Product Format: CCCD
** Regular Stock Item **Price: Normally
£13.99 Currently
£9.99 (exc)
£11.99 (inc)
Qty:
Following up 2017’s CDS ‘Prog Album Of The Year’ comes the band’s 2nd LP with guests: Ian Anderson (JETHRO TULL) & David Jackson (VDGG) on board!
British Prog rockers KAPREKAR'S CONSTANT’s ‘Depth Of Field’ is the follow-up to 2017's debut: ‘Fate Outsmarts Desire’ and is the first to feature CARAVAN drummer Mark Walker. It comes in a stylish Mini-LP Style Gatefold Card Sleeve with a 12-Page Lyric Booklet included.
"Apart from the addition of CARAVAN’s Mark Walker on drums and percussion, the line up remains the same," says guitarist Al Nicholson. "We’re delighted that David Jackson found time to weave his special magic on six of the seven tracks and, of course, to have Ian Anderson’s contribution is very special to us as massive JETHRO TULL fans”.
Fans of the first album will find much to enjoy on ‘Depth Of Field’, with its similar blend of epic storytelling pieces and shorter tracks. Staying true to the group’s ethos of well-constructed melodies with descriptive lyrics, skilfully delivered by a group of musicians at one with each other and working as a strong band unit. Each of the seven tracks on ‘Depth Of Field’ is a stand-alone piece with its own story to be told, all performed in a manner designed to allow the music to be enjoyed with the minimum of effort from the listener… and you know... it really works!
‘Fate Outsmarts Desire’ was indeed an exceptional album… the playing was superb, but the lyrics, melodies and choruses stood out a mile over most other indie Prog around, and the same has to be said of the material on ‘Depth Of Field’, but this time around the band have even up-scaled their previous efforts in all departments.
Seldom have I heard a new melodic Prog album with so many great vocal arrangements and catchy hooks as this one – they are there in abundance and the album is all the better for it. The music - a kind of Folk-Rock meets Symphonic Prog (or JETHRO TULL meets RENAISSANCE) is driven by keyboards and guitars with touches of subtle sax, flute and other acoustics, all working in harmony and glued together by a tight rhythm section.
Together with a male / female vocal combination that works in both solo and harmony scenarios and complementing the instrumentation perfectly, KAPREKAR’S CONSATANT are creating an enthralling melodious sound on ‘Depth Of Field’ that is pure, stylish and classy.
The first three tracks are total melodic Prog charmers that provide the perfect platform for what is to come.
‘Rosherville – Part 1’ opens the album with a kind ‘Shine On You Crazy Diamond’ style vibe going on from string-synth and guitar before breaking into the main body of the anthemic folk meets symphonic Prog styled anthem.
Bill Jefferson and Dorie Jackson set out their stall for the rest of the record with a superb vocal performances as the track moves through a selection of different moods that include a really infectious chorus.
A fantastic opener for sure!
‘Holywell Street’ is a dreamy flowing song produced in a similar vein to the opener, but being shorter it ‘s more straight to the point. Again, it’s another great male / female vocal balance with an ear grabbing chorus to savour. David Jackson’s distinctive soprano sax sound interweaves effortlessly through the sea of synth textures and jangling guitars - Pure class!
After a short but fine piano intro ‘The Nightwatchman’ carries on with powerful instrumental melodies from the guitars and keyboards, creating a strong atmospheric quality intro before Dorie’s beautiful voice takes over the lead.
Her infectious vocal hooks you from the start, backed-up with orchestral synth layers, piano, soft sax and dreamy harmony vocals before closing with just fading piano once more. – Just lovely!
‘Ghost Plains’ rocks right from the start, with guitars, keys and sax diving a perfectly balanced instrumental theme forward before voice-overs start the tale off. Bill’s vocal takes the story over and the band flow into another dreamy passage before Dorie takes the vocal lead once more. Again, the chorus is extremely song with the male/female vocal combination really as good as it gets.
Nice touches of Mellotron like keyboards add a mystical touch to the middle section of the track before it all starts to rock once more with the organ and sax leading the way into a “proper" cool 70’s style synthesizer solo.
After that middle instrumental break, the closing passage goes back to symphonic mode with the “tron” style keyboards emerging once more, with echoed voice-overs filtering in and creating a haunting atmosphere. The piece concludes with a mega-string synth passage and a reprise of the infectious chorus sending shivers down the spine as the music draws towards a magnificent close. – A brilliant track featuring all that is great about classic Prog!
