USE AND ORNAMENT

Music project from Sheffield, UK, started in the spring of 2011 by Jarrod Gosling, mostly known to prog fans from Henry Fool, but being in the music league for years as a member of Synth/Electro act I Monster and Alt Rockers Skywatchers.With a tireless team Gosling worked for about a year on the recordings of Regal Worm's debut ''Use and ornament'', recorded at the Pig View Studio in Sheffield and released in digital and CD format by Quatermass Records.

First thing to strike is Golsling's endless instrumental flexibility, handling guitars, modern and analog synths, piano, bass, percussion, wind instruments, effects and samplers and the list goes on.Mick Somerset-Ward handles saxes, harp, whistles, flutes and clarinet and the team is completed with another sax player, Louis Atkinson, Peter Rophone and Kevin Pearce on voices, Lucy Fawcett on trumpet, Nick Gosling on electric guitar, Graham McElearney on harp and Jack Helliwell on violin.With some of them Jarrod had already collaborated in previous works.

With a list of more than 20 instruments and considering its progressive edges, you know exactly what you buy in ''Use and ornament''.Complex, rich and dense music with plenty of variations and stylistical changes, which come as a combination of VAN DER GRAAF GENERATOR, Canterbury Prog ala CARAVAN and vibes of British Jazz Rock in the vein of IF.Fascinating music with keyboards and electric moments switching soon to jazzy passages with dominant sax and clarinet parts, backed up by an awesome rhythm section.With ''Use and ornament'' you get all the impressive values of British Prog performed in a modern way, the poppy lines of the early bands, offered through sophisticated arrangements (electric piano, vibraphone, sweet vocals and psychedelic melodies), the dark side of the movement with the dashes of Mellotron and the discreet use of organ in intricate interludes and the jazzier side of 70's UK music scene with the display of wind and horn instruments.While the short tracks are impressive, delivering soft parts combined with complex instrumentals, there are two masterful pieces included in the album, the 13-min. ''Confession from a deep and warm hibernaculum'' and the double dose of ''6:17 PM the aunt turns into an ant''.A monstrous manifest of VAN DER GRAAF GENERATOR meeting CARAVAN on stage and exchange musical ideas.Intelligent Art Pop mixed with Jazz and frenetic Prog Rock, highlighted by instrumental changes, time signatures, odd rhythms and electroacoustic segments.Beautiful use of analog keyboards next to contemporary elements such as the sound effects and synths, vocals are limited yet amazing, and the changes in atmosphere will leave you speechless.

''Use and ornament'' tops most releases of the year 2013 and comes as a genuine and charming mix of the British Prog history.Can't think of anyone not liking this release, it's strangely smooth and incredibly complex at the same time.No less than highly recommended.