THE TEA CLUB

The initial song is short but quite indicative of the album with great singing and a melody that will be reintroduced in the last last song (to great effect)--love the acoustic guitar! "Say Yes" is a very good rocker with an infectious--well--everything! "Rivermen" is a song that begins in a simple, somewhat creepy yet calming manner that's akin to a bedtime story but grows in goosebumps-inducing intensity; it's really well done. Finally, "Creature" concludes this album on a very, very high note. All the musical ideas that preceded this song are included in it and then some; from the beautiful acoustic work featured in "The Way You Call" to the heaviness of "Rivermen", it has everything. Heck, there's even an electronic section that, while unexpected, works really well! Even more impressive is that "Creature" both feels cohesive and short despite its long running time. It's easily the best epic of the 2019 (Sorry, IZZ!) with an ending that leaves a lasting impression.

Overall, this album is a menagerie of wonderful melodies, beauty, passion, and of course, musicianship. I'm not a good writer, but I hope this textual excursion intrigues you enough to listen to this great work of art.

There is a lot going on, with plenty of rhythms and counter rhythms in the background, while the vocals sweetly move into falsetto when the time is right, and there are plenty of lush harmonies. Guitar can often be acoustic, and there is even mandolin to be heard as well and the result is a crossover prog album which also contains plenty of folk as well. The only real issue for me is that the music all follows similar trends, and there just isn't enough variety for me. I enjoy this style, but in moderation, and I would have preferred more variety within their psychedelic indie pop prog musings. That being said, it is still one heck of an album and why I can't rave over it to the extreme of others, it is still certainly worth investigating for those who enjoy their prog to be somewhat lighter and less dense.

"The Way You Call" begins with a look at the Cat Stevens and a voice of Murray Head style and launches a fresh rhyme, acoustic folk room used as an appetizer. "Say Yes" from a very different look; there is crossover in all its forms, rhythmic and playful air, a voice pulling it Ozzy venerable BLACK SABBATH, music is interspersed notes acoustic guitar is unique because you can not recognize there the group's trademark, which now eyeing up the origins of the 70's. Here, it looks like THE TEA CLUB, maybe a little SHINEBACK after reflection. "If I Mean When" off again on a pop-prog ballad, a priori no interest except to plunge into the origins of the dinosaurs; wandering and voice notes to lull our vigilance. Note qu'enchaînés 3 titles would make a good evolutionary basis. "Rivermen" share in a sound that reminds me of Thom Yorke RADIOHEAD, we are dealing with a musical wandering in 2 acts, all backed by a long crescendo, dark prog piece in the sense that the goal can be imagined; the final is exciting, explosive, enjoyable, almost causing metal: a beautiful piece. "Came At a Loss" comes a little rest ears, acoustic guitar intro already heard on THE WHO for a title that showcases the vocals and guitars, catchy chorus rather, it is about to pop here then a air folk surprising for a band that had its roots with GENESIS and YES. The end evokes a bit THE STRANGLERS is to tell you where one is transported! "Sinking Ship" the title GENESIS time "And Then There Were Three" or QUEEN romantic stroll Version or THE BEATLES, could have written. It's simple and beautiful at once. These securities seeming simple access does not involve less listening more length in intensity, think about it!

For now, nothing to gloat, it's well written, well composed, but no more. We still expect a little more madness somewhere. Occurs therefore "Creature" and 27 minutes at the counter; here is the slap! From the first chords, we remain subdued before so much creativity, we do not know where it will lead us! The first break even defeat hovering over to another electronics with effect from the SIMPLE MINDS, then I find the sounds of HAKEN with voice, samplers, synths, bass and guitars that it give heart to joy, to turn merger GENTLE GIANT KING CRIMSON and knocks on the door. in fact we get to half title with a break "frippien" which already makes you want to read this track! The voices are softer and more ethereal. The piano gives a little sweet melody and then, Here we go again on a long crescendo drawers with more guitar solos, synths which one sends me well in flourishing time of PINK FLOYD eventually soften, rocking ear and sail the high waves of music art. Small reminder end with the melody back the first title as a thinly disguised invitation to press the RESTART button.

