Review: Twilight Fields - Further Up, Further In!

Today's review is a bit of an indulgence on my part, as it doesn't necessarily fall into the 'normal' remit of the blog (except that it is good music!). I'm reviewing this for two very good reasons: 1) Twilight Fields is another incarnation of Allister Thompson, who regular readers of the blog will know from his work as The Gateless Gate & Khan Tengri (reviews can be read here and here). I've got a great deal of respect for Thompson's work and his philosophical and thoughtful outlook on life, and 2) it's very, very good! As mentioned, 'Further Up, Further In!' may not be particularly 'psychedelic' or 'out there'; it definitely falls into the singer/songwriter category, but what it does do is act as a conduit for his inspirational and intelligent songwriting. It has flecks of psych to be sure, as well as hints of folk and rock....tell you what, I'll let the man himself explain:

"When I started making music, my influences were early seventies British folk and progressive/psychedelic rock, as well as the better rock bands from the era I grew up in, the ones with big, idealistic artistic aims: The Waterboys, New Model Army, and Big Country. I wanted to write the kind of music that changed lives the way mine had been by this music. My first couple of albums, Infinities and Shadowlands, released under my name, were in that vein. After that, I got away from being a songwriter by trying out Krautrock and ambient. However, I had a bunch of good songs that had never been recorded properly, and I felt these songs had important and even possibly inspirational things to say. So that's what this is — singer-songwriter album that contains a blend of seventies progressive and psych influences, with a touch of the 'Big Music'. It's intended to evoke powerful emotions in the listener, if at all possible!"

On 'Further Up, Further In!' Thompson is joined by Teri-Lynn Janveau on piano & vocals, Tim Timleck on drums and background vocals by The Celestial Choir. They come together as a tight knit unit and have produced an album of great intelligence, warmth and sensitivity. It opens with 'Song Of The End', a track that builds on Thompson's love of early British folk/psych; primarily guitar based but backed with some distinctly psychedelic effects and flourishes. 'Stars, as They Fall' begins with some feedback & static but soon evolves into a beautiful instrumental track full of atmosphere and an almost post-rock vibe about it. It has traces of hauntology and nods to Thompson's ambient works as The Gateless Gate. Title track 'Further Up, Further In', on the face of it, initially sounds like radio friendly AOR fare but it has a certain 'something' that lifts it above that - the lyrics are impassioned and intelligent and Thompson's voice has a yearning, melancholic quality that makes you want to listen. In the quote above from Thompson he makes mention of New Model Army (a band for who we both have a love), on 'Black Rain Fall' that love shines through - the impassioned lyrics about man's mistreatment of the Earth could be written by Justin Sullivan and musically there are more than passing flashes of NMA...a song that took me back but with one eye on the present. 'When we Were Young' is a 'singer/songwriter' number that, lyrically, reminded me of very early Bowie ('Maid Of Bond Street' era) - it has that same feeling of innocence and nostalgia. Musically it has a real West Coast/Topanga Canyon vibe. 'Our Anthem (99)' (see the video below) is a melancholic number filled with sombre washes of synth and some wonderful harmonised backing vocals and philosophical lyrics about man's failings and destruction of the environment. 'Moor Spirits' opens with the sounds of a windswept moor before opening out into a folk based paean, wonderfully evocative and the gently picked acoustic guitar imbues the track with a rich atmosphere....beautiful stuff!! 'Ring In The New Age' is another melancholic song, mourning the loss of the 'simple' life and our increasing reliance on technology. Again, ostensibly a 'singer/songwriter' number, but it has a real edge to it - there are flashes of electric guitar that seem to underscore the message of the song and gives proceedings a bite. The lyrics, as with all the songs on the album, are intelligent and passionate: "We deny our destiny / We only believe in what we see / False mantras fall from our lips / We see heaven in a microchip". 'The City Hum' is a scornful hymn to urban life, delivered in the same gentle, but firm, manner. 'This Is Not The End' (fittingly the penultimate track!) takes us once again back to the seventies with it's gently lilting folk/psych melody....until it breaks out into some heavy post-rock riffing that brings it bang up to date. Thompson's vocals on this track have a real west coast feel about them that is counterpointed beautifully with the more heavier rocking segments. The album is brought to a close with 'After The Fall' - sublimely beautiful, a gentle acoustic number that evokes the great singer/songwriters of the past. The Bandcamp download version of the album comes with a bonus track, 'All Is One'; more gently picked acoustic guitar accompanied with some rich synths and heavenly harmonised backing vocals....another lush track.

'Further Up, Further In!' is a beautiful album, but much more than that it is a deeply thoughtful and intelligent one. All the lyrics are telling and pretty much scornful about the human race, but not in a harsh polemic, but rather through the clever use of words enveloped by some entrancing melodies. To someone who spends his freetime mainly listening to squalling wah-wahs or obscure electronic noodlings, this album came as a real breath of fresh air....lyrics that mean something and beautifully crafted songs.....definitely to be recommended! It will be released on 6th September and can be purchased via the Bandcamp page here.