Chris Letcher "Frieze" (Sheer Group 2007)

Intricate, dense and ultimately rewarding Floyd for now

Chris Letcher is currently studying towards the completion of his Masters in music composition at Trinity College in London. So you know that this is going to be interesting or at least you hope so. The opener is a concoction of Weezer with Beck sprayed with the scent of electronica, next up a ‘Grantchester Meadows’ for the noughties – off key vocals, acoustic guitar, restrained strings that leads into a Radiohead workout. The spirit of prog hovers, not displeasingly , in the wings and with repeated listens Mr.Waters steps up to the plate accompanied by Carla Bley ( on this track at least).

There is everything here. Each track is a mosaic of disparate influences and despite repeated listens one feels that, like all great music, there is still so much more to hear. The only nagging doubt is that this album may be too clever for its own good. The intellectual exercise of the composition outweighing the reason for the song, but it could be argued that the reason for the song is to communicate the deftness of the writing rather than convey any emotion or credo. If that is the case this succeeds in spades.

But there is also an emotional heart to this work that makes itself known with more listens, a creeping sense of childhood gone and wistful emptiness. Love expected and discarded. This is a long album and should be approached as a novel. Several chapters to be digested and returned to. It is prog rock for now but it is also much more and should be considered in the same league as Radiohead or Muse. It could be that good. If that is good.

Date review added:  Tuesday, September 18, 2007
Reviewer:  keith hargreaves
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Related web link:  artists website