That's it, the album is finished! Great moment of caution among the first titles almost too legible and this major piece. I take this opportunity to draw a parallel with PINK FLOYD and albums "Meddle" and "Atom Heart Mother", a pop-folk-prog securities deal without much soul and a huge face, unstructured, juicy, timeless. That's where I come with this album, telling me that if there had been 2 titles like "Creature" we have there the album of the decade. Note that the "album art is like a Rorschach test exploring the themes of death, failure, new life and hope" according to one of the musicians. Another even said that their music can be a way to connect with the beauty of life and fight against the alienation of the world, beautiful abstract a bit more subjective than what I have tried to translate you. A major album in itself, indicating that THE TEA CLUB has digested its evolution.

1. "The Way You Call" (2:39) an all-acoustic guitar supported vocal by Patrick McGowan that I really like--a very refreshing sound for this band--one that I'd love to hear more of. Every sound, every melody line is new and not stereotypic "Tea Club"--which has been a problem for me in successive releases: the sameness/familiarity of sounds and melodic choices. (9/10)

2. "Say Yes" (4:12) travels a bit into "old" territory, though with much better edges and quicker, cleaner transitions. The instrumental performances are so tight and concise! (8.5/10)

3. "If I Mean When" (4:21) opens with distant guitar & mandolin soon joined, in the right channel, by a distant reverbed voice. Nice chords and harmonies. The voice moves front and center and looses its reverb at the end of the first minute before moving into a gorgeous chorus. Great definition of all voices and instruments. I love this more-acoustic side to The Tea Club! (9.5/10)

4. "Rivermen (6:35) opening rather quietly, with a smooth, though ominously restrained spaciousness, the song slowly, patiently develops, grows, reveals, until, in the final third of the song when all of the latent mischief and mayhem is unleashed in an explosion of amazingly raw power and emotion. Now this is a true gem of progressive rock--displaying all of the song-craft that denotes master storytelling through music. One of the best prog songs of 2019! (10/10)

5. "Came At A Loss (4:19) another interesting song for its refreshing newness in sound and style--almost like a smart, quirky sea shanty from SEAS OF MIRTH, SOUL ENEMA, or KNIFEWORLD. It's comprised of more wonderful acoustic guitar founded music over which Patrick sings in his usual way, but the early-DOOBIE BROTHERS-like multi-voice chorus is amazing--melody, harmonies, and engineering of vocal layers. There is simply not enough people making music like this today. (9/10)

6. "Sinking Ship (3:17) kind of a DECEMBERISTS or JACK O' THE CLOCK sound to this one. Pretty, but rather sedate and innocuous. Not a bad song just not a great one. (8.25/10)

7. "Creature (27:45) The greater reliance on acoustic instrumentation continues over the first five minutes. Very fine sound, chord construction, and sound clarity, I just find Patrick's lead vocal style and choice of melodies and intonation to be too familiar. (8/10) The chorus at the end of the fifth minute is among the finest moments the band have ever produced--on a par to the great sound and vocal constructs of Texas Prog Folk band MIDLAKE and among the best moments of any prog band ever. This section is followed by an extended dream-like interlude of spaciousness filled by guitar harmonics and some really cool synthesizer washes and heavily reverbed vocalise work. (5/5) At 8:50 we move into a different section--a kind of STEVEN WILSON transition and full-frontal retro-prog-pop assault. Cool effected vocal over heavier organ-based prog section ensues. Cool 80s synth work beneath the powerful "like a wounded animal" vocals. (5/5) Pure progginess in the complex KING CRIMSON-influenced eleventh and twelfth minutes. Another Crimsonian shift at 11:38, very dense and complex, bouncing back and forth between two or three themes, before a STEVE HOWE-like slide guitar solo leads us into some YES "Gates of Delirium" territory. (9.5/10) At 13:30 things slow down to a gentle waterfall feel within which some acoustic guitar, electric bass, and almost classical piano support the McGowan vocals. This moves for a brief section into a beautiful rock ballad-like section at 15:25 until a AL STEWART-like sound takes over in the seventeenth minute. Man I love Patrick McGowan's forays into vocalise! (5/5) Mandolin, spacey synth, muted electric guitar, drums & bass support this awesome PINK FLOYD "Wish You Were Here, Parts VI-IX"-like section. So tastefully done! (5/5) At the end of the nineteenth minute the music kicks into a full-on rock construct over which an electric guitar sings out with an awesome solo, followed by a similar synth solo and then some vocalise. Beautiful! (5/5) At 22:00 everything stops leaving the soft syncopated strums of two guitars and some very heavily chorused electric piano to support a gentle vocal. By 23:25 the music has amped up again, recapitulating the wonderful MIDLAKE section, though the acoustic base and slow pace remain as multiple voices sing the band's penultimate message, "All your creatures long for the new creation, Where boundaries of death are ever failing." There is a synthesizer's recapitulation of this lyric's melody in the 26th minute before there is a subtle, gentle, gradual transition to a solo acoustic guitar playing. (5/5) Patrick McGowan sings the final verse and chorus--familiar to us from the earlier part of the song--all accompanied alone by his acoustic guitar. It's so Cat Stevens like! And wonderful! (4.5/5) I have to say, that listening to this song transpires into one of the fastest 28 minutes I've ever passed! These guys get how to make a prog epic! And this is definitely one of the best if not the best prog epic of 2019! (52/55)

Total time 53:08

While the first half of this album is less proggy and has a more 1970s classic acoustic/southern rock feel to it, it works. Then there is the epic. Need I say more?

A/five stars; a refreshing and undeniable masterpiece of progressive rock music. Well done, TEA CLUB!

1. "The Way You Call" (2:39) an all-acoustic guitar supported vocal by Patrick McGowan that I really like--a very refreshing sound for this band--one that I'd love to hear more of. Every sound, every melody line is new and not stereotypic "Tea Club"--which has been a problem for me in successive releases: the sameness/familiarity of sounds and melodic choices. (9/10)

2. "Say Yes" (4:12) travels a bit into "old" territory, though with much better edges and quicker, cleaner transitions. The instrumental performances are so tight and concise! (8.5/10)

3. "If I Mean When" (4:21) opens with distant guitar & mandolin soon joined, in the right channel, by a distant reverbed voice. Nice chords and harmonies. The voice moves front and center and looses its reverb at the end of the first minute before moving into a gorgeous chorus. Great definition of all voices and instruments. I love this more-acoustic side to The Tea Club! (9.5/10)

4. "Rivermen (6:35) opening rather quietly, with a smooth, though ominously restrained spaciousness, the song slowly, patiently develops, grows, reveals, until, in the final third of the song when all of the latent mischief and mayhem is unleashed in an explosion of amazingly raw power and emotion. Now this is a true gem of progressive rock--displaying all of the song-craft that denotes master storytelling through music. One of the best prog songs of 2019! (10/10)

5. "Came At A Loss (4:19) another interesting song for its refreshing newness in sound and style--almost like a smart, quirky sea shanty from SEAS OF MIRTH, SOUL ENEMA, or KNIFEWORLD. It's comprised of more wonderful acoustic guitar founded music over which Patrick sings in his usual way, but the early-DOOBIE BROTHERS-like multi- voice chorus is amazing--melody, harmonies, and engineering of vocal layers. There is simply not enough people making music like this today. (9/10)

6. "Sinking Ship (3:17) kind of a DECEMBERISTS or JACK O' THE CLOCK sound to this one. Pretty, but rather sedate and innocuous. Not a bad song just not a great one. (8.25/10)

7. "Creature (27:45) The greater reliance on acoustic instrumentation continues over the first five minutes. Very fine sound, chord construction, and sound clarity, I just find Patrick's lead vocal style and choice of melodies and intonation to be too familiar. (8/10)

The chorus at the end of the fifth minute is among the finest moments the band have ever produced--on a par to the great sound and vocal constructs of Texas Prog Folk band MIDLAKE and among the best moments of any prog band ever. This section is followed by an extended dream-like interlude of spaciousness filled by guitar harmonics and some really cool synthesizer washes and heavily reverbed vocalise work. (5/5)

