Review – Comedy Of Errors – Threnody For A Dead Queen

Hot on the heels of the wonderful ‘Time Machine’, Scottish prog mainstays Comedy Of Errors return with ‘Threnody For A Dead Queen’. I was intrigued as to whether the band had most of these songs already in the bag as it’s less than a year since the release of the aforementioned ‘Time Machine’.

I asked main songwriter and keyboard guru Jim Johnstone and this was his reply;

“Usually the songs appear at least a year after being written( often more). I have a reservoir of themes, motifs and scraps built up over many years as well as more recent new material. Sometimes in the moment the planets align and the idea comes. I use everything most relevant and appropriate and reject others and feverishly develop these ideas.

In this album musical ideas appear and recur in different forms across the album as is appropriate to the concept as a whole. The band members all contribute to the arrangement and individuality of the parts in the creation of something hopefully unique.”

The album immediately grabs you with it’s superb artwork and Jim explained more about that too:

“Up to the previous album I worked with Steve Moffit who did the graphics for the ideas I had for the cover. After Steve passed away, Hew Montgomery took over half way through the last album and for all of this album. Both were extremely patient in translating the ideas for the cover and all the subsequent tweaks ! The cover is important as far as meaning and relevance to the songs/concept. It is never something arbitrary.”

The album is made up of three extended tracks, ‘epics’ if you like and then some shorter linking pieces and opens with the first two of the longer pieces. The wonderfully evocative Summer Lies Beyond opens with an ethereal, languid instrumental session of shimmering music before Jim’s harpsichord like keyboard blends in with some hushed vocals. Comedy Of Errors have always had a unique sound and you this album is nothing different, although this song seems to be more wistful and nostalgic in feel. It builds in a genuinely fascinating fashion as Mark Spalding’s gorgeous guitar and Joe Cairney’s distinctive vocal join the proceedings. A classic Comedy Of Errors epic is always a musical journey of reflection and this track is no different. There is a more laid back feel running throughout which makes for a very reflective listening experience as this beautiful track meanders through your psyche like a stream descending from the mountains and through the wooded vales.

The Seventh Seal is another lengthy musical odyssey but this is more in keeping with the fast paced, up beat music that many Comedy of Errors fans will be accustomed to. Bruce Levick’s dynamic drums, John (the Funk) Fitzgerald’s vibrant bass bass and Jim’s spiralling keyboards combine with the elegant guitar to give an effusive, energetic vibe to the music and , again, a track that could only come from Comedy Of Error’s extensive canon. Joe’s vocal is very precise and descriptive and adds the required authoritarian tone to this rather excellent piece of music. You can’t pigeonhole this unique band but if you imagine Scottish neo-prog combined with a bit of folk and an almost medieval edge then you’d be on the right track, I think! And another shout out to Mark Spalding whose guitar playing on this track is just incredible!

I also asked Jim about the concept/ story behind the album and this is what he said;

“The reasons behind the story are very personal. In the detail they will remain so. However generally speaking there were certainly other influences which were significant. The 14th century anonymous poem ‘Pearl’ ( although not quoted on the album), and fifties film ‘The Seventh Seal’ were major influences for the ideas I wanted to convey.

As the concept for the whole album grew it seemed that ‘Death’ would be the underlying factor. Not just the pain and grief of it but how we can triumph over it, not just in life, but beyond.”

So, there you go, very mysterious and intriguing and also, very good indeed, this album is begin to look like it could be one of the band’s very best.

We then come to a section of three of the very short (well, when you’re talking prog they are!) pieces that are almost like an interlude. We Are Such As Dreams Are Made Of is a contemplative and thoughtful instrumental that is soothing for the soul and rather upbeat and optimistic in its outlook. Jane (Came Out Of The Blue) is like a Mike Oldfield track (think Moonlight Shadow) delivered with the band’s typical Caledonian burr. A graceful track that has warmth and spirit deep in its soul. Another exquisite instrumental, Through The Veil has a more melancholy feel, a delicate sparseness and gossamer like fragility that bleeds emotion and empathy.

