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Brilliant! – 10 top quality songs by a well-honed band from England’s north east, riding the gamut between modern melodic Prog, 80’s Rock/Pop and AOR!
* Please click on the Video icon in right corner above to view & listen to a promotional YouTube trailer *
‘Astronaut Ghost’ was written by composer / producer Phil Swinburne and represents personal observations inspired by his own experiences, covering topics such as communication, world affairs, death and the effects of the refugee crisis!
The ten always melodic and brilliantly produced tracks on the album are a definite cross between modern Prog and 80's Pop/Rock or A.O.R. as some might call it. Lyrically, artistically and musically, this album is beautifully put together, and when I first heard it, several bouts of goose bump moments were created during the many hooks, choruses and keyboard solos. The album is of what we would call standard LP length and the quality of the songs is well maintained from start to finish, with no weak spots or “fillers” along the way. The vocals are excellent, the playing classy and the songs harmonically superb - To be honest there is nothing not to like about the entire record!
Infectious and musically full of real substance you should think maybe: GENESIS or PENDRAGON meets CUTTING CREW or The MOTORS with a bit of CHINA CRISIS thrown in … it’s that sort of music … hang on, the songs are even strong enough to say maybe think: CROWDED HOUSE of even MIKE & THE MECHANICS … they were a perfect bridge between the genres type band as well!
The band line-up is: Phil Swinburne (vocals / Keyboards), Lewis Richardson (guitars), Nige Spaven (bass) and Logi (drums / percussion). The CD comes with an 8-Page Full-Colour Booklet with lyrics and credits.
Here’s more about the band followed by a full-blown independent review from Progmeister Steve Petch…
A brief history of MOG…
MOG are no strangers to the art of song. They have been around in their many guises since the mid seventies. Beginning as TRAPPS, Phil Swinburne and guitarist Lewis Richardson earned their spurs in the pubs and clubs of the North East playing whatever the crowd wanted to hear. It wasn't until they were joined by keyboard player Steve Palmer that bassist Nige Spaven entered the fold, and he has stayed until the present day. Playing a mixture of original music and the odd classics thrown in, they gained notoriety around their hometown of Hartlepool on Teesside and outlying areas.
The departure of keyboard player Steve Palmer forced the band to change direction and consider many other options. Reforming as The STRAND they played many church organised events - Christenings, weddings and the like, but this became short lived when following a comment made to them about being “men of god” Lewis Richardson suggested the abbreviation MOG as a name for their latest venture.
The band expanded their foray into Phil's love of theatrics, by recording a rock operetta, which they performed ‘live’ in its entirety at the Progmeister festival in March 2011. Since then Phil set up his own theatre company whilst Lewis and Nige plied their trades elsewhere.
In the ensuing years Phil began to pen some rather personal songs and over 2015/16 spent time in the studio recording their new album: ‘Astronaut Ghost’.
Now under the moniker of MOG & THE WATER TRIBE the trio find themselves at the top of their game and planning gigs to promote the album. Best described as AOR to Prog they excel at ‘live’ performances, finding themselves very much at home on a stage with over thirty plus years of gigging behind them.
Review by Steve Petch….
North East Indie band MOG & THE WATER TRIBE release their first album under their new guise moving on from being simply known as MOG. I must admit the new moniker seems a little more catchy and certainly adds to the intrigue behind the band. MOG & THE WATER TRIBE consists of singer/songwriter Phil Swinburne (vocals / keys) Lewis Richardson (guitars), Nige Spaven (bass) and K. Lodge (drums). ‘Astronaut Ghost’ is a collection of ten songs of deeply spiritual and personal writing by Phil and following numerous listening sessions.
The songs throughout this album are for the better part those that remain in your head to the point that you find yourself whistling or humming them back,
The appeal of this album is the package as a whole and not the songs in isolation. A very lyrical set of songs telling stories, good old-fashioned stuff that works admirably. Opening gambit: ‘The Water Tribe’ leaves the launch pad in a pacey, pleasing way with guitar and keys racing along at break neck speed.
A get at the elite in society who feel they can actually walk on water, the song had me thinking of The CURE and their like. Lots of 80's sounds and influence can be gleaned throughout the songs, from CHINA CRISIS to CROWDED HOUSE.
In the light of recent events with air-strikes in Syria and Iraq by UK forces, songs like: ‘Not In My Name’ really does reflect a view held by many, and the track has some great keyboard inflections to boot.
Phil Swinburne's voice has a very sixties sound to it, and I find the Northern accent that creeps in momentarily rather homely, as are the images of the bands industrial environment included in the CD booklet – speaking of which, the album is nicely packaged and representative of the bands personalities.
‘Astronaut Ghost’ does have a tendency to meander and weave in and out of different genre, something I found interesting and kept me listening to the whole album rather than just individual songs.
‘Emotional Refugee’ is a GENESIS pastiche if ever I heard one. I thought of: ‘Trick Of The Tail’ as soon as I heard it, and it made me smile. Being a song about love and peace and thoughts of refugees being used as political pawns, it is surprisingly uplifting considering! Piano player Steve Palmer was drafted in to add a rather quaint honky-tonk piano, further lifting the mood of the piece.
The antithesis of this is: ‘Sunken’, a darker and more bleak look at the inability to interact and the want to isolate ones self. Lewis Richardson's guitar sounds here is very SIMPLE MINDS-like, and like most of his guitar work on the album as a whole, is subtle, if slightly understated.
Like many of the other songs on the album, I did relate to them and found it easy to immerse myself in their message.
Evident throughout is the punchy and solid bass lines laid down by Nige Spaven, bolstering a great soundstage that is present all the way through the album.
‘Ghost’ is a missive based around belief, and it has some wicked subsonic keyboard sounds at the beginning. Many of the songs and their meanings I found intertwine, and the following song: ‘The Voice’ must be a continuation of ‘Ghost’, carrying a plea of wanting someone to contact you.
The penultimate track: ‘Forgive Yourself’ is without doubt my favourite song on the album. Using glassy keyboard sounds as if to promote light and harmony, it is a song of forgiveness, about carrying guilt and ignorance. Very thought provoking and beautifully put together, I found this song stuck in my head, which is always a good sign for any new piece of music. Continuing with the spacey, airy sounds: ‘Astronaut’ completes the album splendidly with its lush soundscapes and memorable licks, making you want to play it all over again.
I think you can tell that I like this album a lot. My first album review of 2016 and it sets the bar high! What comes across in spades is a band proud of their roots and heritage. It is obvious from the start that these well-crafted, thought-out pieces are telling stories and conveying personal views and feelings. These are seasoned muso's who have learned their craft playing the clubs and pubs, and not the banal manufactured media driven products that are abound today.
I thoroughly recommend this album. It defies categorisation and as I said above, is a breath of fresh air!
MOG & THE WATER TRIBE: ASTRONAUT GHOST Track List:
01. The Water Tribe (4:45)
02. Not In My Name (4:45)
03. Emotional Refugee (3:30)
04. Sunken (3:45)
05. Ghost (4:42)
06. Sleep (4:20)
07. The Voice (3:29)
08. When Change Comes (4:11)
09. Forgive Yourself (3:57)
10. Astronaut (3:54)
TPT – 41:20