At 8:50 we move into a different section--a kind of STEVEN WILSON transition and full-frontal retro-prog-pop assault. Cool effected vocal over heavier organ-based prog section ensues. Cool 80s synth work beneath the powerful "like a wounded animal" vocals. (5/5)

Pure progginess in the complex KING CRIMSON-influenced eleventh and twelfth minutes. Another Crimsonian shift at 11:38, very dense and complex, bouncing back and forth between two or three themes, before a STEVE HOWE-like slide guitar solo leads us into some YES "Gates of Delirium" territory. (9.5/10)

At 13:30 things slow down to a gentle waterfall feel within which some acoustic guitar, electric bass, and almost classical piano support the McGowan vocals. This moves for a brief section into a beautiful rock ballad-like section at 15:25 until a AL STEWART-like sound takes over in the seventeenth minute. Man I love Patrick McGowan's forays into vocalise! (5/5)

Mandolin, spacey synth, muted electric guitar, drums & bass support this awesome PINK FLOYD "Wish You Were Here, Parts VI-IX"-like section. So tastefully done! (5/5)

At the end of the nineteenth minute the music kicks into a full-on rock construct over which an electric guitar sings out with an awesome solo, followed by a similar synth solo and then some vocalise. Beautiful! (5/5)

At 22:00 everything stops leaving the soft syncopated strums of two guitars and some very heavily chorused electric piano to support a gentle vocal. By 23:25 the music has amped up again, recapitulating the wonderful MIDLAKE section, though the acoustic base and slow pace remain as multiple voices sing the band's penultimate message, "All your creatures long for the new creation, Where boundaries of death are ever failing." There is a synthesizer's recapitulation of this lyric's melody in the 26th minute before there is a subtle, gentle, gradual transition to a solo acoustic guitar playing. (5/5)

Patrick McGowan sings the final verse and chorus--familiar to us from the earlier part of the song--all accompanied alone by his acoustic guitar. It's so Cat Stevens like! And wonderful! (4.5/5)

I have to say, that listening to this song transpires into one of the fastest 28 minutes I've ever passed! These guys get how to make a prog epic! And this is definitely one of the best if not the best prog epic of 2019! (52/55)

Total time 53:08

While the first half of this album is less proggy and has a more 1970s classic acoustic/southern rock feel to it, it works. Then there is the epic. Need I say more?

Five stars; a refreshing and undeniable masterpiece of progressive rock music. Well done, TEA CLUB!

After a number of months without listening to anything by this band, The Way You Call immediately reminded me of one of the defining aspects of the core sound, and why it's so good, the vocals. The delicate delivery of Patrick and Daniel Mcgowan are a central element of why the band is so great in my eyes, easily some of the best prog rock vocalists in my opinion. This track also demonstrates this increased focus on the softer elements of the music, being entirely acoustic without any sign of percussion or anything of the like, just a guitar and vocalist creating some absolutely beautiful melodies. Say Yes is a much more upbeat track, also displaying a somewhat more alternative rock edge that is brought out with the guitar tone. Despite being a very approachable song, it moves from riff to riff at a breakneck pace, extremely uplifting and energetic all around, the production being extremely clean in a way where everything is distinctive and noticeable, yet not clinical in nature, creating a lush atmosphere. The use of keyboards is also of note, as while there is a general presence of it in the background in order to fill out the sound some more, it's used sparingly throughout in order to further heighten the power and energy present, demonstrating this grasp that the band has on effective use of each instrument, even a short, accessible song such as this containing layers upon layers of nuance and complexity to pick apart. If I Mean When is a more straightforward song that hinges on an incredible vocal melody, a slight echo present making everything sound downright breathtaking, the soft bassline, the vocal harmonies, the subtle additional touches of the keyboard, just everything about this song is nothing short of perfection.

