Release Date: March 1, 2019
Label: Mostly Autumn Records
The artwork on Mostly Autumn's latest offering, White Rainbow,
depicts a mirrored sunrise over a snowy mountain encompassed by a white
rainbow. The image is apt, as the album
reflects genuinely on the loss of their former and longtime guitarist Liam
Davison, while at the same time, pointing the way to new beginnings.
After 12 studio albums, most bands
find a groove that works and ride in comfort within it. Mostly Autumn's 13th album finds the band
breaking out of any supposed rut and venturing forth to produce a modern-day
progressive folk-rock masterwork.
Each track on White Rainbow
is a story unto itself. Filled with
atmosphere, conflict, and triumph, crescendos rise at the point of epiphany and
fall upon the listener with beauty and grace.
At seventy-nine minutes, Mostly Autumn feels in a sense like a movie
soundtrack supporting a majestic drama.
Celtic folk undertones place the listener in the mind of proud warriors
riding through the countryside on a quest to rescue their captured Queen.
Valhalla, be damned.
The slow atmospheric intros are
joined by soaring vocal harmony and accentuated by torrents of accomplished
guitar work. At the point when the
listener feels the song has reached its peak, Mostly Autumn rises to another
level. Therein lies the beauty of blending folk sensibilities with progressive
stylings. The songs don't have to end where one thinks they might. White Rainbow leads the listener into
a false sense of calm and security and then hit you with a guitar-driven
onslaught leaving you weakened, yet exhilarated.
The energy behind this
orchestration is Olivia Sparnenn's voice, which packs the one-two punch of
power and vulnerability. Think of the dramatic soprano of Ann Wilson
intermingled with the tenderness of (dare I say) Olivia Newton-John. Ms.
Sparnenn's vocals layered upon such vibrant musicianship put this listener in
the mind of Sandy Denny on Led Zeppelin's Battle of Evermore.
All in all, Mostly Autumn’s White
Rainbow is a polished work whose whole is greater than the sum of its
parts. Listen to it straight through,
and you'll realize the depth and breadth of its brilliance. This is a progressive rock treasure you'll be
thrilled you discovered and a musical dream from which you won't want to wake.
Key
Tracks Include: “Burn”, “Run for the Sun”, “Western Skies”, “Into the
Stars”, “The Undertow”
Tom Endyke - MuzikMan.net Staff
November 14, 2019
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Tracks
Tracks:
01. Procession
02. Viking Funeral
03. Burn
04. Run for the Sun
05. Western Skies
06. Into the Stars
07. Up
08. The Undertow
09. Gone
10. White Rainbow
11. Young
Tracks:
01. Procession
02. Viking Funeral
03. Burn
04. Run for the Sun
05. Western Skies
06. Into the Stars
07. Up
08. The Undertow
09. Gone
10. White Rainbow
11. Young