Hands, the seminal progressive rock band from Texas are back, twenty five winters (years) after their first official album was released. In fact I was planning a Forgotten Sons article of this band whose material has been released in its entirety by Shroom Productions. This reunion album has been in the making these last few years with the collaboration of Rex Bozarth (bass, vocals), Michael Clay (piano, synthesizers, guitars), Martin McCall (drums), Mark Menikos (violin, vocals) and Ernie Myers (vocals, guitars).
Though so many years have passed since this group last graced the stage, the band still play a very similar style to what they used to churn out in the seventies. Though there are some definitive classical progressive influences, the band still betrays the fact that they are a Texas band, and possibly that is the main distinguishing factor that Hands possess. The origins of this band lies in groups such as Aurora, Ibis and Prism, whose music had a definitive jazz-fusion flavour. However with Hands the band seem to have moved towards a more rock orientated direction with a number of diverse influences ranging from Gentle Giant to the more folk sounding Strawbs.
A deciding factor in the stamping of their own individual identity is the sound of Mark Menikos' violin which enables the creation of a sound unique to only a distinctive number of progressive rock bands. The opening Knock/Enter as well as Walls possess a very American country rock sound, which highlights the Texas birthmark, though one must not be misled by this statement as the band have such a staggering of features that one just cannot simply categorise them. The structuring of the vocals as well as the shifts in time signature make the band sound like a folkier version of groups such as King Crimson, Gentle Giant and Anekdoten.
Green Room is the first of three instrumental tracks on the album and is the first track that has a definite rock orientation. The change is rather radical as the band adopts an approach that could be compared more to Porcupine Tree in atmosphere, than most other bands that Hands have been previously compared to. The short I Laughed Aloud and Zambierach complete the trio of instrumentals. Whereas I Laughed Aloud is a simple duet between piano and violin, Zambierach brings out the jazz-fusion element that remains at the root of the band's musical influences. Some could mention groups like Brand X as possible references, especially due to the great bass work that this track has.
Dance Of Light And Darkness reintroduces that Strawbs folk element into the music with structuring on a par with the legendary Yes, yet the highlight of the album is surely the album's epic track, Leaving, which in itself is subdivided into four parts. The track opens with a moving and musical styled Song Of Summer to then move into the acoustic Vigil For One which reminds me of the psychedelic folk musicians from the sixties such as Al Stewart (in his early days) and Fairport Convention. The Traveler's Lament is a very stark contrast to the melancholy of Vigil For One with some impressive powerful guitar work, and some obvious Frippian/King Crimson influences. The track comes to a close with Above And Below which sees the music return to a similar style with which Leaving had started off initially.
Having heard the previous works of Hands, I must admit to having been surprised at what this album offered in terms of style. It seems that with the passing of time the band has mellowed out slightly, allowing their music to become much more accessible and dare I say it, commercial. Notwithstanding all this, the band still manage to come up with a most excellent album that should prove popular to most fans of progressive rock music. I just hope that not too many winters have to pass before the next Hands album!
Conclusion: 8 out of 10.
Nigel Camilleri
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Originally Posted by Digital_Man
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