Rivermen is one of the best songs on this album filled with absolute masterpieces, starting off extremely softly, seemingly similar in style to Mister Freeze, taking on a much more low key approach to provide an eerie atmosphere. I wasn't expecting the gradual increase in volume and uneasy atmosphere to culminate in such an intense climax. An electronic beat is introduced about halfway through as the drums pick up speed, an electric guitar riff slowly comes in before everything explodes, wailing guitar solos over fast paced, complex drumming, the powerful vocals solifidying the absolutely incredible performance, all making for the heaviest song in the band's discography, and one of the greatest. Came At A Loss, as expected, is great, a much more simplistic song once again, much of the appeal coming from the beautiful vocal melodies, especially of the chorus, accentuated by the incredible vocal harmonies. Sinking Ship is another pretty song, although somewhat less remarkable than everything else on here, the melodies not hitting quite as hard, although the blissful tone of it is lovely.

When going into this album, I was intrigued about the 28 minute epic at the end, Creature, as Firebears demonstrated a talent for creating long stretches of music that are amazingly explorative, making full use of the entire length and warranting being so long, something which I can confirm happens again with this one. It begins slowly, switching between vocals and acoustic guitar solos regularly, each return of the vocals bringing in slightly more depth to the instrumentals, before the bass comes in and changes up the entire melody, which turns out being short lived, as this intro melody returns immediately, this time with more focus on the percussion while everything else ens up fading out. The bass eventually comes back in and this is where the song really starts to get going, the pace now remaining faster, great interplay between the keyboard and bass being demonstrated. The song eventually fades to near ambience, the acoustic guitar picking combined with the droning electronics evoking imagery of a cave, drops of water falling from the ceiling down into puddles, while the listener is sitting down in this tranquility, completely at peace. This right here demonstrates some great experimentation and was something I did not expect to hear in what so far was a fairly traditionally proggy album in many respects. This develops into a much heavier part that has a classic rock feel to it, also being surprisingly heavy while reminding me of The Flower Kings' Don't Let The Devil in, but even more intense and amazing. This is an incredibly dense, noisy section, everything sounding distorted and fuzzy, difficult to keep track of, perfectly juxtaposing the crystal clear sound of all that came before, heightening the impact this section has. This surprise was further increased once the band went full prog metal, the fuzzy guitar solo reminding me strongly of Dream Theater, all around being something I never expected to hear in the band's core sound, but nonetheless welcome given how much it elevated what was already a promising song. I also love the use of leitmotif that the song takes on from this point forward, melodies from If I Mean When being especially prominent. The rest of the song gradually loses a lot of intensity in lieu of more understated melodies, more use of acoustic instruments being especially effective after the intensity previously displayed. To bring everything to a close, the album ends in a cyclical way, the last minute being a reprise of The Way You Call, acting perfectly as a way to close the album off. This is honestly one of the better full blown prog epics I've had the pleasure of listening to, showing experimentation without it ever getting in the way of the song's enjoyability, while also displaying the absolute peak of talent from each band member.

Overall, any expectations I had going into this album were entirely surpassed, showing the band at their most beautiful and most intense. The lovely melodies manage to be sweet and pleasant without sounding saccharine in the process, and everything within is composed to be full of detail without it being too overt. While Quickly Quickly Quickly left me with a feeling that the band still seemed as if it was just the beginning, this one has honestly blown me away to such an extent that I'm questioning how the band would go further up than from here. That's not to say that I believe this is the peak of the band, as they haven't shown any signs of slowing down since their debut, even if I did only start loving them from QQQ onwards, there was still a constant progression. I can see the band from here, even if not making something better than this, at least hitting it extremely close, and am already incredibly interested to see where the band will go from here. I know I've said this many times already, but I feel like this is it, the best album of 2019, and I'm confident enough in its greatness that it will stay there for me.

Best tracks: If I Mean When, Rivermen, Creature

Weakest tracks: Sinking Ship

Verdict: The fact that even after releasing 2 great albums (Rabbit and Grappling) and 2 outright masterpieces, The Tea Club still haven't garnered much attention is somewhat unfortunate, as they deserve so much more. I highly recommend this album to more or less anyone who's a fan of beauty in music, as it is an absolute masterpiece front to back, and will likely not stop being the greatest album of 2019 for me, despite how many other amazing works have also come out so far.

