Mostly Autumn
Passengers
Review by Josh Turner
Mostly Autumn is billed as the new Pink Floyd. The new Pink Floyd might arguably be RPWL, but there is still some truth to this statement. Yet, to say Mostly Autumn is nothing more than derivative would be extremely unfair. They are so much more. The band offers a fresh twist on Pink Floyd, and they incorporate many new ideas of their own. Aspects of their music certainly sound like Pink Floyd, especially in the lush keyboards laid down by Iain Jennings or the Gilmore-like guitar playing by Bryan Josh. There is definitely a Pink Floyd influence going on here. However, there are vast differences as well.
Their lead singer, Heather Findley, has an adorably angelic voice. It is so stellar and stunning that Arjen Lucassen brought her into the fold of his Human Equation project. She didn't squander the opportunity and actually wound up being the surprise hit of Arjen's album. Unless somebody knows something that I don't know, Pink Floyd never had a female vocalist and Mostly Autumn actually has two. Angela Goldthorpe sings the backing vocals and even contributes flutes and recorders. You'd be hard-pressed to find her voice or her instruments in a Pink Floyd mix. Liam Davison provides additional guitars, Andy Smith plays the bass, and Jonathon Blackmore is on drums. With such a complete cast, it is even more of a surprise to find Iona's Troy Donockley, Threshold alumni Damian Wilson, cellist Marissa Claughan, and violinist Chris Leslie on many of the tracks. All these contributions result in a sound with both breadth and depth.
This review is available in book format (hardcover and paperback) in Music Street Journal: 2004 Year Book Volume 1 at https://garyhillauthor.com/Music-Street-Journal-2003-and-2004/.
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