For the progressive fan the last few years have been a wondrous journey as the music world has once again embraced that most expansive of genres. With established bands such as Opeth, Porcupine Tree, Spock’s beard and The Flower Kings all having released stunning albums in recent years as well as newcomers Sound Of Contact releasing what can only be described as one of the best albums (prog or otherwise) of 2013, it is the perfect time for new acts to appear on the scene and continue the journey embarked upon by sonic pioneers such as King Crimson, Pink Floyd, Yes and Genesis. Enter The Twenty Committee, a band originally pieced together in 2012 in order to work on material written by singer/keyboardist Geoff Langley and in whom none other than Neal Morse had taken an interest. By the July of 2012 the band were booked into Radiant Records with Jerry Guidroz (Transatlantic, Neal Morse etc.) as producer and ‘a lifeblood psalm’ is the astonishing result.
Opening to the sound of multiple chattering voices, the ‘introduction’ is a short, sweet piece that sets the scene before ‘how wonderful’ bursts forth from the speakers in a life-affirming blast of acoustic guitar, chiming piano and Geoff’s rich vocals. The sound mixes elements of Genesis at their most pastoral, Spock’s Beard, Neal Morse and Sound of contact, and the warm melodies that wash through the chorus are designed exclusively to eat their way into the very fabric of your consciousness, lodging there for days at a time. It is a beautiful opening track and it deftly highlights the band’s skill both as musicians and song-writers, especially as Steve Kostas’ lead guitar goes head to head with Geoff’s keyboard playing in the latter stages of the song. ‘Her voice’, with its syncopated, jazzy rhythm and taut bass lines (Joe Henderson and Richmond Carlton respectively), crosses the musicianship of Jeff beck and Dave Brubeck with the progressive beauty of Caravan and the crunch of king Crimson for a track that draws from the very best of progressive and jazz royalty to both inspire and intrigue the listener with its wealth of melody and musical finesse. In all honesty, if this third track doesn’t leave you with your jaw swinging like a broken hinge then you’re clearly broken already, for The Twenty Committee voyage deep into the heart of the progressive genre, disregarding even that genres flimsy rule book and utilising every musical form that takes their fancy without ever once allowing the song and its central melody to become overcooked or buried under experimental weight.
Having utterly demolished all expectations, the band unleash a devastatingly beautiful track next in the form of ‘airtight’ with its plucked guitar melody and lush strings providing a rich, heart breaking backdrop for Geoff’s lovelorn vocals. The track provides a moment of conventional respite before the grand finale of the album, the five part, twenty minute ‘The knowledge enterprise’, a progressive epic that simply takes your expectations and tears them to shreds over its multiple sections. The first part is an overture that recalls elements of Dream theater alongside King Crimson, Miles Davis and yes with its unnervingly brilliant piano work standing alongside syncopated beats and a devastating guitar riff that even Robert Fripp would baulk at. As an introduction to a song it packs in more ideas than most bands include in the main body of one, and it sets an impossibly high standard that the Twenty Committee still manage to retain across the rest of the suite. ‘Conceivers and deceivers’ slows the frenetic pace and indulges in the rich melodic lyricism of ‘how wonderful’, adding a touch of Queen’s more operatic bent to proceedings (especially in Steve Kostas’ consistently immense guitar work which takes on a distinct Brian May feel at one point) before slipping into vintage genesis territory for the downward slide to the unutterably beautiful ‘tonight’ – a track that sounds like Steve Hackett playing latter-day Anathema covers with an orchestra in tow. It is a moment of simple musical perfection and for a band to unveil such a piece of music on their debut is nothing short of astonishing. ‘With these eyes’ sees the suite head back into jazz territory with its awkward rhythms tempered and restrained by a pop melody so insistent it’s surely the musical equivalent of crack, and most astonishingly the segues are flawless, each element flowing freely from the previous one without a hint of compromise despite the disparate musical elements the band work with. It is the hallmark of a very special group of musicians and an exceptional songwriter and by this point there is no question at all that The Twenty Committee are up there with the very best of the genre. The ‘finale’ is a short, sweet conclusion to the suite and to the album as a whole and it leaves you once more in awe of the stunning musicianship and the lyrical beauty of the music.
‘A lifeblood psalm’ is the confident assured work of a band who knew exactly what they wanted to achieve and the manner in which they were to achieve it. Numerous luminaries from Yes to Crimson to Genesis are referenced, but so many other elements are interspersed throughout the music and such is the power of the melodies employed by the band that this is no mere tribute to what has gone before. Like the equally wonderful Sound Of Contact (and what a bill it would be to see these two bands go out on tour together), The Twenty Committee build upon the past whilst adding their own unique slant and the result is mind blowing. For progressive fans this is a no brainer – click on the link below – but truly this album is to be recommended to any person who has a passion for music. Elegant, beautiful, inspired and inspirational, ‘a lifeblood psalm’ is a wonderful work that will continue to resonate over the years.
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