It isn't uncommon for bands to become popular with a particular sound, and then deviate from that sound. In fact it's quite the opposite, it's incredibly common. Bands and artists from all genres are constantly trying out new things and modifying their approach to writing music, not just to appeal to a new audience, but to continue to challenge themselves and keep things exciting for them, the artist. Bring Me The Horizon began as floppy haired deathcore upstarts, now they sell out stadiums with enormous metal tinged pop bangers and slightly less floppy haircuts. Senses Fail used to be one of the centrepieces at the Emo dinner table, now they're an angry pissed off hardcore band throwing all the food at your nan. Taylor Swift used to be an incredibly popular country artist, now she's an incredibly popular pop artist. Everybody changes. But few do it with the same grace, sophistication and smoothness that The Contortionist have demonstrated. If you listen to their debut album
Exoplanet and their brand spanking new release
Clairvoyant, you wouldn't be judged for thinking that they've been written by two completely different bands. However, if you listen to their entire back catalogue in order, you arrive at the new release completely understanding and appreciating the transition. It makes sense. Coming off the back of
Language, I had very high hopes for this record. Language, in my opinion, was almost a perfect album. It transcended beyond any prog records I'd heard before it, and I would find myself getting completely lost in it, listen after listen. That album cemented The Contortionist not just as one of my favourite bands in the genre, but as one of my favourites of all time. The arrival of
Clairvoyant couldn't have come sooner. I've been hungry for more material for a long time. I'm not hungry any more.
As soon as the eerie tones of "Monochrome (Passive)" begin to creep in, I could tell something big was about to happen. And it did. Almost out of nowhere I was greeted by a wall of tone, enormous chord strums left to ring out while the drums pound out in the background. Slowly but surely, it moved towards a much lighter place with gently plucked guitar notes, an almost choir like synth, piano, adding more and more layers, forever progressing. Their command of dynamics and use of rises and falls in their music has never been more precise, and it kept me on the edge of me seat the entire listen. This first track is instrumental, meaning we still haven't heard anything from Michael Lessard (vocals), but boy did that wet my appetite. Without warning, it bursts into "Godspeed", kicking things off with a high tempo drum beat thundering behind distorted yet clear guitar and a huge bass tone. Head already banging, I'm prepared for what's to follow. And then, the verse. Enter Lessard. His voice is unlike anyone elses in prog today. The tone of his voice is warm, slightly gravelly, soft, yet powerful. The control he has over his voice and his range are second to none. His note choices are intelligent, unpredictable, haunting, and yet remain catchy and memorable. His voice flutters over the top of the verses and choruses and acts like it's own instrument, putting another melodic brush to the canvas. The end section of this song explodes into an enormous soundscape, boasting a tremolo solo, synth, syncopated guitar and bass stabs, before coming to an abrupt stop. Right at the beginning of the album, 2 songs in, and this is already becoming something special. Both songs are completely different, yet so fitting together, flowing perfectly into each other, and grabbing my attention. Demanding I listen on. A couple of tracks later is title track "Clairvoyant", and this is my favourite on the album without doubt. For one reason. I am going to refer to that reason as THAT RIFF. I mean don't get me wrong, the entire song as whole is incredible, which adds to the effect. Musically it weaves in and out of the dark and into serene soaring melodies, but when it hits THAT RIFF you can't ignore it or dispute it's brilliance. It is so simple yet so full of impact. A headbang riff if I ever heard one. Don't me wrong, the whole song is a rollercoaster ride of feelings, atmospheric soundscapes and dynamics, but the fact that it all revolves around THAT RIFF makes this track completely stand out from the rest.
The two singles off this album, "Reimagined' and "Return To The Earth" boast what are arguably the biggest vocal and musical hooks on the album. The chorus of the former is immediately memorable, with Lessard's voice helping you sink into the flow of the song. You could even say it helps you to sink in the EBB AND FLOW. No? Oh. Erm. Go and listen to Language and then read that again, it'll make more sense. Anyway, back to "Reimagined". It's probably the most commercial song on the album, and follows the most traditional song structure, but this isn't a bad thing in any way. The song proves their songwriting prowess. It shows that prog bands CAN write catchy songs. Who'd have thought? "Return To The Earth" is far more prog, but still follows that verse chorus formula akin to more mainstream music. It just doesn't deviate from their style of delivery. It drifts through mellow tones and relaxed atmospheric sounds. It hammers through a barrage of gigantic chords and pummelling drums. It sports mesmerising melodies and vocal lines, all the while maintaining a haunting feel and an underlying sense of unease. If you heard both of these singles and weren't excited for the album, you must have heard something completely different to me. Perfectly executed, both of them. They also released the track "Absolve" on the run up to the release, displaying a more laid back approach to their song writing than they'd previously shown. The beginning of the song sounds completely different to anything they've done before, but it grows into something that you recognise. Musically clever, introducing instruments, stripping them from the mix, reintroducing them, changing the feel. It's constantly evolving, yet remains familiar. Speaking of musically clever, though, album closer "Monochrome (Pensive)" is a highlight of the entire album and a real masterpiece. It is a perfect close to the album. Featuring musical elements from the tracks that have preceded it, yet managing to create its own feel and atmosphere. It's essentially a recap of the album that slowly moulds into something that stands alone, soaring into a vast musical landscape full of tasteful guitar licks, epic synth parts and an ever developing rhythm section before the sun sets on the exact same eerie tones of the albums first track. It's almost perfect. Maybe it is perfect.
Clairvoyant is quite possibly The Contortionist's best album. They are treading a far softer path than the one they began to tread 10 years ago, as this album contains no aggressive vocals whatsoever, but it is by no means a bad path. In fact, it might just be the path they were meant to head down. The right path. The way it weaves in and out of each track is beyond impressive. Start to finish, the story that this album tells is one that you want to hear over, and over, and over. It's almost poetic, especially in regards to the vocals and their delivery, portraying elements of pain and heartbreak via some simply stunning melody lines. The tracks do stand alone, but I highly recommend listening in it's entirety to properly get the feel for what they're created. Very few bands can weave songs together like this. This is quite simply a masterclass in how to write a prog album.
The album was released on September 15th. It's available everywhere. Don't ignore this album. If you love prog, you can't ignore this album. If you've never listened to much prog, this album may well be your gateway to more. The Contortionist are at the very top of their game right now, and they've firmly set the bar very high for the albums that follow. An incredibly strong contender for album of the year.
D.S
x
