SPIRITS BURNING & MICHAEL MOORCOCK – The End Of All Songs – Part 1

Purple Pyramid 2023

SPIRITS BURNING &
MICHAEL MOORCOCK –
The End Of All Songs –
Part 1

At the edge of decadence: an acclaimed space-rock project lays another brick into the cosmic wall.

There seems to be a special rapport between Don Falcone and Michael Moorcock which allowed the two forge a collaboration that has surpassed the links with HAWKWIND and BLUE ÖYSTER CULT the latter used to write lyrics for and the former to follow musically and which sees them create together a third time around. It had to be so, though, as the book “The End Of All Songs” is based on was a direct successor to the events of "The Hollow Lands" and "An Alien Heat" – the previous novels of Moorcock’s “The Dancers at the End of Time” trilogy Falcone felt inspired by to treat as a series of albums. The hat-trick’s penultimate chapter may sound drier than the first ones, but here the apparent stylistic frontiers of project’s primary influences are finally blurred to present a more organic Mulltiverse experience – despite, or thanks to, the presence of usual suspects.

This time it’s players working for the concept rather than the other way around, the point brought to home planet by the evocative “The End Of Every Song” which finds Falcone’s cosmic ivories carry Buck Dharma’s voice that’s backed by Albert Bouchard’s drums and vocals and Danny Miranda’s bass without reminding the listener of a certain collective the three are associated with. So when Moorcock’s vocals pitch in to add a few lines to Ernest Dowson-penned verses, the opener’s diaphanous choruses border on magnificent, preparing the scene for “Try And Try Again” which Andy Dalby six-string riffs drive to hard-rock delirium, as Paul Rudolph’s licks do on “Guild Of Temporal Adventures” later on, in tandem with Hoshiko Yamane’s violin. With robust groove courtesy of such masters of bottom-end as Chas Cronk and the late Steve York on, respectively, predatorily mellifluous “Child Of The Moon” and the sax-smeared “Chances Our” – both with Albert at the fore – there’s a rhythmic variety on offer. However, William Kopecky’s rumble and Harvey Bainbridge’s shuffle direct the whooshes of “Paleozoic Eons” beyond the pale sci-fi, thanks to electronic wind instruments from Bridget Wishart who will take the lead on the delicately insistent folk ballad “All Is Well” where Don’s keyboards shine the brightest alongside Jonathan Segel’s bow.

Still, if Michael’s spoken word on “Paradise Wings In Flight” which Crum’s synthesizers wrap in nebulosity is intriguing, his reading on the filigree of the Erin Bennett-sung “Your Message Of Doom” and intoning on the bluesy electronica of “Sanctuary” feel as solid as it can be for an exhilarating reggae-tinged number. The Falcone-sculpted histrionics behind “Building A Bad Scene” are quite catchy, too, although not as much as Bouchard’s tunes “The Price We Pay” and “Second Thoughts” which reach for one’s very soul. But once “Each Vehicle Has Two Eyes” rolls in on Dead Fred’s deadpan delivery and out on Dalby’s acoustic lace to dispatch the album’s finale, the lingering aftertaste and memories of the record that’s just spun reveal the entire scope of this impressive series. A serious achievement – on to Part 2 now!

****4/5

May 17, 2024

Category(s): Reviews
Tags: , , , , , , , , , ,

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *