Sound Of Contact – ‘Dimensionaut’ Album Review

With some bands you just know, without hearing a note, what sort of band they’ll be simply by looking at the artwork. Take the cover of Sound of contact’s excellent new LP ‘Dimensionaut’ – a lone, distant figure standing in a deserted landscape and staring at a giant infinity symbol – it could only be progressive rock with its aloof air of mystery and credulity, and yet, whilst the genre is predictable, the content is anything but, and with only one listen it becomes apparent that to wander, unchecked, through the realms of ‘Dimensionaut’ is to wander through an exotic landscape, lush with life and rife with intrigue. It is a journey, an undertaking that demands you sit quietly until the record is done, effectively stealing whole hours of your life at a time. It is an imaginative, life-affirming body of work that is perfectly sequenced and stunningly realised, drawing on the vast array of wonderful progressive bands which have risen to prominence over the years to create something that is transcendental in its beauty and intelligence.

But we have got ahead of ourselves. Our journey starts with the brief, eponymous opening track which recalls the gentle lyricism of ‘up the downstair’-era Porcupine Tree and which deftly wrong foots the listener by suggesting Sound Of Contact are preparing to follow in the footsteps of Steven Wilson when, in truth, their inspirations go much farther back. The track segues neatly into the instrumental ‘cosmic distance ladder’, a jazzy track that unveils a love of King Crimson’s more obtuse structuralism before segueing once more into the brilliantly melodic ‘pale blue dot’, a track that draws the line between Phil Collins-era Genesis and Spock’s beard, suggesting a band who are unafraid to drench their work in pop melodies even while the guitars are rich and incisive. In a perfect world it would be the sort of song that would assault the charts with ravenous vigour, causing a mass outbreak of spotty youths wondering home, clutching the band’s vinyl proudly under their arms, but sadly it seems rather more likely to remain in the niche world of progressive rock enthusiasts despite having the sort of chorus you can hum for days without being conscious of having become hooked. ‘I am (Dimensionaut) ‘ is similar in feel, once more recalling the vivacious pop-prog feel of Genesis, none of which prepares you for the stunningly rich work of ‘not coming down’ which takes Pink Floyd and filters it through the Verve’s string section and Radiohead’s appreciation of Miles Davis. It’s a deeply ambitious, frequently beautiful piece of music that hides a disconcerting ending carefully until the last minute.

Having drawn you heart and soul into their world, SOC drift dreamily into ‘remote view’, a short, pop-infused number that recalls Southampton progressive genius Steve Thorne with its tribal rhythms and neat melody. It says much of SOC’s skill that they can make the progressive genre sound so accessible without once compromising the musical integrity of the project. Never afraid to surprise and to challenge expectations, the band alter step again with the lush soundscapes of the heavily synth-augmented ‘beyond illumination’, a track that sounds like ELP covering ‘illegal alien’ with porcupine tree in tow. It’s both poppy and expansive, the rich, Mellotron-laden melodies of the chorus standing in contrast to the jaunty, sparse arrangement of the verse and echoing bridge. It more-or-less defies explanation and rationalisation, and yet is cohesive and beautiful enough that all you’ll remember at the album’s end are the rich melodies and ambitious undercurrents to the tracks. ‘Only breathing out’ takes things down a notch, clouds rolling across the sun-dappled sky as the guitars sink into a mire of reverb, only for the whole thing to explode into the sort of stadium-bothering chorus that Pink Floyd excelled at whilst recording ‘the division bell’.

It’s hard to acknowledge quite how you know but as the album progresses there’s a feeling that you’re being drawn, inexorably towards a climax of immense proportions. Each track seems to build upon the last and the instrumental ‘realm of organic beings’ is no exception, the warm piano and throbbing bass sounding less like a recording and more like the band is playing in your living room – quite how they got a sound so rich and rewarding is a testament to the skills of Simon Collins, Dave Kerzner and Nick Davis. ‘Closer to you’ is every bit the progressive ballad its title suggests, once again hinting at a heart-felt love within the band for latter-day Genesis and their under-valued ability to make even the most complex musical work seem accessible and open to the audience- although given Simon Collins’ parentage that is perhaps none too surprising – but while the band share genes with Genesis, they add their own spin to the formula, making this sound like nothing less than their own work. ‘Omega point’ sees the album hit a jazzy stride, building to a percussive monster of a climax, recalling a subtle mix of Steven Wilson’s more airy experimental work crossbred with ‘the domino theory’ in the process, always drawing the listener closer to the monumental  ‘Mobius Slip’, the four part, twenty-minute finale that is everything the band have been building towards over the album in terms of invention and musical endeavour.

An epic in every sense of the word, ‘mobius slip’ sees the band take on the progressive genre’s hardest challenge – to maintain interest over the course of a twenty-minute composition – and win. This is heartfelt, intelligent and sky-scraping visionary music-making at its very best and as the song slowly materialises you are left standing in awe at the huge castles in the sky the band are capable of tracing. There are elements of Genesis, Pink Floyd, Porcupine Tree and Spock’s beard shooting sparks through the song’s make up, but this is the tour-de-force piece of music that puts Sound Of Contact out in front of the modern progressive pack. Unconcerned with the metallic elements which occasionally distract their peers, this brilliantly exploratory work is timeless because, like the Floyd on ‘Echoes’ or Genesis on ‘supper’s ready’ the band are so utterly unconcerned with the commercial aspects of what they’re doing that the track’s appearance on the album is almost an afterthought compared to the immense creative energy that went into crafting the track itself. Listening to the music it’s clear that Simon Collins has picked up his father’s uncanny ability to not only lay down a rock solid beat but also to throw in all manner of unconventional fills with a casual disregard that belies the immense skill necessary to pull off such a body of work. Simon has also inherited something of the voice, and it would surely be something to hear father and son collaborate on a track someday. However, I digress, whilst it is certainly fair to say that Simon has been heavily influenced by his father’s work, it is also clear that he has the skill and intelligence to utilise the almighty influence of Genesis without allowing it to cast a shadow over his own aspirations. This is Sound of Contact’s album and ‘Mobius Slip’ is sound of contact’s defining moment and, for the dedicated prog fan, it is truly one of those songs that will leave you with goose bumps patterning your arms as the music washes around you in a manner that makes its twenty minute run time feel like five.

‘Dimensionaut’  is a stunning work of artistic endeavour and it is enough to restore your faith in the ailing music industry that music like this still gets made and it’s a sign that, once again, the excellent InsideOut label understand what makes good music far more than they care about what translates into easy sales. Genesis clearly factor as a major influence which, in light of the band’s almost certainly permanent inactivity, can only be a good thing; but it’s also clear the band have been influenced by a wide range of other factors and the sound they have crafted is ultimately their own. It’s an album to fall in love with. Not all at once, or easily to be sure – like those masterful progressive albums of the seventies it requires work, patience and care – but given time you’ll hold ‘Dimensionaut’ in the same sort of awe with which you’d hold ‘trick of the tail’, ‘meddle’ or ‘foxtrot’. It’s a towering achievement and one of which the band must be justly proud – this is an essential album for anyone who seriously considers themselves a fan of music and one that will be hailed through the years as the start, hopefully, of a wonderful and long-lasting career for these fine musicians. Utterly magical, ‘Dimensionaut’ will unquestionably be high on our albums of the year list and it deserves a place in your collection.