collective groan from the audience
But don't worry - we're determined to make this year go out with a bang. If you've just joined us, we highly recommend skipping back to parts one, two and three before proceeding.
Alright, enough preamble. Prepare yourselves for the final chapter!
22nd September: Universal Medium
"The coastline was something to behold, even though my monocle was irreparably broken."
Alliterative duo Stuart Stephens and Paul Powell gave us this slice of ambience-infused prog back in September, and it quickly became one of Elephant Towers' go-to chill-out albums. Universal Medium is like a good dessert - deep, rich, and easy to lose yourself in. Shying away from the kitchen-sink tendencies of some of their prog contemporaries, Whitewater exhibit an admirable degree of restraint, making careful use of musical space to ensure that the many, many layers never become overwhelming - at least, not in a bad way.
13th October: Fukushima Surfer Boys
Look, I know that last one wasn't exactly A-grade material, but it's getting very hard to write amusing captions for these abstract covers, okay?
We move now from something relaxed to something decidedly less so: Fukushima Surfer Boys is a concentrated ball of electric energy. Clever application of distortion, both vocal and instrumental, is what really makes this album. There's a fuzzy, staticky edge to this joyously weird album which, far from bogging it down, lends it a unique verve that combines with the overall hectic pace to create a record that takes you on a breathless and brilliant rollercoaster ride.
3rd November: The Divine Abstract
Like, look at this. How am I meant to say something funny about whatever this is?
I've tried not to bring personal opinion into this year-in-review too much, but there's no hiding the fact that The Divine Abstract is one of my favourite albums of 2017. Justly critically acclaimed for its bewildering range of instrumentation and impressive laundry list of guests, this album grabs you by the brain from the moment you first hear it, and is unlikely to let you go anytime soon. There's an easy, jazzy confidence to The Divine Abstract that really sells the diversity and technical genius of its music. Charlie Cawood may well have a masterpiece on his hands.
1st December: Murder and Parliament
A leaked X-ray of Tom, behind the frankly unconvincing human suit.
Can Tom Slatter, an artist known perhaps first and foremost for his weird lyrics and surreal narratives, pull off an album with no vocals at all?
Apparently so. Talented git.
Apparently so. Talented git.
Status Update
Christmas is in full swing at Elephant Towers, and various members of the team have been sighted hiding in pine trees, shovelling handfuls of chestnuts into their greedy maws, and, most bafflingly of all, watching primetime television. 'Tis the season - but the season for what, we know not!
Review Roundup
We've a surprising number of reviews to cover in this last Trunk of the year! First of all, two in French - Chromatique's take on Irritant and Profil's review of Fukushima Surfer Boys. We are reliably informed that these are both positive. (It's times like these that I really regret abandoning French at 14.)
Jerry Lucky of The Progressive Rock Files has also given Murder and Parliament an "Intriguing" rating, calling it, um, "intriguing". And Roger Trenwith, in his annual list of the best albums of the year, gives spots to a plethora of BEM bands - see how many you can spot!
That's it from us for this week, and, indeed, this year. We're taking two weeks off for the holidays, so The Trunk will return on the seventh of January in the shiny new year of 2018. Until then, take care, and enjoy the music!
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