(Psychedelic Rock, Prog Rock, Ambient) Ian Neal - Out of the Woods [WEB] - 2011, FLAC (tracks), lossless

T R A C K ~ D E T A I L S
* “Storm” opens the album. A narration of Kipling’s poem “The Storm Cone” is the backdrop to a strained atmosphere, until the time signature change into six-eight and the sung vocals introduces a section suggesting a moving through the storm and eventually the storm’s passing.

* The instrumental “September” envisages the melancholic passing of summer into autumn. Twelve-string guitar, Mellotron flutes and soft organ chords provide the basis of the instrumentation following the introduction which features piano and two cellos.

* “The Way Through the Woods” again features the reading of a Kipling poem courtesy of Ashley Franklin. At times orchestral in feel, the piece moves through several sections, in part suggesting the passage of life, and ending with the celebratory sequence which reminds us of natural beauty, or the imagery of the horse Kipling draws on, and the sense of its galloping journey through the misty woods.

* “Boaters” evokes a summer afternoon and the idle drifting of a rowing boat down a slow flowing river. Boaters’ arms dangle over the side of their craft, their fingers trail through the water’s surface creating miniature wakes that ripple outwards and fade to calm nothingness. Arp Pro-Soloist synthesizer, Mellotron vibraphone and choirs, and string synthesizer provides the instrumental backdrop along with piano, harp, violin and mallet percussion.

* Although purely instrumental, “The Lake”, (the most epic of all the tracks here), is also inspired by literature. Thomas Gray’s journal of his tour of the Lake District in 1769 formed the starting point for the composition. Gray’s descriptions of Lakeland are vivid – he talks of the surface of Derwent Water as “calm and smooth, like a blue mirror”, as well as offering descriptive phrases like the “jaws of Borrowdale” – all perfect inspiration and a great excuse for the grandiose tones of cathedral organ alongside the sounds of swirling string synths and minimoog solos. Research for the track included following in Gray’s footsteps and viewing Derwent Water from the same standpoint as Gray – a beautiful prospect likely to conjure up the sense of the sublime in anyone. Droning bass pedals and light guitar arpeggios mimic the varied spectacles offered by the lake, while phased string synths evoke the depths below. The sublime and majestic natural beauty noted by Gray is heralded by the bombastic finale, which more than pays tribute to the genre of 1970s Prog Rock. Full volume is recommended.

* “On the Idle Hill of Summer” drew inspiration from the poem of the same name by A.E. Housman. Wistful but also prophetic of World War One, the poem inspired the track’s oblique questioning tone in the arpeggiated, minimalist section, but also provided a companion piece for the following track, “The Soldier”.

* “The Soldier” features the poem “Sonnet V: The Soldier”, by war poet Rupert Brooke. Orchestral strings, piano, harp, flute, choir and organ provide the instrumentation, while the tenor of the track hints at the tragedy of war on the one hand, and on the other, the sense that spirituality can offer something for all those affected by the death of loved ones.

* “Winter Falls” closes the album. A more technical piece, the track opens with eerie “ebowed” guitar which continues to haunt the verses. Girl vocals and various bridge sections lead up to a wall-of-sound-chorus courtesy of Moog Taurus Bass pedals, Polymoog chords as well as Mellotron strings. The outro and long fade takes us off into the distance…and the curtain falls.
credits
released 02 April 2011
Recorded at Endcliffe Studios, Sheffield and Beaurepaire Studios, Derbyshire, England 2005-2011.

Ian Neal: keyboards, guitars, vocals, virtual mellotron, Hammond T-402 organ, piano, virtual synths and programming.

All tracks composed, engineered and produced by Ian Neal ©2011.

Thanks to all at GForce Software Ltd. for supplying Virtual String Synth, MTron-Pro, and MiniMonsta. Thanks also to Ralph and the developers at Jamstix.

Many thanks to Ashley Franklin - narration of "The Way Through the Woods" by Kipling. Regards to the Dove in Allestree Park- for flapping wing sounds.

Special thanks to Del for all your sustained support, and to all 'ian neal fans'.

Cover photograph: 'Cromford Canal-Reflection' by George Lane.