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David Cross and Andrew Keeling October Is Marigold Review by Gary Hill You can always count on David Cross to deliver great music. This album is no exception. Cross handles the violin based instrumentation here. His partner in musical endeavors here, Andrew Keeling, handles keyboards flute and guitar. While this is generally not what I'd consider rock music, it fits under prog as art music, and due to Cross being here. However you categorize it, this is very strong music, and it's quite entertaining. This review is available in book (paperback and hardcover) form in Music Street Journal: 2022 Volume 1. More information and purchase links can be found at: garyhillauthor.com/Music-Street-Journal-2022.

Track by Track Review

Marigold 1 Piano is at the heart of the number as it gets started. The cut works out gradually in sedate and pretty ways as it continues and the violin joins.

Kingfisher This is pretty and quite soaring at times. It does feel a bit like a Kingfisher.

October is Marigold There is a majesty and sort of a processional feeling to this. Yet it also has some more of that soaring element. I love the sort of rising theme that comes in further down the musical road.

Strong as a Mountain Lion There is a section of this that makes me think of "Flight of the Bumblebee" to some degree. The cut has quite a bit of classical music in the mix, but overall is more artsy instrumental stuff. It even wanders toward space music at times.

Marigold 2 The violin on this song seems particularly evocative and expressive. I like the piano that holds the whole piece together by providing the structure on which the violin seems to glide and dance.

Ever Nearer Dramatic and powerful, this has some real energy and groove, while not rising quite to the level of rocking. It's artistic and also visceral.

Marigold 3 The piano that starts this seems directly tied to that on the album's first number. This grows outward in different directions than that one, but it's no less effective or compelling.

The Spiking Darts that were Trees A mellower sound brings this in with a real echoey space music texture. It really drives upward to more powerful and louder music as it continues. This gets pretty crazed and has a little bit of an ominous, perhaps even frightening feeling to it at points.

The Dark Edge of Desire and Marigold 4 I love the tones and atmospheres of this piece. It is ethereal and yet still has substance. This might be my favorite piece here, but it's hard to make that call given the competition. It closes with the final segment of "Marigold" bringing a more melodic and pretty sound as it does.

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