Title track Threnody For A Dead Queen is another long piece where the band show, once again, they are masters of the intricacies of progressive rock. Anyone can write a twelve minute prog track but not everyone can write a song of that length that can hold your attention throughout as it plays through its varying stages, ebbing and flowing from the delicate and entwined through to the emotive and passionate. This absorbing track blends elements of the Canterbury scene with 70’s Genesis and early Krautrock to give a mind-expanding soundscape that is hypnotic, mesmerising and very soothing. As we near the end of this cosmic song Mark’s stirring guitar heralds the entrance of Joe’s powerful and uplifting vocal to take us to a rather ardent and poignant close underpinned by a rather impressive guitar solo.

The album finishes with another two shorter pieces, And Our Little Life Is Rounded With A Sleep has a somber and pensive feeling throughout, a yearning and feeling of loss deep at its core and Funeral Dance closes out the album on a more upbeat note with its 80’s neo-prog underpinnings and heraldic feel to the keyboards, like a Scottish jig updated for the modern age and a rather good one at that!

‘Threnody For A Dead Queen’ is Comedy Of Errors at their very, very best, the music builds, almost as if alive, it has moods and emotions and captivates from the very first note. This band just get better and better with each wonderful album they create and, without exception, this release is up there with the very best of the year so far. Hell, in my opinion, it is Comedy Of Errors’ best yet, their Magnum Opus if you like and you should just go out and buy it!

Released 2nd June, 2023.

Order the CD direct from the band here:

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Order the mp3 from bandcamp here:

Threnody For A Dead Queen | Comedy Of Errors (bandcamp.com)

Review – Comedy of Errors – Time Machine

From Glasgow Scotland, Comedy of Errors are a progressive rock band playing in their own distinctive style. They have a notable live presence dating back to the 1980s and were contemporaries of bands like Marillion and IQ, but for some unknown reason never released an album until they reformed in 2010. Since 2010’s ‘Disobey’, the band have released three further long players before a five year hiatus until 2022’s ‘Time Machine’.

The one thing that I have always loved about this band is, despite obvious nods to the bands of the so-called ‘Neo-Prog’ era, they have resolutely ploughed their own furrow, resulting in a distinct sound that could only emanate from these talented Scotsmen. It is definitely progressive rock but it is Comedy of Errors‘ take on that music and has produced such gems as 2015’s ‘Spirit’ and 2017’s ‘House of the Mind’.

So, after five years, it’s been a welcome return from this reviewer’s point of view and a rather splendid one too! This new release is chock full of the intelligent songwriting and stellar musicianship that always graces a Comedy of Errors release, soaring chords, immaculate guitar playing, effortless keyboards and dynamic drums, all backed by Joe Cairney’s always fine vocal performance.

Leading the fanfare this time is the flawless keyboard playing of Jim Johnstone, who also wrote all the music and lyrics on the album. Opener The Knight Returns, which has its origins in a track written in the 80’s, is a rollicking prog ride into medieval times, almost a musical gallop if you like. You can feel it’s 80’s roots but they’re brought bang up to date by Johnstone’s songwriting prowess and the superb guitar work of Sam McCulloch and Mark Spalding is a delight, as it is throughout this enjoyable romp. As album openers go, it certainly gets you in the mood for what is to come! Lost Demigods has nods to musical greats throughout (not all from recent centuries either!) and references a lot of Johnstone’s heroes, Isaac Newton, Galileo, Leonardo Da Vinci, Shakespeare and more. The song definitely heads in to the more popular music side of progressive rock but is none the worse for it with its fast tempo and Joe’s great vocals (sounds to me like he’s loving it actually!).

The band’s serious side is shown on the epic and outstanding Wonderland, a treatise on the rise and fall of the supposedly most powerful nation on the planet, America. Social and political commentary have rarely been delivered in such an impeccable fashion in the music industry and it’s a testament to a songwriter and band at the height of their powers. A brooding masterpiece of a song that ramps up the tension note by note and word by word and is sure to be a live highlight of the band’s upcoming shows. The cacophonous crash of keyboards, guitars and drums and Joe’s intense, solemn vocals tell the damning tale perfectly. I always love an instrumental on a progressive album and Comedy of Errors don’t let me down with the wistful, whimsical wonder of The Past Of Future Days, grounded on John Fizgerald’s elegant bass playing. A glorious showcase for keys and guitar, this track will definitely leave you smiling.

