrepressible upward momentum, like the sun peeking over the horizon. After this opening passage, the band launches into a stomping instrumental passage with lots of technical start-stop playing and more searing solos from Keith Cross. This passage in particular feels like a direct precursor to Rush.

Cascading guitar lines, vocal harmonies, and jazz-influenced drumming underpin the next section. An extended melodic instrumental passage eventually disintegrates into sharp, squealing guitar harmonics and tribal, tom-heavy drumming. This moment of experimental ambiance reemerges into a reprise of the song's opening chords.

Continuing to build momentum, the song has a light, bouncy, psychedelic melody, but it's contrasted against herky-jerky jazz-rock. T2 again smartly deploys brass in this movement, and it serves to enhance the feeling of bright majesty. The band continues bouncing around between ideas, with galloping hard rock, but this suite remains incredibly coherent. Cross could shred with any of his contemporary guitar greats, and Dunton's performance could go toe-to-toe with Keith Moon's best. The mood is chaotic and anxious, but the band always manages to skillfully connect their disparate musical dots.

Eventual CD releases of this album would contain a trio of live recordings. One is "In Circles", and one features on a later release. The third song, "Questions and Answers", is slow and somewhat bluesy. Cross again puts on one hell of a performance in this powerful and affecting song.

Review originally posted here: theeliteextremophile.com/2024/06/24/lesser-known-gem-t2-itll-all-work-out-in-boomland/