After the beautiful 'Nostalgia for Infinity' dating from 2020, the English of 'Hats Off Gentlemen It's Adequate' only took two short years to offer us a new studio recording, 'The Confidence Trick' which is still dense since the set borders on 70 minutes. The duo 'Malcolm Galloway'/'Mark Gatland' therefore continues to offer us a sought-after and complex progressive rock that must be tamed little by little, listen after listen and this latest album is no exception to the rule. It's also a concept album which, I quote 'Malcolm Galloway', " is a collection of tracks on the theme of cognitive errors, particularly overconfidence... and our repeated failure to learn from history... We all better stop sometimes and ask ourselves: Why am I wrong? ".
On the menu of this magnificent opus, 13 compositions with 5 instrumentals alternating with the sung titles and we are welcomed by 'Silence Is a Statement' which unfolds a memorable first melody with electronic sounds and with a repetition of the musical phrase to send us the message: "When we say nothing, we speak. When we say nothing, silence is a statement" which reflects the expression: "Who says nothing, consents". Follows 'Back Where I Started', with a beautiful warmth in the singing of 'Malcolm Galloway' and a delicious performance of 'Kathryn Thomas' on the flute, the chorus "And when I find myself where I started, I leave the same mistakes repeat themselves…” which is hammered out several times, expresses the fact that man is incapable of learning from the mistakes of the past. With 'End of the Line', the soft atmosphere developed shows a hypnotic side accentuated by the nonchalant singing and flute tones which, this time, are much more peaceful. Change of scene with 'Perky Pat' which is the first instrumental with electronic effects and which highlights very beautiful keyboard sections, then, the short 'World War Terminus', more direct, renders very well a feeling of this race ahead of the human who thinks of solving problems by waging wars. More energetic than 'Perky Pat' in the introduction, the instrumental 'Pretending to Breathe' then turns into ambient music close to 'Jean-Michel Jarre', then 'Another Plague' is one of the major titles of the album with exceptional emotional strength in a magnificent crescendo to denounce, among other things, the harmful effects of government decisions during the health crisis. We arrive at the instrumental 'Refuge', which further raises the emotional slider, and which shows a resolutely contemporary and avant-garde progressive face with a limitless patchwork of influences, certainly forming the most sought-after title of the album and which makes me want to play it again every time I listen to it. More accessible than its predecessor, the instrumental 'Interlude' develops a 'Floydian' atmosphere, then, the title song is also a strong moment which alternates melancholic sections and other more energetic ones, unfolding magnificent melodic lines and which has a poignant ending. The end of the album scrolls through three shorter titles, first of all, the instrumental 'Lava Lamprey' tinged with a very endearing modern jazz, then 'All Empires Fall' is a more direct song with a spoken part of Very expressive 'Malcolm Galloway' to which very beautiful choirs respond and finally, 'Cygnus' closes this magnificent opus with a magnificent piano/voice duet which denounces the disastrous policy of governments, at the start of the first epidemic, sending medical first lines with the lack of means that we know. And to finish, I would like to highlight the very beautiful album cover made by 'Malcolm Galloway' showing all his artistic talent in this area.
In summary, it's another masterful opus from the English of 'Hats Off Gentlemen It's Adequate' who offer us, once again, a diversified progressive work with multiple influences that they know how to mix to make something something unique, which is intended for 'The Confidence Trick' for all lovers of a refined and ambitious progressive that will, without a doubt, be added to their ideal music collection... | |
