Home » Jazz Articles » Album Review » Radio Massacre International: Rain Falls In Grey

225

Radio Massacre International: Rain Falls In Grey

By

View read count
Radio Massacre International: Rain Falls In Grey
It could be argued that Space Rock is the bastard offspring of Progressive Rock by those with a weakness for labeling, but when the former is put together with love and attention to detail—as it is here—any argument is just a waste of valuable time.

Conceived as a tribute to the late Syd Barrett, the man who effectively led Pink Floyd throughout their most worthwhile period, the music draws upon a much broader tradition than that idea suggests. On the opening, title track the German band, Ash Ra Tempel stalks the fringes of the music like the most benign of spirits, although in this instance the music is relatively earthbound and not unsurprisingly different to the collective efforts of that trio. Guest Martin Archer's baritone lends no little amount to the music's distinct air and the core trio seem to know instinctively that the slightest degree of overplaying can have the effect of bringing the music down.

The howling guitar on "Better'r Day-s" however arguably flirts a little too intimately with the 'technique is all' school although the thing is redeemed somewhat by the subtle, shifting rhythmic underpinning. Suffice to say that even at almost twelve minutes the piece doesn't outstay its welcome.

It's no surprise at all that "Syd" most faithfully evokes the spirit of the album's dedicatee and in it the band shows just how aware they are of the rhythmic implications of his work. A far from subtle riff is refined out of all proportion to its limited utility and the result is space rock in name as well as deed and intent. The segue into the following "Emissary" is seamless and at almost nine minutes that piece is a model of the kind of fluid form in which individual instrumental contributions are constructively blurred to the point of indistinction.

In a sense the contradiction that what started out as Barrett's band became, a stadium rock band that dealt in melancholy, often angst-ridden music, has had the effect of setting the seal on the man's career. This, in turn, serves to throw the music on this disc into stark relief as a celebration of a moment in time in so many ways.

Track Listing

Rain Falls In Grey....; Better'r Day-s; Shut Up; Syd; Emissary; Legacy; ....far away.

Personnel

Steve Dinsdale: keyboards, drums, percussion, glockenspiel, looper, vocals; Gary Houghton: guitars, glissando guitar, synthesizer, looper, vocals; Duncan Goddard: keyboards, bass guitars, mellotron, p3 sequencer. Guests: Martin Archer: sopranino, alto and baritone saxes, bass clarinet, bass recorder; Cyndee Lee Rule: electric violin.

Album information

Title: Rain Falls In Grey | Year Released: 2008 | Record Label: Cuneiform Records

Tags

Comments


PREVIOUS / NEXT




Support All About Jazz

Get the Jazz Near You newsletter All About Jazz has been a pillar of jazz since 1995, championing it as an art form and, more importantly, supporting the musicians who make it. Our enduring commitment has made "AAJ" one of the most culturally important websites of its kind, read by hundreds of thousands of fans, musicians and industry figures every month.

Go Ad Free!

To maintain our platform while developing new means to foster jazz discovery and connectivity, we need your help. You can become a sustaining member for as little as $20 and in return, we'll immediately hide those pesky ads plus provide access to future articles for a full year. This winning combination vastly improves your AAJ experience and allow us to vigorously build on the pioneering work we first started in 1995. So enjoy an ad-free AAJ experience and help us remain a positive beacon for jazz by making a donation today.

More

Tramonto
John Taylor
Ki
Natsuki Tamura / Satoko Fujii
Duality Pt: 02
Dom Franks' Strayhorn
The Sound of Raspberry
Tatsuya Yoshida / Martín Escalante

Popular

Old Home/New Home
The Brian Martin Big Band
My Ideal
Sam Dillon
Ecliptic
Shifa شفاء - Rachel Musson, Pat Thomas, Mark Sanders
Lado B Brazilian Project 2
Catina DeLuna & Otmaro Ruíz

Get more of a good thing!

Our weekly newsletter highlights our top stories, our special offers, and upcoming jazz events near you.

Install All About Jazz

iOS Instructions:

To install this app, follow these steps:

All About Jazz would like to send you notifications

Notifications include timely alerts to content of interest, such as articles, reviews, new features, and more. These can be configured in Settings.