Downes Braide Association – Celestial Songs
Celestial Songs, the fifth studio album from the Downes Braide Association (a fruitful musical partnership between keyboardist Geoff Downes (Asia, YES, Buggles) and multi award-winning songwriter, producer and singer Chris Braide), carries on in the same tradition as previous DBA albums – that of beautifully composed minor to major key pop-prog, textured atmospheres and uplifting melodies.
But while DBA have a sound, there’s always been a musical progression across each album; such progression is readily apparent on Celestial Songs, the duo’s broadest scoped offering to date.
As both Goeff Downes and Chris Braide (an Ivor Novello and BMI Pop Award winner) mentioned in pre-release press, the tracks for Celestial Songs came together relatively quickly (always a good sign), while the lyrical topics of life, loss, time, love, nostalgia and reflection are "very DBA," to quote Braide.
But here those topics seem to take on bigger meaning and make a larger impression – "sing out a celebration of Celestial song!" announces narator Barney Ashton Bullock, before a yearning guitar and repeating piano motif take centre stage to set up delicate and atmospheric opener, 'Look What You Do.'
Aside from Barney Ashton Bullock, and as is the norm for a DBA album, a number of other guest performers make an appearance.
Andy Hodge (bass) and Ash Soan (drums) have become an integral part of the DBA sound (drummer Tim Weller also features), while returnee guest vocalist Marc Almond adds his distinct vocal to parts of high-pop and strings number 'Dark Side Of Fame,' which has a self-explanatory title ("You’ve seen it with your own eyes, this is not a game, and there’s not a drop of romance on the darker side of fame").
Star of the guesting show this time around however is guitarist Dave Bainbridge (Lifesigns, The Strawbs, Iona), who features throughout with some exemplary and highly emotive guitar soloing and, on 'Keep On Moving,' a quite delightful keyboard solo.
The latter track, which also features Francis Dunnery on arpeggiated and rhythm guitar (Dunnery co-wrote the song, which explains the Dunnery-esque summery vibe) is a nostalgic love letter to the past (the "Brucie dreams" nod to Prefab Sprout’s pop-tastic 'Cars And Girls' is a particularly nice touch).
The song is enhanced further by Dave Bainbridge’s equally summery keyboard solo, followed by his melancholic yet uplifting six-string solo.
But while DBA have a sound, there’s always been a musical progression across each album; such progression is readily apparent on Celestial Songs, the duo’s broadest scoped offering to date.
As both Goeff Downes and Chris Braide (an Ivor Novello and BMI Pop Award winner) mentioned in pre-release press, the tracks for Celestial Songs came together relatively quickly (always a good sign), while the lyrical topics of life, loss, time, love, nostalgia and reflection are "very DBA," to quote Braide.
But here those topics seem to take on bigger meaning and make a larger impression – "sing out a celebration of Celestial song!" announces narator Barney Ashton Bullock, before a yearning guitar and repeating piano motif take centre stage to set up delicate and atmospheric opener, 'Look What You Do.'
Aside from Barney Ashton Bullock, and as is the norm for a DBA album, a number of other guest performers make an appearance.
Andy Hodge (bass) and Ash Soan (drums) have become an integral part of the DBA sound (drummer Tim Weller also features), while returnee guest vocalist Marc Almond adds his distinct vocal to parts of high-pop and strings number 'Dark Side Of Fame,' which has a self-explanatory title ("You’ve seen it with your own eyes, this is not a game, and there’s not a drop of romance on the darker side of fame").
Star of the guesting show this time around however is guitarist Dave Bainbridge (Lifesigns, The Strawbs, Iona), who features throughout with some exemplary and highly emotive guitar soloing and, on 'Keep On Moving,' a quite delightful keyboard solo.
The latter track, which also features Francis Dunnery on arpeggiated and rhythm guitar (Dunnery co-wrote the song, which explains the Dunnery-esque summery vibe) is a nostalgic love letter to the past (the "Brucie dreams" nod to Prefab Sprout’s pop-tastic 'Cars And Girls' is a particularly nice touch).
The song is enhanced further by Dave Bainbridge’s equally summery keyboard solo, followed by his melancholic yet uplifting six-string solo.
