Labelling themselves as a cinematic rock band, Blackpool’s blanket (always a lower case ‘b’ apparently) release their debut, full-length album entitled How To Let Go. They’ve been together since 2016 and have a previous EP to their name but, now signed to a major record label (Music For Nations) they should gain more exposure. The band is Bobby Pook guitar/keys/vocalist, bass player Matthew Sheldon, Simon Morgan on guitar and Steven Pellaff on drums, they describe this album as “an exploration of imagination, wonder and the human spirit, designed to uplift, enchant and provide a beatific escape from an often harsh and confounding reality”.
So far, so Prog, but how does it measure up against their fellow proggers and the bands (such as Caspian, Sigur Ros, and similar) who are their stated influences? Easy answer… it not only measures up, it quite often surpasses other bands in this field.
Taken as a whole this is an album of unpredictable soundscapes which, despite being mostly bereft of vocals, draws the listener in. At times, a lonely piano will have you reflecting and then a heavy rock guitar progression will turn that introspection into an air guitar maniac. It is so varied that, contrary to many albums of this ilk, it’s actually worth listening to all of the way through. The brief phased vocals on ‘World’s Collide’ do jar to me but the rest of it is a rock song with a cinematic (oh, that’s what they mean!) feel to it. It also has a superb bass line running behind the main theme, which I adored.
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To celebrate the album’s release, the band have revealed the full version of their documentary ‘Fragments of a Dream’, a short film about their northern hometown shot and sound-tracked entirely by the band themselves.
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‘Let The Sleepers Awake’ has too much of The Edge feel to the guitar for me (I agree with Bill Bailey on his abilities!) but it still an expansive piece that, like most tracks soon, locks you in.
Best of the bunch is the title track, ‘How to Let Go’, which starts with a delicate piano piece with slow, careful guitar chords before it eventually let’s rip with a great rock guitar phrasing – 4 plus minutes of escapism where your mind can interpret the music as anything you like.
Throughout, you are left in no doubt as to the skills of each member of this remarkable band. It is nowhere near the normal stuff on my iPod, but it will not be erased; somehow, the clever construction and the dextrous execution kept and keeps me hooked.