The main album closes with the heart wrenching but beautiful lament of title track Time Machine, a plaintive ode to loss and regret that is underpinned initially by a gentle piano and Joe’s forlorn vocal. This elegantly mournful song continues to build patiently as it gets under your skin and begins to take hold of your emotions, the basic premise seeming to be about building a time machine to see those we have lost once more. It’s full of a painfully stirring, melancholic spirit but is so wonderfully performed that it really touches your soul. Not ones to quit while ahead, we are then treated to a dynamic and brilliant live version of the band’s classic track Disobey, recorded live at their 2016 performance from RosFest. While the song doesn’t fit with the main album proper, it is a worthy addition and a reminder of Comedy of Errors‘ dominating stage presence.

After a long five year absence, ‘Time Machine’ is a fine return from one of progressive rock’s premier artists and an album that I am constantly revisiting. Cementing Comedy of Errors‘ status as one of the foremost artists in the genre, it is sure to be one of 2022’s most welcome releases.

Released 23rd September, 2022.

Order from the band here:

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Review – Comedy of Errors – House Of The Mind – by Progradar

Scottish progressive stalwarts Comedy of Errors followed up 2015’s ‘Spirit’ with new release ‘House Of The Mind’. I was a big fan of ‘Spirit’ so was really looking forward to this latest chapter in their musical history.

I love it when a band just seems to get better and better, maturing with every new record they produce and not treading water, resting on their laurels and past glories. Comedy of Errors follow this mantra perfectly, every time they release a new album it has progressed (see what I did there?) from the previous records and added something more to their varied portfolio.

The new album opens with Tachyon, a song that majors more on the electronic side of music and has a superb beat and melody. The vocals are subtle and subdued and work perfectly with the energy and insistence of the synthesiser and rhythm section with the drums being particularly impressive. it gives a whole nostalgic 80’s feel to the track and is a great opening to the record.

The second, and title, track is the first of two longer tracks on the release. House Of The Mind has everything you’d expect from an epic track, an inventive and evocative introduction sets the scene for a well constructed piece of music that takes the listener on an involving musical journey. The song draws you in with its understated keyboards and measured drums and bass and you find yourself waiting on every note. Again the vocals just add to the atmosphere without having to be the focus of attention. Comedy of Errors have perfected their sound to such a position where you know it is them from the first note, influences are clear but the band make their own statement with great songs like this.

A Moment’s Peace is exactly as it sounds, a song that transports you to a place of calm serenity with an elegant acoustic guitar being the superb focus of what is an utterly ethereal piece of music. Wistful and understated in equal measure, it is an instrumental that you can tell has been lovingly created. There’s a nostalgic, thoughtful atmosphere that pervades every note, it truly is a delightful track.

There’s a troubadour, medieval feel to One Fine Day, a song that, perhaps, does land itself right in the middle of Neo-prog territory and it’s all the better for it. Running at just under three minutes it’s not a long track at all but certainly makes its presence felt with a great piece of guitar work and some grand sounding vocals.

The last new track on the album is the rather extravagant sounding Song Of Wandering Jacomus and is the second ‘epic’ on the album. It’s a fantastic song and one where the band’s exemplary songwriting skills really come to the fore. Epic by name, epic by nature, it gives the music fan everything they need from a track of this nature. The extended introduction is really quite profound and sets the scene perfectly before there’s a lull in proceedings and the tension is ramped up. There’s a fantasy feel to the song, a whimsical, playful lightheartedness that gives it a real feel-good aura. The vocals are refined and the music is sublime and yet, at times, has real substance, especially on the extended guitar break that just leaves you smiling. It’s a track you will return to again and again.

The last track is a re-arranged and recorded version of Ever Be The Prize, the first ever Comedy of Errors recording as a demo in 1985 and it really makes the hairs stand up on the back of your neck as you are transported back to that decade where Neo-prog was born and first flourished. Keyboard heavy with some powerful guitars and a great drum sound, it has dated very well and the new arrangement has given it anew lease of life. It is actually good to able to compare the early song with the latest to see how the band have matured and developed over the years.