The epic near twenty-four minute: ‘White Star’s Sunrise’ rolls in on a mysterious bank of sub-bass mist and then the band take off with a huge melodic symphonic lead and then a folky-styled lyric. Mega-tuneful singing guitar work quickly follows to take the track up to new heights and levels of quality amid rolling waves of synth textural sounds.
Again the vocal harmonies delivered here are sensational, complemented by the superb flowing electric guitar and string synths with added colour from particles of intricate flute and piano work.
At the eight minute make the track moves into a strong instrumental passage where all the instruments share centre stage at some point, but its all very inspired and symphonic in its scope with keyboards and guitars flying high in a dreamy landscape of Prog heaven.
After a brief atmospheric voiceover, at the eleven minute mark the feel changes to one of a sound that initially made me think of parts of: ‘Shadow Of The Hierophant’ from Steve Hackett’s 1st solo album: ‘Voyage Of The Accolyte’.
The dual vocal arrangement here is stunning to say the least as the chorus returns, mixing acoustic and electronic passages beautifully well, with voice-overs helping tell the tale, augmented by some nice guitar and sax arrangements.
Just before the fifteen-minute mark it all goes a bit acoustic and JETHRO TULL-ish, with its mix of flutes, mandolin and guitars and added background atmospheric incidental voice-overs, before moving back to the opening theme and vocal.
As this mammoth track draws to a five-minute climax the infectious thematic chorus of gorgeous harmony vocals takes over amid an array of melodious keyboards, guitars, flute and sax all working in perfect harmony, with no one fighting for supremacy, its just all part of a fantastic orchestral sound, with the rhythm section – as always - keeping everything tight and controlled before the while shebang slowly fades off over the musical horizon. – Stunning!
‘Rosherville - Part 2’ holds a real surprise, because after Bill and Dorie’s stunning vocal take on the continuation of the story behind the opening track’s theme (where Dorie’s vocal seems to hit even higher heights), there is an extended atmospheric character voiceover story from none other than JETHRO TULL’s Ian Anderson that is a real masterstroke. Set over a backdrop of seas of string synth textures and acoustic guitar, Anderson’s echoed voice delivers a two-minute tale of fantasy and fancy to savour – totally atmospheric!
The track then returns to the string-synth backed main vocal theme, later straddled by searing slabs of organ and dreaming soprano sax melodies – A thrilling climactic conclusion to the track and the main body of the album!
The title track closes the album with a stripped-back acoustic song delivered by Dorie’s beautiful voice backed with just acoustic guitar and flute. On the evidence of the vocal performances of ‘Depth Of Field’ - the album, this girl is a shining star and can give Annie Haslam a good run for her money as a new driving force in the field of folk-inspired Symphonic Prog.
KAPREKAR’S CONSTANT are an amazing band! If they are new to you, the names you need to think of for comparison would possibly be: BIG BIG TRAIN, RENAISSANCE, JETHRO TULL and FAIRPORT CONVENTION. I would say that if you are a fan of melodic Synphonic Prog in general, with elements of Folk-Rock included that has well-produced and performed instrumental passages and superb vocal arrangements, you will struggle to beat ‘Depth Of Field’ in 2019.
The musician line-up is:
The KAPREKAR’S CONSTANT core songwriting duo is: Nick Jefferson (bass / fretless bass / electric guitar / keyboards) and Al Nicholson (acoustic, classical & electric guitars / mandolin / keyboards) with Bill Jefferson (vocals), Dorie Jackson (vocals / backing vocals), Mike Westergaard (keyboards / piano / backing vocals), David Jackson (saxophones / flutes / whistles / G# bell) and Mark Walker (drums / percussion).
‘Depth Of Field’ is released on 20th September 2019.
Also available by KAPREKAR’S CONSTANT …
FATE OUTSMARTS DESIRE (2017 Melodic Prog / Mini-LP style Gatefold Card Sleeve) CCCD – Stock # 1939563
FATE OUTSMARTS DESIRE (LP-2017 Vinyl / Melodic Prog / Gatefold Sleeve / Download) LP – Stock # 2002095
KAPREKAR'S CONSTANT: DEPTH OF FIELD Track List:
01. Rosherville – Part 1 (10:34)
02. Holywell Street (4:46)
03. Ghost Planes (6:08)
04. The Nightwatchman (10:40)
05. White Star’s Sunrise (23:43)
06. Rosherville - Part 2 (9:35)
07. Depth Of Field (2:08)
TPT – 67:34