Frost*: Falling Satellites

Jem Godfrey needs Frost*, less than we need Frost*. The singer and songwriter an award winning popular music composer who can pick up gigs with the likes of Joe Satriani, such is his deftness on keyboards. Hence in a way it's more of a surprise that it hasn't taken the man longer to return his band to the studio than the eight years it has. So lets eschew the questions of why and simply revel in the fact he and his band have created Falling Satellites.

Flanked by what is now the solid trio that completes the (reduced to a) four piece line-up of John Mitchell (It Bites, Arena, Lonely Robot) on guitars, Nathan King (Level 45) on bass and Craig Blundell (Steven Wilson) on drums, Godfrey seems to have found middle ground; Falling Satellites proudly staying true to the modern, British prog of the band's Milliontown debut, while keen to keep the boundaries pushed out that follow up Experiments In Mass Appeal first stretched. What it all makes for is a collection of songs happy to know that it can verge into pop territory, while mischievously sitting squarely in the kingdom of out and out prog. Throw in some other elements and Falling Satellites likes to shock, it likes to surprise and loves to entertain.

At one end of the scale comes a 32 minute, 6 part suite that proudly blasts its musical chops loud and proud, all the while keeping them shrouded in mysteriously catchy motifs and restrained passages that somehow sound alien and remote, although still maintain an intimate, welcoming side. Godfrey pulls out the keyboard stops here, his instrument taking equal, if not star billing over Mitchell's guitar. Although that's not to suggest that there aren't some killer riffs and searing solos from the It Bites man and indeed guest star Joe Satriani.

Remembering that they almost invented this sound with their debut, chucking out comparisons feels pointless, instead be happy in the knowledge that Frost* have through "Heartstrings", which dares to be different to the version first revealed on The Rockfield Files and is all the more interesting for it, "Nice Day For It" and "Final Day", created something rather special. While "The Rage Against The Dying Of The Light Blues In 7/8" takes on the subject of staring death in the face as you lose someone you love, in insightful, respectful manner.

However this is just the piece that closes the album out, earlier delectations such as "Numbers" sounding like an example of what would happen if you placed King Crimson and The Police in a compression chamber. Upliftingly weird, or weirdly uplifting? Let's just say it's both and be happy. Mitchell, who has a strong hand in the songwriting throughout, takes on vocal duties for "Signs", any similarities to It Bites coming from that direction, however there's also a Peter Gabriel side to the way the piece constantly reshapes itself, adding layers to the existing themes and then stripping them back. Whereas "Lights Out" finds Tori Beaumont (who Godfrey describes as coming from outside the prog-u-sphere) laying down a simply magnificent vocal on what is a ballad that both powers and pops, but mainly has you standing agog at its beauty.

Elsewhere I've heard the genre 'dance' whispered in the same sentence as Falling Satellites, something I can't really see. However the drums, and especially the 'kick', are recorded/produced/mixed in a distinctly dominant fashion in places. To the extent that at volume, it becomes the 'boom-boom-boom' you often hear from cars playing questionable music, while its driver can't quite work out what way his cap should face. Some may indeed see this as a stumbling block, but for me it serves to heighten and contrast the heady atmospheres the dashing, darting melodies and motifs across this album are delighted to play out.

It's turning into a vintage year for the Inside Out label, the prog masters already behind many, if not the majority of the albums making my 2016 playlist. However this may just top the lot. Frost* have returned, don't decry their lengthy absence, instead simply look to catch their marvellous Falling Satellites.

Track Listing
1. First Day
2. Numbers
3. Towerblock
4. Signs
5. Lights Out 

6. Heartstrings

7. Closer To The Sun 

8. The Raging Against The Dying Of The Light Blues In 7/8 

9. Nice Day For It... 

10. Hypoventilate 

11. Last Day

Added: July 8th 2016
Reviewer: Steven Reid
Score:
Related Link: Frost* Life
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Language: english

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