According to their bandcamp page Firelighters is a Franco-British progressive rock band who create original music inspired by the 70s with ambient harmonies and poetic, introspective lyrics. They ask you to join them for a mysterious journey into the depths of the soul where prog and folk influences meet. All this should be found on their debut album, titled Quiver. Which they named a progressive rock odyssey steeped in melancholy, transformation, and human connection. They say that the songs unfold like landscapes: textured, spacious, and constantly shifting, with complex arrangements that merit repeated listening. If this is all true I will tell you. Because many times acts promote their release with rather positive remarks which not always tell what you in reality hear on an album. Let me first introduce you to the band members who were responsible for this rather short album, only 36 minutes. They are Alexandra Wynne (vocals, percussion), Joël Arrault (guitars, percussion), Nicko Kalifornia (bass guitar) and Hervé Venrie (drums). Michael Geyre is a guest musician, responsible for the keyboard parts on the album. According to the band, this album is a journey through changing seasons both literal and metaphysical. Steeped in melancholy and vibrant with poetic introspection, the album explores the fragile beauty of human connection, the silent pain of change, and the elusive path to self-realisation. While listening to the album you realise that Wynne and Arrault are the two most important people on this album with their vocal and guitar contributions. They also wrote all the music together and did the arrangements They also perform Firelighters as a duo with Alex on vocals and Joël on guitar. The other two Kalifornia and Venrie are in the role to accompany them as a rhythm section and to get on stage with them as a band to perform their songs with a complete line up. The keyboard parts are not really important in the whole sound of the band. They have an accompanying role. The ten compositions most of the time sound rather relaxing but don't have a real seventies feeling in terms that you might compare them to the big acts of that era. I don't hear the influences of Pink Floyd, Genesis, Emerson, Lake & Palmer or Yes for example. The major progressive rock acts of the 70s. However if they are referring to the more folk bands of that era you might say they have been inspired by bands such as Fairport Convention and Steeleye Span. Also the ambient harmonies feeling isn't there. Normally the ambient harmonies refers to the rich, atmospheric sonic textures in ambient music, which prioritize sound and mood over traditional melody and rhythm. These harmonies are often created through slow, flowing chord progressions, layered synthesizers, and ambient noise, producing a relaxing and immersive soundscape for activities like relaxation, meditation, or concentration. I can't hear that at all. Maybe they were referring to something else I just mentioned. All this doesn't mean the album isn't a pleasant listen. Not at all. If you like your songs not too complex and more orientated on vocal and guitar parts Quiver is there for you to discover. But for those who like progressive rock with different time signatures, a lot of keyboard sounds with a lot of synthesizer solos you can skip this album. I will not go through all the songs separately but will mention my favourites and therefore the musical highlights on this album. First of all the strong opener Spring Will Come, which inspired me to get deeper into this new act. It has strong guitar riffs and a excellent guitar solo. On Spark, which evokes human connection, you can enjoy nice organ parts and therefore one of my favourites too. Into The Unknown is also a nice tune with both mellow and up tempo parts. Here the you can hear for the first time Toyah Wilcox kind of vocal parts. Tyger Tyger is also a rather strong composition on which the group reinterprets the famous poem by William Blake in a rock register. It contains a nice guitar solo and once again the Toyah kind of vocal parts are notable. The rather short Send A Sign got my interest as well because of the nice lap steel type of guitar parts. Vicious Circles is more up tempo with a nice melody and therefore probably one of the musical highlights on this album together with the final track My Time Will Come. You might call this piece of music the most complex song of the entire album. And therefore coming closest into the direction of progressive rock. All in all I can conclude that Firelighters made with Quiver a pleasant debut album. An album which is not too complex and easy to digest. An album which contains songs which are friendly sounding which have a poppy kind of folkrock sound. I am curious what the future has in store for them. Hopefully they will get a more progressive rock sound which includes more keyboards. Therefore I hope that they will add a keyboard player to their line up. But for know: thumbs up for their debut! *** Henri Strik (edited by Tracy van Os van den Abeelen) Where to buy? |
