I really like Graveyard Star but, in retrospect, it was a bit of a step down from the three albums which preceded it. Some of the band's best ever work came on those three albums, and the pandemic-related themes of Graveyard Star really place it in the time it came out. Whilst Mostly Autumn's core, organic progressive rock sound has largely remained the same over the years, there are shifts from album to album - and Seawater is quite different in tone to Graveyard Star. Much of Graveyard Star was dark, for obvious reasons, but Seawater has more of a mixture of emotions and vibes - which reflect the band at different stages in their career. Some of the band's folkiest work for some time is featured here, which gives flautist Angela Gordon more of a presence than has often been the case of late, whilst organic harder rock, plaintive ballads, and soaring longer numbers pack the album's 10 songs with variety. Band founder and principal songwriter Bryan Josh has written a number of really memorable songs for this album, with frontwoman Olivia Sparnenn-Josh also chipping in with some important writing contributions. Songwriting credit-wise, though, Seawater is less varied than has generally been the case of late - with keyboard player Iain Jennings and guitarist Chris Johnson both conspicuous by their absence songwriting-wise. This is a shame, as both often add a lot with their contributions (particularly as Johnson does not sing any lead vocals on this album, either) - but Josh and Sparnenn-Josh clearly felt that they had all they needed themselves this time around, although Jennings is credited with co-writing one of the songs on the special edition's bonus disc which I will not be covering here. Like the band's other recent albums, though, Seawater is long - and it opens with Let's Take a Walk, which is just under 10 minutes long. Birdsong and other nature sounds fill the speakers initially, over which Josh soon adds some delicate clean guitar melodies. The overall opening vibe is similar to how 2019's White Rainbow (which I reviewed here) started, and musical layers are added slowly, with heavier guitar chords soon backing the clean guitar melodies - and regular guest Troy Donockley (Iona; Nightwish; Auri) then adds some uilleann pipes. The song takes a little while to get going, but this is typical of the band's style - and when Josh starts to sing against this rumbling guitar backing the song changes tack, with subtle percussive pulses and harmonies from Sparnenn-Josh. Continuing to build, the song transitions into being a true melodic rocker following a sparse first pass throughout the chorus. Henry Rogers aids the transition with a big drum fill, and from this point on the song is generally a pretty zippy rocker - with Josh leading the charge vocally, Sparnenn-Josh adding plenty of Fleetwood Mac-esque depth with her harmonies, and Jennings' Hammond organ doing a lot of heavy lifting. Later chorus renditions feel massive, and they provide the first real melodic hook on the album. It is a chorus which gets stuck in the brain, and later Donockley reprises some of the melodies on his pipes - adding to the folky feel which often pervades the album. There is a lot of acoustic guitar depth throughout the album, too, and that is also the case with this song. A few acoustic breaks are taken to rein in the more rocking overall feel, but the acoustic guitar is generally present throughout in any case - filling little cracks in the sound.
The opening song has already become a real favourite of mine, and I hope that the band play it live, but the album is just getting going - and the transition to the folkier Why Do We Remember All the Rain marks a change in tone. The song is easily the folkiest song that the band have released for many years and it really harks back to their original trio of album albums from the late 1990s/early 2000s which featured many more acoustic-based pieces and folky instrumentals. Acoustic guitar and Gordon's playful flute melodies open the song up - and Sparnenn-Josh soon starts singing against this acoustic guitar backing, under which Rogers adds some sparse, percussive drumming. It feels paired back for the modern Mostly Autumn sound, but it nevertheless feels part of the band's wider canon - and the rest of the band do kick in for a powerful chorus which rocks a little harder. Washes of brash Hammond organ elevate the chorus, whilst big harmonies make use of the band's multitude of vocal talent. Josh dominated the opening song vocally, but this track is all about Sparnenn-Josh - her voice going from delicate to powerful depending on the part of the song being sung at time, but Josh still makes his presence felt with a laid back guitar solo which is packed full of classic Joshisms. There are plenty of big solos on this album, and one closed out the opening number, but this one is a bit more restrained than some of them - although he does cut loose a bit more towards the end of the song, during a proper folk rock wig out which acts as an instrumental closing segment. Josh's guitar and the organ do their part, but Gordon leads the charge with her fast-paced flute playing - again reinforcing that old-school folk sound. Be Something changes tack again, although the acoustic base is retained initially. Josh takes the lead again on this one, and the track is the latest in a loose series of songs which feel like slightly brash, organic rockers led by him. They are perhaps less subtle and interesting than most of the band's songs, but they generally end up growing on me - and Be Something has grown on me more than similar tracks like Something Better and Shadows from the past. It does build up in a more interesting manner, I think, with the acoustic guitars dominating early on. The bluesy feel of the song helps to set it apart, too, and I quite like the sparse acoustic guitars during the first couple of verses and chorus - whilst Josh's rugged vocals are packed full of character. Sparnenn-Josh adds chorus harmonies, which are welcome, but, for me, song really gets going when a later chorus rendition takes off with a Hammond organ backing - and from this point on the song rocks harder, with another fluid guitar solo and a final, more anthemic, chorus. This transition elevates the song beyond the other similar, slightly lumpy, rockers of the band's previous albums - and it really showcases the best of Josh vocally, who probably sings more on this album than he has done for a while. The bonus disc contains a synth-heavy alternative take on this song, which is interesting to listen to, but I think the band made the right choice by including the version they did on the album proper.