‘House Of The Mind’ sees Comedy of Errors on top form once again. A talented set of songwriters and highly accomplished musicians, they infuse every song with verve and flair to give us another superb album that will be on many Best of 2017 lists. I can’t wait to see them live at A Prog Before Christmas in December.

Released 16th June 2017

Buy ‘House Of The Mind’ direct from the band here

 

 

 

Review – Comedy of Errors – Spirit – by Progradar

CoE Spirit

“Human spirit is the ability to face the uncertainty of the future with curiosity and optimism. It is the belief that problems can be solved, differences resolved. It is a type of confidence. And it is fragile. It can be blackened by fear, and superstition….” – Bernard Beckett.

“It’s not so much the journey that’s important; as is the way that we treat those we encounter and those around us, along the way.” – Jeremy Aldana.

To me, the beauty of music is the way it can tell a story, heartwarming or heartbreaking, it doesn’t matter. The best albums take you on a musical and spiritual journey, one that will, hopefully, leave you in a better place than when you started.

The journey isn’t always easy, there will be highs and lows, moments of sheer ecstasy and moments of utter despair. It is becoming a rare ability to write and perform songs that can move you emotionally and make a difference to your life and I spend most of my days searching for that scarce and rarefied commodity.

Recently I was the lucky recipient of the latest album from the esteemed Scottish progressive band Comedy of Errors and it promised to be one of those rare beasts, a work of music that would be challenging yet profound and, ultimately, life affirming.

‘Spirit’ is the band’s most musically ambitious album so far, representing a major step forward in the band’s development, dealing with themes of grief, loss and ultimately, hope. The cornerstone of the album is a 45 minute unbroken piece taking the form of an emotional journey at once personal and universal, despairing and uplifting.

Live

After a long absence from the scene, Comedy of Errors re-formed in 2010 and have been busy increasing their profile since then through gigging at venues in the UK and Europe and appearing on the bill at several UK prog festivals. They are excited and delighted to add the United States to the growing list following an invitation from the organizers to play at Rosfest 2016.

They have also released 3 albums during that time, their first album effectively being ‘Disobey’ (2011) followed by ‘Fanfare and Fantasy’ (2013) and their most recent album ‘Spirit’ released in October 2015.

Based near Glasgow, Scotland, Comedy of Errors are Joe Cairney (Vocals), John Fitzgerald (Bass), Bruce Levick (Drums), Jim Johnston (Keyboards), Sam McCulloch (Guitar) and Mark Spalding (Guitar).

Joe, Jim and Mark were in a former incarnation of the band some years ago where they gigged extensively and released various demos during that period. When they disbanded Jim kept on working on revising songs and writing new music before getting the band back together in 2010.

Piano

The main track, Spirit, has been divided into multiple tracks but, as the CD booklet says:

“…..these divisions and titles are arbitrary; the ‘song’ is in fact one long single unbroken piece of music best listened to in its entirety from beginning to end.”

For the sake of the review I am going to follow the band’s ‘arbitrary’ subdivisions….

You’re God and You let me down, My grief lies all within….

The opening to My Grief Lies All Within is almost revelatory, the keyboards waking you from a stupor before the rest of the band arrive with a cacophony of guitar heavy staccato notes. There then follows a more pensive section, thought provoking, before Joe’s immediately recognisable vocal takes up the tale. The track takes on a choral feel with the harmonies and organ like keyboards, the bass and drums delivering an even handed tempo. Emotive and stirring, Joe Cairney’s voice is the centrepiece around which everything is grounded. There seems a sadness deep at the core of this powerful song, a poignancy that pervades the melancholy guitar solo that runs out the track.

Playing with our hopes we bow to you, in helpless, hapless, hopeless despair….

There is a seamless segue into Infinite Wisdom which is a fast paced, almost frenetic two minutes of sceptical hell or no notion. An anger consumes the vocal and gives a slightly menacing feel to the whole track.

Spirit shines, Undiminished, Like a flower, Gentle, unbreakable….

