Shape of the Shape

Description

Starless & Bible Black - Shape of the Shape - desertcart.com Music Review: Don't Expect King Crimson, But Starless and Bible Black Creates its Own Atmosphere of Prog and Electric Folk - This band may have done itself a disservice in naming itself after one of King Crimson's classic releases of dark progressive rock, because there are really very few reference points the two bands have in common. Detractors of King Crimson, who might otherwise enjoy the material on this disc, "The Shape of Shapes", may avoid this release out of fear of hearing just-another-Crimson-inspired-band like Bi Kyo Ran, Anekdoten, or Univers Zero. On the other hand, Crimson fans looking for another fix to satisfy an insatiable need for warbling Mellotron and razor sharp electric guitar may find this subtle gem of a disc just a little too understated (and Mellotron-free) to satisfy that need. Please note, in this review I use often use comparisons to other musicians and songs because, for me, if done well (though I make no such claim of doing it well, I do try) such comparisons can come closest to allowing a reader to almost hear what the music sounds like without actually hearing the music. It is also worth noting that my use of the term "prog" is merely a means of offering a shorthand phrase to create generalized associations on the part of the reader in connection with the rest of the text. I agree the term is inexact, at best, and I do not use it with the intention of invoking a specific catalogue of musical references; however, to resort to the older, original phrase from which the term "prog" is derived ("progressive rock"), is to invite a firestorm of debate over why such and such band is or isn't progressive. If preconceptions associated with the band's name are moved aside, an open ear and an open mind can find much to enjoy in these 8 tracks. I will come back to tracks 1 and 2 at the end of this review, but, after repeated listens, I believe that track 3, "Hanging on the Vine", is where this disc really begins as a cohesive whole, and that tracks 1 and 2 might have been better placed elsewhere among the other 6 tracks for the sake of impact. "Hanging on the Vine" begins, instrumentally, like one of Neil Young's acoustic tracks from "Everybody Knows This is Nowhere", but slowly unfolds into a hypnotic, Fairport Convention-esque ballad without the traditional British folk trappings, but with an added moog percolating occasionally in the background, and a well placed electric lead (somewhat reminiscent of Neil Young) midway through the slow, but immersive track. Another tasteful lead guitar break found closer to the end recalls Stephen Stills' lead on "Wooden Ships". Helene Gautier's vocals are never shrill or overstated, but instead, convey a casual wistfulness that makes them compelling for their very refusal to demand attention. This quality also permeates the music. You listen because you are intrigued by what you hear - not because the band screams loudly that you should be intrigued. Very much in the acid-folk tradition, but without any of the inadequacies of skill that sometimes accompany music filed under that genre. Track 4, "Radio Blues", may be the closest one might get to any real similarity between King Crimson and Starless and Bible Black. "Radio Blues" begins with a slow blues tempo, but it really never sounds like "the blues" (at least not in the tradition carried on by Clapton, Robert Cray, or even Bonnie Raitt; at times I found myself thinking about some of Kendra Smith's gorgeous rock-folk-psych, post-Dream Syndicate excursions with Opal, but Starless and Bible Black never get quite as psychedelic and raw as Kendra Smith/Opal did, but there are some occasional similarities). The vocals arguably recall Judy Dyble's delivery from the original version of "I Talk to the Wind" found on "A Young Person's Guide to King Crimson." The melody might also distantly recall King Crimson's moody "Moonchild". On "Radio Blues", Gautier's vocals are delivered, initially, in the nonchalant style heard on "Hanging on the Vine", but this vocal style then alternates with a more forceful, but not overwrought, vocal style, which creates a feeling of dialogue in the song between the two styles. Gautier's vocals are then slightly layered to create a presence that is, at times, similar to that of Annie Haslam of Renaissance at her most reserved. This track is fortified by a strong and unusual chord progression, going from major to minor and back again, with moog tastefully added,sometimes sounding like a Mellotron, very much sounding more prog than folk. "Les Furies", track 5, begins like a gentle meeting of the main melody from The Beatles' "Within You Without You" played on a synthesizer borrowed from Gong (Tim Blake-era). Not bombastic, just quietly teasing.The subtlety dissolves into a strongly rhythmic acoustic guitar and synth intro followed by Gautier's multi-tracked vocals, sounding, again, a little Renaissance-ish (in an understated way) and a great guitar/bass riff that follows the verse, possibly recalling some of Led Zeppelin's tasteful riffage on "III" . The moog sputters nicely, juxtaposed against a straight, hard rhythm through sort of a bridge, then returning to the vocals and, finally, a slightly climactic instrumental workout. Something of a "jam" as we used to say. Track 6, "Country Heir", brings to mind Joni Mitchell's folk/acoustic simplicity on "Ladies of the Canyon", but without any attempt to create a catchy hooks, instead preferring to present a soft watercolor sketch of a song, with hints of something more than you hear on first listen, and reminded by melody fragments of other songs not quite recalled. "Popty Ping" is an acoustic instrumental piece that is very pleasant, but essentially is a bridge to the next song, sounding much like a long introduction to a Crosby, Stills and Nash track (maybe "The Lee Shore" from "4 Way Street", or "Guinevere" from CSN's first release). The last track, "Year of Dalmatians", is a very pleasant, country-folk ballad, starting briefly like Pink Floyd, but quickly adding what sounds like a pedal steel guitar to the synthesizer, and then later, for the first time, presenting the nearly-buried addition of accompanying male vocals. Slow and rhythmic like Neil Young's "Out on the Weekend", without Neil's big downbeat or assertive melody, "Year of Dalmatians", nevertheless uses dynamics nicely with a taut, but brief, electric lead to pull the listener into to the song's conclusion, with lightly burbling moog sounds mixing with the pedal steel as it ends. Now back to tracks 1 and 2. Track 1, "Say Donny Day", begins with some nice acoustic strummed dissonance and moog vibrations, but quickly evolves into a well-executed track sounding something like Buckingham Nicks. The track is up-tempo, highly melodic, and built around a fairly catchy verse and a good instrumental break, but it is really at odds with the coherent textures and moods found on 6 of the 8 tracks of this release. I wouldn't delete this track, but it might fit better between tracks 3 and 4, or 4 and 5 (just for example). Track 2, "Your Majesty Man" is made from the same material as track 1. An excellent song, like track 1, it is much sunnier and melodic than the last 6 tracks on this release. Placing this track and "Say Donny Day" at the beginning of this album creates something of a jolt when moving to track 3, and establishes a misleading beginning to the album, when the real vision of the album seems to become evident only at track 3. Tracks 1 and 2 are both good songs, and not nearly as produced and over-emotive as Buckingham Nicks, but, in my opinion, they would better serve the album as a blended whole if they were strategically placed among the other 6 tracks, creating reference points and nuances between these two tracks and the other tracks on this album. As it is, these two tracks are, in my opinion, the inferior songs and, when heard first, could turn away the adventurous listener before the more rewarding tracks are reached. I don't write many reviews on desertcart, and I only do so when I think a release deserves more attention than it is probably getting (yeah, I know, I'm a real style-maker!). I hope you will give this one a try if any of this sounds interesting to you. "Shape of the Shape" by Starless and Bible Black kept me returning for repeated listens as very few releases have done recently. Review: cosmic folk/prog space... - 2nd album from British band who play space-age, moog-drenched, cosmic country/folk-prog, led by the dusky-hued voice of an angel. Like Pentangle, Fairport Convention & Espers having a backyard meeting with Mazzy Star & Stereolab at the Jetson's house. Rewarding & relaxing in an unconventionally satisfying manner.