After the very good 'Spooky Action at a Distance' at the end of 2023, the Americans from 'Pattern-Seeking Animals' continue their cruising speed of fairly close album releases with 'Friend Of All Creatures' which is their 5th studio recording in 6 years, their first eponymous opus, which made me discover them, dating from 2019. Seven compositions for a short hour of listening, this is the menu of the Americans' latest baby which is not a concept album in self but which takes us into the Hinduism writings since the title of the album is taken from one of the verses of 'Bhagavad Gita' (which can be translated as song of the Blessed or Song of the Lord), verse which highlights the acceptance of oneself by letting go to detach oneself and achieve serenity in the face of external solicitations, whether pleasant or unpleasant.
The whole mixes long developments and shorter compositions in refined progressive, the released atmospheres being like a long quiet river that one travels quietly without any inconvenience, the harmonious melodies adding to this feeling of serenity. From the beginning with 'Future Perfect World', which is close to 10 minutes, the progressive side is highlighted with a long instrumental introduction in which the vintage-sounding keyboards lead the dance, then, the title unfolds a light and pastoral atmosphere, interspersed with a magnificent melodious instrumental section, slower, offering a remarkable guitar solo and a very pleasant piano break. With the long development 'Another Holy Grail', we enter a wonderful progressive labyrinth by a rich and inventive instrumental part, always led by the keyboards in different registers, and which alternates many rhythmic changes while keeping this light and bucolic side, reminding me, here and there, certain sounds of 'Genesis'. The next two tracks are shorter with, first of all, 'Down The Darkest Road', which is a very beautiful ballad accompanied by strings and a clarinet, the vocal harmonies being admirable (see the video above), then, 'In My Dying Days', despite the title, is a well-paced and very bright refrain with a drive that sets you up for a whole day and folk touches. We return to progressive with 'The Seventh Sleeper' which offers us a new long development in which it is good to get lost, to the rhythm of the sung parts with very beautiful choirs and to the rhythm of the instrumental sections, the slow tempo bringing a languid side to this very beautiful track which alternates different intensities in a very beautiful way. The semi-acoustic 'Days We’ll Remember' follows, a fairly short title which is another very pleasant ballad with a memorable melody, then 'Words of Love Evermore' concludes this very beautiful album with a new melodic gem which takes us one last time into the peaceful and luminous universe of 'Pattern-Seeking Animals', with the melodious singing of 'Ted Leonard' accompanied by radiant choirs and the always very pleasant accompaniments of 'John Boegehold' on keyboards, without forgetting the rhythm section accompanying all these little people in a beautiful way.
In summary, the Americans of 'Pattern-Seeking Animals' continue their path in the most beautiful way possible with this 'Friend Of All Creatures' which, literally, should, without a doubt, become the friend of all lovers of melodious progressive rock, especially since it benefits from an excellent production, which is suitable for listening with headphones on Qobuz... | |
