MOMENTS OF CLARITY

'Moments Of Clarity' was released in 1999. Steven again changed the line-up deciding to play all of the music himself but bringing in Ken Senior to provide vocals on five of the seven tracks. The vocals seem quite upfront, with little in the way of reverb and it is as if they have been put this way to bring 'honesty' to the piece. It may seem a strange thing to say, but that really is the best way that I can describe it. This is not an album to play when you are feeling depressed, as while the music is often quiet and dreamy the lyrics are telling some harrowing and indeed insightful tales, which gives us the clarity of the title. I am not sure if it is intended as a concept album but certainly it can be taken as such. It is an album about loss and despair, even about having to sit by the side of a loved one and agree to have the life support machine turned off and watch the light go out as they die. While there are some Camel-esque moments, this album is much more influenced by Floyd and even though it has a depressing subject matter I found that this is an album that I enjoyed immensely.

Originally appeared in Feedback #70, Oct 02