GIANT FOR ANOTHER HOUR: MORE MUSIC INSPIRED BY AND IN TRIBUTE TO GENTLE GIANT

Right off, this is a helluva way to be introduced to a well-established internet community of Gentle Giant fans! This album was compiled and released by GORGG, Global On-Reflection Giant Gathering. On first glance, I'd guess they were formed in 1999. This is the second Giant For An Hour, as the title of this suggests. Not a tribute, as I usually think them (cover songs), but a tribute in diligent, reflective reference and likeness (at least most of the time). As I made note of recently, this is, I tend to agree, the greatest form of flattery: and no surprise that a group devoted to celebrating GG would do so (again, for the most part) most respectfully.

"Let Truth Reveal The Beast" no doubt has GG in the bones (maybe most like Free Hand era?), as you'd hope, but Helena Josefsson here honestly sounds like a singer-songwriter in the post-Alanis age (a compliment, for me). Certainly, of course, this is 2006; with modern sounds and production. The soft, glassy synth around 1:30 is quite nice. And so are the melodies. "As Young As I'm Old" is very well done. More the "troubadour" style of earlier GG. Ultimately, a great song. Next is the beautiful, flowing "Eternal River", an acoustic instrumental with bright guitars thanks to Glenn Liljeblad.

They 'honor the music of the boys in the band' on the quieted, personal "Come To My Land", another near-acoustic number, this time led by Tomas Stark and piano-forward. Nice guitar solo here--this is really where the Giant shines herein. "Giantique Quartet" is the first of four "Giantique" minute-ish interludes throughout the album, all performed by Dan Bornemark. This track gives way to the sort of jazzy/fusiony "Look Out John", performed by Joe Brozio [like Pat Metheny?]. Certainly well performed and tasteful; to my ears, though, only occasionally Giant-esque. Certainly, still, a highlight to me so far.

Ant Bowles' "The Blitz", the second longest track at over 7 minutes, starts off creeping and spacy. It features a synth lead melody and Eastern percussion. The guitar is a little shaky, in my opinion. The vocals aren't a whole lot better (sorry). A low-light unfortunately. Charmed by the sampling on its bookends, if anything. Apparently Ant is a homebrewer and has some very cool looking beer labels that are available for viewing on the GORGG website.

The first and only glimpse into the band Dionysus, "Randy Searches", is a very convincingly Giant-esque number. But it also has some other somethings to offer sonically. Certainly fits the bill with the mid-70s era of Eclectic Prog at large. This is starkly juxtaposed by the dark and moody "November Twisted". It rises and falls. More synths herein. The next interlude is "Giantique For A Day", striking me most immediately as innately Post-Progressive and not necessarily Giant-esque at all. It gives way to another acoustic number, "Fragile Hearts", like a darker "Classical Gas" [I mean, perhaps if it were just the guitar] or something?

Riding right along, we have the upbeat "Adventures in Syncopia", performed by Tomas Stark. In Gentle Giant fashion, the instrumentation rolls over and over, instrument on top of instrument. But as is to be expected, yet another track that, sure, fits the bill of our expectations, but in modernity. The Moog solo is great. Where it's at, though, is the soaring guitar solo for me. Especially the bits after the solo, it strikes me as video game-ready. "Giantique Giant" to follow is a pretty cool track, definitely the better of the interludes.

Liljeblad brings it back around on "House In November", a short, feeling number with acoustic guitar and twirling lead electric guitars. In stark juxtaposition is the next, "East And West", with wild, crashing percussion, once again leading to something overtly Eastern in nature. And then this bass comes in and it sounds like Jaco?! Around 2 minutes, this creepy sort of circus bit comes in and... immediately falls away and is replaced with lovely acoustic guitar. A better track than expected.

What follows is a very dark, very... modern interlude, "Sarcastic Iconoclasts", in darkness and dissonance; not exactly in a super great way, though... In stark contrast is the quieted "The Prince and the Fox". It's eventually triumphant in a docile(?) sort of way. At 9 minutes, it's unfortunately rather static. It does build fairly nicely toward minute 7. But for what? Next is "From the Bottom of My Shoes", another more modern number... I just don't feel a lot for these tracks unfortunately. I'd rather suggest Michael P. Dawson for something a little more fresh and interesting in this vein. It's not until minute 3 that something of interest happens. It's chaotic, for sure, and I guess, in some way, a bit like GG, but... for worse, that was nowhere near my first thought. Maybe go listen to Jazz From Hell instead?...

As the name implies, "Giantique Aspire" actually references "Aspirations"! That was a nice little treat, especially after the disappointing prior 3 tracks. It is followed by our closer, "A Farewell", a soft, acoustic number, with what sounds like mandolin. Also one of the few tracks with vocals on the whole album. It's... alright in this department. And that's it.

Very much worth checking out for fans of Gentle Giant, for sure, but also for fans of, as mentioned above, their contemporaries in the 'Eclectic Prog' movement. And this fortunately applies, for the most part, though there are plenty of weird additions/choices throughout. The worst offenders were either very poor representations of what GG accomplished in their time and were therefore grating or just plain bad and uninteresting (again, not a characteristic of GG at their oft-best).