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Galahad - Following Ghosts

Artist:	Galahad
Title:	Following Ghosts
Label:	Avalon RC GHCD6
Length(s):	73 minutes
Year(s) of release:	1998
Month of review:	07/1998

Line up

Stuart Nicholson - vocals, backing vocals, lyrics
Spencer Luckman - drums, percussion
Neil Pepper - bass, programming, samples
Dean Baker - keyboards, programming, samples
Roy Keyworth - guitars
Sarah Quilter - clarinet, backing vocals, flute

Tracks

1)	Myopia	5.00
2)	Imago	5.53
3)	A Short Reflection On Two Past Lives - Part One	3.53
4)	Karma For One	6.23
5)	Perfection Personified	4.51
6)	Bug Eye	13.58
7)	A Short Reflection On Two Past Lives - Part Two	5.52
8)	Ocean Blue	7.13
9)	Rejuvenation	1.59
10)	Easier Said Than Done	4.31
11)	Shine	14.01

Try a sample of the album in MP3 or RealAudio

Summary

Following Sleepers after three years, this is the third studio album of the band (in addition to five other releases). Sarah Quilter now seems to be part of the band.

The music

The opening is not well-chosen. Someone tells us to turn the volume to eleven and I can expect people not wanting to hear this everytime they play the album, so it probably would have been better as a separate opening track. The screamed ELEVEN does nicely go into the drummer hacking away and a bunch of rhythm guitars sawing. The verses are sung much more quietly, so Galahad hasn't gone progmetal in case you wondered. The music is very melodic, accessible and a bit dreamy with frivolous and stringlike keys. The only thing I do not like is the ending line of the chorus. The ballad Imago has soft synths, Spanish guitar and the backing vocals of new member Sarah Quilter. The mood of this track can be compared to Tailspin of Landmarq, although the guitar and drums come out toward the end. Good melodies throughout this track that also has a large Hammond presence. Of a A Short Reflection On Two Past Lives we first get part one. Opening with streaming water, Nicholson sings quite high here. Like the title might indicate this is a lament. Set in the Arabic world, Karma For One is a more adventurous track opening with Arabic sounding ahhs and continuing with a soft verse and a very nice chorus. A new feature is the flute. During the next verse, the keyboards start to make noises, instead of just laying down soft tapestries of sound. Every time a new verse starts something is added. The rhythms might remind some of ambient house. Perfection Personified is a rather accessible track with quite a lot of stringlike passages. A very catchy track and certainly not bad. Bug Eye is the first epic, but it certainly is no epic in the sense you might expect since the house influences (of the right kind, mind you) are certainly present with those typical rhythms, but also very nice and flowing melodies and a good build-up. The keyboards play the leading role here. Flowing is I think the best word to characterize this song. It also makes it less strange that another album will follow this one, called Deconstructing Ghosts, on which a number of people supposedly will remix this album (like has happened to Marillion's TSE). A intruiging strangely soothing track about new life. Part two of the lament, next up, is really a great one. The haunting melody, the emotional lyrical content makes this one to cherish. The use of the cello refers to Beatles/ELO. Ocean Blue seems to be about dolphins. The song, like Bug eye, sounds quite modern and although nice, nothing much seems to happen. After the ethereal Rejuvenation with the clear voice of Sarah Quilter we come to the somewhat mellow, classical Easier Said Than Done. Especially the vocal line is too sweet for me. The album closes with the second epic Shine, which is more a typical progressive epic. The music here (and in some other places as well) to my feeling has something in common with Landmarq, being in some way rather soft, subtle and sensuous. People might take this wrong, but I think this is the kind of progressive that would also appeal to women. The middle part is rather free form with lots of lalala-ing and once in a while something familiar pops up, like some Pink Floyd (citation from Shine On ...) and Marillion.

The artwork is very nice and professionally done.

Conclusion

Galahad was once heralded as the new Marillion. With this album they have done two things: shaken themselves a bit loose from the progrock world at its smallest AND they seem to go the way of Marillion into finding a niche of their own in the music world. They will probably still not enjoy the sales Marillion has, but artistically this is a step forward and like they say themselves a broadening of horizons. In my opinion it shows a maturing band, both musically as well as in the lyrics. The music is certainly on the accessible, almost relaxed, side of progressive, but because of this not less appealing. The melodies range from fine to great and the only track I'm not really fond of is Easier Said Than Done. One negative point, but this could also be due to the fact that on my CDrom player right here, I cannot really turn the volume up, is that the sound could have been a bit fuller.