This quite unique musical experience continues with Spirit Shines/Spirit, a slow burning build up leaving tendrils of warmth enveloping your very soul. There follows an uplifting, feel-good piece of music with a repeated vocal motif that just really ‘gets’ you emotionally and I feel the tears welling up, tears of joy and happiness, as if a great weight has been lifted from your shoulders. Joe’s vocal delivers empathy and succour in equal measure, his compassion and the delicate piano note lift you up and leave your very being re-born.

Tension…….tightening, Frightening……dread….

Uncertainty is the overwhelming mood that is imparted at the beginning of Can This Be Happening/Timeless, anxiety and concern leech from the song. The music is measured one minute and hectic and unsure the next. A maelstrom attacks your aural senses leaving you misdirected and momentary lost, all the moods and emotions imparted by the excellence of the musicians and conducted by Joe’s commanding, theatrical delivery.

We gather together in darkness, While endlessly waiting for answers…

The questions continue with In Darkness Let Me Dwell, we seek the answer to the eternal question of a greater being. A dominating bass line runs throughout this compelling track. Joe’s vocal is both questing and demanding. A profound, complex and intricate song and one that leaves more questions than answers….

Abstract

Destroyer of Angels, On the wind of your breath, you deal out disaster, Destruction and death.

A reverie of angelic voices opens I Call And Cry To Thee, leaving you somewhat in rapture, a timely pause to allow your soul and senses to catch up with you. A solemnity surrounds everything, a contemplative yet austere tone that is carelessly tossed aside by the compelling, hard-edged riff that overtakes everything, like a musical tsunami. Joe Cairney’s challenging vocal then takes over, still demanding of the heavenly entity, leaving a melancholia surrounding proceedings.

Set your spirit free….

A calm reflectiveness descends as Set Your Spirit Free/Goodbye My Love Until We Meet Again begins. An ethereal, wistful instrumental that plucks at the heart strings with a feeling of letting go, a finality of slightly sorrowful bereavement.

Spirit shines, like a flower, Gentle, unbreakable.

A very moving introduction, fateful and momentous holds your attention as Ascension/Et Resurrexit/Auferstehen – Arise In Love Sublime, Arise – Spirit builds into something utterly sublime, The organ note from the keyboards transfixes you with its celestial grace and then Joe repeats the refrain from Spirit Shines, inspirational and incredibly moving. A spiritual and refined experience that fills your heart with love and compassion.

Rise again, oh rise again in everlasting love…..

Another perfect transition and Into The Light continues the uplifting atmosphere. The transition from despair, grief and loss to hope and joy is nearly complete. The vocals lead us with the realisation that we shouldn’t question the greater powers, where there is death, there will always be love and happiness, our is not to reason why. The joyous music is an outpouring of both grief and delight and lifts up your soul to greater heights.

The Time and distance disappear, beyond the rooftops twilight urban glow..

The final segment of this epic journey is Above The Hills and is as full of hope and longing as the earlier tracks were of anguish and despondency. Joe’s mercurial voice leads the whole band in a jubilant celebration of life and of death. A nostalgic note creeps into his voice, a hint of sadness but with a thoughtful edge. The culmination of an eventful journey though life, love, despair and happiness, that these superb musicians can impart this whole gamut of emotions through their music is testament to their songwriting skill and musicianship.

Aubitt

Part 2 ‘Epilogue

This Is How It Has To Be is a brilliant instrumental where the skills of the musicians come to the fore. The drums and bass provide the backbone on which the rest of the instruments can rely. A demonstrative guitar guides you through the rest of the track, ably abetted by the delightful keyboards. A reflective musical trip that really gets you thinking, the change into a Mike Oldfield style second half is clever and gives the song a second lease of life. A livelier, shanty style that really gets your foot tapping, quite ingenious.

The closing track on this particular copy is the Spirit (single) and it is a worthy addition to the album bringing back all sorts of emotions as you hear Joe singing that fantastic refrain once more, a quite sublime song with a superb guitar solo.

Do you believe music has soul? I do and, when it is as deeply involving and emotionally uplifting (and draining to be honest!) as this, it becomes life affirming in many ways. All the songs were written by Jim Johnston but I’m sure even he would agree that they are given life by the whole of Comedy of Errors. A contender for album of the year and one that should be gracing everybody’s music collection, just brilliant.

Released 20th October 2015

Buy Spirit direct from the band