Reviews
MANNING - "ANSER'S TREE"
BY DR BARRIE SILLARS (AMAZON)
I have posted this to Amazon, but as it may take a
while to get put on there I wanted to include it here as I think it is so good
it warrants as much exposure as possible.
One thing I did forget to mention was Ed Unitsky's gorgeous
artwork. Always a joy to see Ed's artwork as it really adds
another dimension to the listening experience. The work he has done for
Guy and The Tangent is quite exceptional!
Barely a year since his last opus, Guy brings
us another first class collection to revel in. Amazingly he has upped the ante
yet again. “Anser’s Tree” is surely his most complex work yet, both musically
and thematically. Seven songs linked genealogically, each concerning characters
inhabiting certain periods of time over a 500 year period. Though the songs
easily work in isolation, Guy’s ability to weave vivid tales has always been a
trademark of his writing. Here he expands on simple storytelling by linking each
character to portray how elements of the person we are can be traced back to our
antecedents. The premise that there is a genetic flow through our family tree is
a powerful concept, especially as I am presently looking at my own family tree.
But Guy deals with even more than this as the track “Professor Adam Logan
(2001-2094)” looks at the potential consequences of global warming. This is
taken to a speculative conclusion on the final track “Dr. Jonathan Anser
(2089-????)”, where the character strikes a solitary figure in the aftermath of
the planets destruction, trying to find his roots to not only understand
himself, but mankind.
Musically, Guy has dressed his powerful and engrossing narrative in some of his
lushest and compulsive settings and arrangements yet. The opening “Margaret
Montgomery (1581-????)” has a gorgeous folk tinged feel to it, with Stephen
Dundon’s earthy flute really to the fore. Things get a bit more proggy on the
next track, “Jack Roberts (1699-1734)” with lots of excellent Moog courtesy of
Andy Tillison. The sax break by the ever excellent Laura Fowles really brings
this piece to a fantastic conclusion. This may be my favourite piece on the
album. “Joshua Logan (1990-2048)” is wonderfully exuberant with some nice
mellotron washes and scintillating electric guitar playing from David Million.
More mellotron strings are featured on the concluding track “Dr. Jonathan Anser
(2089-????)” adding to the melancholy air of the protagonist’s final journey.
Everything before has led to this moment and the album ends with a militaristic
build up, the saxes squalling into the foreground before fading out into
nothing! A powerful and emotive finale to what for me is an exceptionally
thought provoking and highly distinctive album.
Over the course of eight studio albums, Guy Manning has developed a growing
reputation for producing quality songwriting. He is also a more than able
multi-instrumentalist. For me the last few albums have clearly shown someone at
the top their game, producing work of a standard that is rarely equalled by most
not just working in the prog genre but in rock music in general. “Anser’s Tree”
may be his most significant musical statement yet. In fact I know it is!
