TIMELOSS

Sometimes the most alluring treasures are stumbled upon by accident. A movie ticket bought because the feature of choice is full, only to discover an unknown film that enthralls you in a completely fresh way, perhaps so because it's so unexpected. Such was the case with this rather wonderful album. A hint from a reviewer or a snippet of a tune heard on an internet radio station, I can't remember but I ordered the album on a whim and have continued to be blown away by it ever since.

To me it is what modern progressive rock should be, a melding of the old influences with a search for a new sound, something different, a blending of apparently disparate elements that forms a seamless new whole. And here it's the apparently unlikely blend of a classic Crimson-like sensibility with Portishead-like trip-hop. It shoulodn't work but it does so in a mesmeric way. The opening track, Sensor, sets the tone with a soul-infused bass line and Fender Rhodes riff that could have been lifted off Stevie Wonder in one of his mellower moments, or straight from a Zero 7 album for that matter. It's mellow, coffee table jazz funk which then devolves into a harder guitar riff, which propels you straight into a Mellotron-backed verse sequence. The vocal of Petronella Nettermalm is a little incongruous at first but you soon warm to her crystalline tone. Sensor spirals forward to a furious conclusion and sure, while the drums and bass are far too busy at the close of the song and trip over each other numerous times, the template is set. This is going to be interesting.

It gets even better on the second track, 'Hypnotique'. The Rhodes is again the foundation, setting up a delicate vibe, founded on a slowly looping bass riff. The verse is pure Portishead, though sounding much more organic than the Bristol collective, Nettermalm's vocal soothing rather than alienating as Beth Gibbons often did with Portishead. Mellotrons to the fore the song sits back and relaxes into a gorgeous flute solo before waking up again for the finale a wonderful 'Tron-drenched coda which builds to a brilliantly understated climax on the back of a delicate little guitar figure. It's like that throughout. From the gentle Tea to the furious almost drum 'n' bass finale of the thunderous Quits, with its Rhodes piano, clattering, discordant brass and skittering drums.

A remarkable record, and one that's hardly been out of the cd tray since it arrived. I can't recommend it highly enough. As a blend of the ancient and modern it's superb. It may not appeal to died in the wool classicists and it does stick to the mere melodious and mellow - there are no fret shredding workouts here - but as an fusion of two apparently quite different genres, it works beautifully. I'm almost tempted to give it a monster five stars, but those are such rare gems. Four it is, but with a nod towards the ultimate accolade.