Elsewhere the DBA sound shines through on lead-off single 'Clear Light,' an up-beat piece of melodic pop that lyrically celebrates seeing the beauty around you.
Similarly themed around finding light in the darkest times is 'Will To Power,' an up-tempo, rhythmically shifting six-and-half minute pop-rocker that echoes Trevor Rabin at his creative rock-pop best.
A true highlight of the album.
The ballads 'Hey Kid' and 'Dear Petra' are perhaps the subtlest anti-gun and anti-war (on TV) songs you’ll respectively hear (the lullaby-esque latter is particularly touching), while nine-minute mini-epic 'Heart Shaped Hole' is a beautifully melancholic lament to loneliness, to the degree that’s it’s hard not to take a moment on the lyric "There’s only you in this world, that’s how it feels… always detached from it all, no friendship’s real". Everyone knows some isolated soul; and every such soul needs a shoulder to lean, or cry, on.
The radio play song of the album is, without doubt, 'On the Run,' which, as Chris Braide has nodded to, is akin to the Mighty Miss Bush’s 'Running Up That Hill' rhythmically jogging alongside Talk Talk’s 'Life’s What You Make It' (no bad company). Another up-beat winner.
Penultimate number, the seven-and-a-half minute 'Goodbye To You (Sister Shame),' co-written with Andy Partridge, is a pleasant McCartney-esque development (nod here again to Dave Bainbridge’s considered guitar work); however ten-minute album closer 'Beyond The Stars' is DBA at their atmospheric best.
A song that could only be placed at the end of the album, 'Beyond The Stars' presents Geoff Downes & Chris Braide at the top of their compositional, thematic and performance game.
Geoff Downes, following Chris Braide’s short vocal intro and Barney Ashton Bullock’s questioning narrative, texturises in beautifully understated fashion before accompanying Braide on the final journey which, fittingly, closes out with a final (in every sense) narrative from Ashton Bullock.
Celestial Songs, Celestial Beauty.
Ross Muir
FabricationsHQ
Celestial Songs is out now.
CD here
Transparent Purple Vinyl Edition here
Deluxe 12”x12” Box Set Edition here
Similarly themed around finding light in the darkest times is 'Will To Power,' an up-tempo, rhythmically shifting six-and-half minute pop-rocker that echoes Trevor Rabin at his creative rock-pop best.
A true highlight of the album.
The ballads 'Hey Kid' and 'Dear Petra' are perhaps the subtlest anti-gun and anti-war (on TV) songs you’ll respectively hear (the lullaby-esque latter is particularly touching), while nine-minute mini-epic 'Heart Shaped Hole' is a beautifully melancholic lament to loneliness, to the degree that’s it’s hard not to take a moment on the lyric "There’s only you in this world, that’s how it feels… always detached from it all, no friendship’s real". Everyone knows some isolated soul; and every such soul needs a shoulder to lean, or cry, on.
The radio play song of the album is, without doubt, 'On the Run,' which, as Chris Braide has nodded to, is akin to the Mighty Miss Bush’s 'Running Up That Hill' rhythmically jogging alongside Talk Talk’s 'Life’s What You Make It' (no bad company). Another up-beat winner.
Penultimate number, the seven-and-a-half minute 'Goodbye To You (Sister Shame),' co-written with Andy Partridge, is a pleasant McCartney-esque development (nod here again to Dave Bainbridge’s considered guitar work); however ten-minute album closer 'Beyond The Stars' is DBA at their atmospheric best.
A song that could only be placed at the end of the album, 'Beyond The Stars' presents Geoff Downes & Chris Braide at the top of their compositional, thematic and performance game.
Geoff Downes, following Chris Braide’s short vocal intro and Barney Ashton Bullock’s questioning narrative, texturises in beautifully understated fashion before accompanying Braide on the final journey which, fittingly, closes out with a final (in every sense) narrative from Ashton Bullock.
Celestial Songs, Celestial Beauty.
Ross Muir
FabricationsHQ
Celestial Songs is out now.
CD here
Transparent Purple Vinyl Edition here
Deluxe 12”x12” Box Set Edition here