1. The Way You Call - Beautiful stage setter for the rest of the show. Daniel McGowan vocals are fantastic

2. Say Yes - Classic Tea Club. Love it.

3. If I Mean When - more straightforward little tune with some catchy hooks

4. Riverman - Slow dark and brooding piece that building into an intense rocking jam. Very awesome.

5. Came at a Loss - What a great song. Call up your local radio station and demand this hahaha. A personal favorite.

6. Sinking Ship - See above (5)

7. Creature - 30 minute epic that any proghead should be able to appreciate. One of my favorite epics out there. Easily the best 27min45sec song I've ever heard.

Give the album a shot! My personal favorite of the year so far. The Tea Club seem to be the best kept secret in modern prog and it's about time that secret got out. 5 stars.

'Firebears' starts the album off strongly, with what is easily one of my favourite intros to any song, utilising fast paced drumming with a keyboard melody that is simply divine, already clearly displaying the way such energetic elements simply lend themselves to the particular beauty present in the album. One thing in particular that I really love about this is how despite the song being so long, it manages to all sound like one complete, coherent song, rather than a suite of smaller songs, which while I love some songs that do that, I do find it impressive when a band is able to pull off a massive epic that maintains the feeling that it is just one song. Parts in particular that I love here are the spoken word section, and the last 3 minutes, which produces a melody that simply blows me away. I'd go as far as to say that this is within my top 50 songs of all time. The middle 2 songs, 'The Eternal German Infant' and 'Mister Freeze' are both considerably less overtly complex, but both still are extremely high quality as well. 'The Eternal German Infant' features some quirky lyrics and decent melody overall. The band is more energetic and fun here, being light on the emotion and atmosphere, and instead focusing more on making something generally entertaining. I like the very strong symphonic elements present here, and the vocal harmonies being excellent. The vocals are very high quality, displaying emotion, range, and having an incredibly pleasant tone to them. 'Mister Freeze' feels like the complete opposite of the previous song, being extremely mellow and atmospheric, using the electric guitars and synths to create an amazing soundscape. The way it picks up slightly at the halfway point further improves it, in every respect, paving the way for amazing vocalisations and causing the listener to simply feel like they're drifting along with the music. 'I Shall Consume Everything' adds a significant layer of darkness and angst to their formula, incorporating slightly offputting elements such as the the three chord bassline and the gradual buildups throughout. This leads directly into some inharmonious guitar work and my favourite moment on the album, where Dan McGowan screams out "I knew you were gonna PULL THIS!" and has the song continue increasing in intensity.The album then ends with a section that progressively sounds more melancholy as it goes on, returning to the beauty that was present before.

This album is an absolute masterpiece, each of the four songs are incredible, full of subtleties and nuances, each contributing to the overall unique sound that The Tea Club has, while each having their own identity. The production is also stellar, with each instrument mixed incredibly to allow for more energetic moments without disrupting anything. The best thing is that while I find this album to be incredible, I still feel as if the band could further progress and improve, becoming even greater than this album shows.

Best songs: Firebears, Mister Freeze, I Shall Consume Everything

Weakest songs: While the album has no song that I find less than great, The Eternal German Infant is the weakest

Verdict: This album is simply incredible in basically every way to me, and I highly recommend it to anyone who is a prog fan, classic or otherwise, as this album will almost certainly contain something you'll enjoy

The Tea Club truly found itself on this third studio endeavor. After having heard the previous release, Rabbit, I peeked at the track listing of Quickly Quickly Quickly and thought it might be an EP. How blissfully wrong I was! "Firebears" grabbed my attention immediately and held it for 18 straight minutes, with each subsequent song different enough from its predecessor that I remained transfixed from start to finish.

The lyrics here are intelligent and provocative. The music and vocals are passionate, diverse, exciting, and downright brilliant. The packaging, I must add, is absolutely glorious -- you're doing yourself a disservice if you merely stream or download this, because the CD's outer and inner artwork (designed by the absurdly multitalented McGowan brothers) are spectacular.

Quickly Quickly Quickly is, quite simply, perfect.