CURIOUS RUMINANT

In Jethro Tull's latest album, septuagenarian Ian Anderson ruminates, reflects, and ponders over a wide range of issues, including, the purpose of life, revenge/ betrayal, environmental concerns, and death and reconciliation.

The overall style and mood of the album is vastly different from the bands previous album RökFlöte. Gone are the chug- guitar, head beating rhythms that dominated the leather-stained rock tunes like, Wolf Unchained and The Navigators. Instead, Curious Ruminant offers an altogether much more, intricate, and intimate approach. It is melodically rich and the compositions are beautifully constructed.

Flute, accordion, and various acoustic instruments are often to the fore. A range of outstanding electric guitar parts performed by Jack Clark add a swathe of bold intense colours when the need arises. This results in an album that is truly delightful on many different levels.

Curious Ruminant is an album that has many different layers and offers a variety of shades. It rewards repeated listens.

Clever diversions of pace and subtle melodic changes abound. Choruses are used to good effect, but these are never, hackneyed or one dimensional. A thoughtful twist in the lyrics, or a measured change of emphasis, , always keeps things interesting. This, attention to detail, frequently creates a set of tunes which are catchy and easy on the ear. Satisfyingly, the arrangements display a impressive range of complexity.

The thoughtful ordering of the pieces, ensures that the album goes from strength to strength, as it progresses towards a thought-provoking spoken word conclusion in the atmospheric Interim Sleep.

Compositions such as the magnificent Drink From The Same Well, and the beautifully crafted Savannah of Paddington Green can certainly be judged alongside some of Anderson's most persuasive works.

There is great artistic maturity to much of the songwriting on the album; the supportive instrumentation and excellent production values are equally engaging. A sense of space pervades the music. The lyrics and chosen instruments complement each other, and have a distinctive place in the mix. Satisfyingly, nothing seems cluttered lyrically, or musically, apart from a few aspects of the textured instrumentation of the fast-paced The Tipu House.

A fine example of Anderson's talents as a songsmith can be observed in the compelling melodies of Stygian Hand. In this piece, Anderson calls upon many of the nuances, stylistic traits and ploys that have become synonymous with his most rewarding compositions over the years. Stylistically, it sits somewhere within the foot tapping, morphing patterns of something that could have featured in Anderson's SLOB release. If that was not enough to make some Tull and Anderson aficionados curl their toes in delight, Stygian Hand is also textured with hints and tints of the sort of riffs that made Heavy Horses' Acres Wild so engaging.

The band sound cohesive and their empathetic contribution throughout the whole release is excellent. Their tasteful embellishments in Stygian Hand, coupled with Anderson's deft yet insistent mandolin lines, perfectly convey the atmospheric message of the tune. Anderson's stridently disconcerting and disturbing execution of the imposing line, "Crash! The Stygian hand, against my brow", adds to the overall impact of the piece. Indeed, Anderson's time ruffled voice; full of expression and aged gravitas works well in almost all the tracks of the album.

Over Jerusalem contains several different moods and has several distinctive melodic hooks. Overall, it is a fascinating piece. It begins with an acoustic passage and an astute lyric. The change of emphasis as Anderson emotes "Rocks upon rocks, ashes on ashes", is truly brilliant and must rank as one of Anderson's most beautiful transition points within a song. The delightful and gentle acoustic sections ensure, that when upbeat electric passages occur, they hit hard. Consequently, they have a stunning impact.

Drink From The Same Well is the perfect offspring of Divinities and SLOB. It arguably takes the best ingredients from both releases to create a sumptuous feast for the senses. Without a doubt, it is the most satisfying tune on the album. Certainly, it is a showcase, for what might be, Anderson's best recorded performance on the flute. It's lengthy duration provides lots of scope for a variety of musical themes to be explored. It also enables the piece to move through a series of distinctive phases or movements.

The tune begins with an enchanting and beguiling flute motif. This darts, wafts, and cascades from speaker to speaker, to drench and clasp the room in a gently spiralling ear caressing melody. The double tracking and call and responding of a variety of flutes including the transcendent and ethereal tones of a bamboo flute, is one of the standout features of several phases of the piece. The accordion has a significant role. It is skillfully used to link sections of the composition together and to herald changes of pace, rhythm, and direction.

The sung parts of the tune are enticing, and I was reminded at different junctures of the smile inducing melodies of Panama Freighter and the knee-tap, jiggle-toe structure of the Habanero Reel. The piece uses a variety of clever choruses, with noticeable hooks and recurring lyrics. The overall effect is gripping, mesmerising and utterly enchanting. These earworm elements burrow and anchor themselves; to be hummed and mouthed long after the album has ended.

Every aspect of Drink From the Same Well works superbly, and it is a fine addition to Ian Anderson's catalogue of outstanding tunes.

Mention must be made of the high quality of Anderson's flute playing throughout the release. His tonal control is excellent. His ability to shape and bend notes really shines through. Overall, it's a flautist master class.

If Curious Ruminant should prove to be Jethro Tull, or Ian Anderson's final recorded work, then it is safe to say that this excellent album has enhanced and enriched that musical legacy.

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