Dave Brons - The Fellowship
Dave Brons - The Fellowship
A satisfying musical journey for fans of progressive rock – especially the Celtic variety…
The Fellowship
Artist: Dave Brons
15 tracks 73:36
To quote one of my own reviews of an earlier Dave Brons project, this is “sweeping cinematic, Celt-inspired fantasy-prog” and it will, as promised, take you to another place. That ‘other place’ happens to be Middle Earth, replete with hobbits, dwarves, wizards, wraiths and all sorts of adventure. Based quite explicitly on Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings, The Fellowship takes the listener on a track-by-track musical distillation of the essence of the aforementioned heroic adventure: an hour and thirteen minutes of breathtaking orchestral prog-rock. Choral parts augment the arrangements economically while solo vocals feature the wonderful Sally Minnear (who fans of Celtic progressive sounds should be quite familiar with). Throughout, the musicianship soars, with the familiar sound of Uilleann Pipes (Troy Donockley and Catherine Ashcroft) and the mesmerizing guitar wizardry of Dave Brons. Daniel Day provides Irish Whistles, Flute, Bass Guitar, Acoustic Guitar and piano, John Biglands (appropriately named) brings the thunder with some powerful drumming as well as adding Acoustic Guitars, some vocals and piano. Interestingly, piano credits go to Mark Swift for ‘hard’ piano, and to Dave Brons and John Biglands for ‘easy’ and ‘slightly tricky’ piano, respectively. An impressive list of Additional Musicians includes Neal Patton (‘beautiful’ piano this time), and another progressive celt-rock master, Dave Bainbridge himself, on ‘hard’ piano, additional synths and orchestration.
The music sweeps, swells, and soars through fifteen tracks, each one amply described in the liner notes for its relation to the narrative found in Tolkien’s epic tale. Brons also gives insight to the music’s creation and emotional thrust as you read along. The project has a big scope, as you can imagine, and can only really be appreciated by listening through several times. The music has enough substance to it to allow gradual exploration, as different aspects come to light each time you hear it. At this point in my own listening, an overall favorite is “Just One More Step,” for its accessibility, excellent vocals and inspirational quality. A musical standout is “The Fellowship,” a triumphant, powerful piece of rock mixed with orchestral glory. Percussive, melodic – a strong piece. It should be noted that there’s no shortage of guitar pyrotechnics from Mr. Brons – “The Mines of Moria” and “The River Anduin” in particular feature outstanding emotional playing that goes beyond the ‘look at how fast I can play’ tapping and hammer-ons that so often sacrifice taste for technique. Powerful and sometimes pastoral instrumental tracks share space with the gentle sound of Sally Minnear’s vocals. Melody and complex time signatures blend to create a true feeling of a musical journey – and as Frank Zappa once called his own music a ‘movie for your ears,’ The Fellowship certainly is just that.
With The Fellowship Dave Brons achieves the perfect balance of instrumental and vocal tracks, creating a narrative treat for fans of the source material and a satisfying musical feast for fans of progressive rock – especially the Celtic variety. Expertly co-produced by the two Daves (Brons and Bainbridge), the generous physical package includes a booklet and fine design work, along with insightful text and notes about the compositions. The Fellowship is a project that will fill your own personal hobbit hole with dreams of Middle Earth and engaging music from Dave Brons and friends.
- Bert Saraco
4 1/2 tocks
You can see Bert’s concert photography by visiting www.facebook.com/express.image