Another song which has grown on me a lot since first hearing it is When We Ran. Another lengthy piece, at first the song's elements did not quite all hang together for me - but over repeated listens everything has largely fallen into place, and it has become a bit of a favourite. The song opens slowly, with Josh singing against some simple piano melodies - and this vibe dominates the first minute or two of the track. Josh's voice is full of emotion, and the piano introduces something different for the album up to this point, with the piano-based intro almost standing alone as a brief little ballad - before a brief pause then introduces some sparkling synths, and the track transforms into something much larger. It essentially becomes another mid-paced rocker, although some ballad-esque vibes are retained, and comparisons can be made with the vibes of the album's opening song - albeit with synths and more electronic keyboard textures rather than the organ which has dominated up to this point. The synths do help to set the song apart from many of the others here, but there is still a strong organic feel throughout. Acoustic guitars are still heard throughout the song, even given the dominance of the synths and Rogers' pulsing drum grooves, whilst the vocal interplay between Josh and Sparnenn-Josh really brings the song to life. There are a lot of parts on this album which see the two singing together and this track really benefits from that approach - with the melodic chorus a real earworm thanks to these ever-present harmonies. Josh indulges himself with a couple of quite lengthy guitar solos, with the latter of the two being a real trademark moment. It dominates the last section of the song, carrying the track to a close as Josh has shown over the years just how adept he is at doing. Long-time fans will also recognise the melodies played by Josh and Gordon as the song closes from The Spirit of Autumn Past - Part 2 - a signature melody from the band which has been used a few times throughout their career. If Only for a Day turns the spotlight back onto Sparnenn-Josh, and it is one of her now trademark soaring ballads. Like the previous song, this track opens with rumbling piano chords - over which Sparnenn-Josh starts to sing, and she soon makes full use of her impressive range. The verses are generally sung in quite a delicate manner, utilising the lower end of her range, but the choruses are delivered in a much more powerful way - with soaring and siren-like melodies atop the rumbling piano. Even when the rest of the band join in later on, adding a sombre drum beat and dense guitar chords, the piano is retained as the main focal point - and the later choruses feel more powerful thanks to this more morose depth. Josh's brief guitar solo elevates the song's emotional pull further, too, and the song continues to slowly morph as it moves along - with later chorus renditions featuring an additional twinkling keyboard melody as well as the piano, whilst another guitar solo then closes things out, ringing yet more emotion from the song.
Transitioning to the album's second half, When Nations Collide is somewhat similar to the previous track - but it never quite reaches the same emotional heights. Opening with clean guitar melodies instead of piano, the track immediately feels more restrained - and Sparnenn-Josh sings the song in a different manner, adopting a more breathy, folky approach that nicely suits the song's more organic feel. Whilst the song opens with electric guitar melodies, acoustic guitars soon become the dominant force - particularly during a fuller sounding chorus which harks back to some of the folkier moments heard earlier on the album, albeit with less of a rock backing. Rogers does add his drumming to parts of the song, but generally he is quite restrained throughout - adding simple percussion and backing some of the verses with a slow-burning beat. Despite the song's simplicity, though, it does grow as it moves along. Later chorus renditions feature a gorgeous and plaintive flute motif which repeats throughout - and when Josh launches into his customary guitar solo the song suddenly feels much bigger. Gordon accompanies Josh's solo with her flute, which adds a twists and a huge amount of depth to the song, whilst Hammond organ later adds some rumble - leading the last portion of the song to feel much more powerful, climaxing the excellent way things have morphed as it has progressed. The next two songs on the album are probably the weakest offerings here in my opinion, but neither are bad. They are just the least interesting - but both have grown on me somewhat since hearing the album for the first time. My Home is a pretty simple track which Josh takes the lead on vocally - and it is quite a straight forward poppy rocker which opens slowly and builds towards a decent chorus. Acoustic guitars, simple drumming, and strange keyboard melodies back Josh during the slow-burning verses - whereas the rest of the band really kick in during the chorus, which again features Sparnann-Josh singing alongside Josh whilst big Hammond organ washes keep the song feeling at home on the album. There are some bluegrass-esque guitar melodies during the chorus, which are a bit different, and during Josh's later guitar solo there is a very Bruce Springsteen-esque use of ringing piano notes which brings Bobby Jean to mind. These flourishes do give the song an identity, even if it is not a standout cut here. I have a similar reaction to Mars, although the song is less organic in feel and much more atmospheric. Dense keyboards form the bed for Josh's initial vocal lines, which again harks back to the band's early days somewhat, and the song is sparse for quite a while. Occasional Sparnenn-Josh vocal harmonies are utilised, and some quiet drumming later creates a pulse, but the bulk of the early part of the song is very simple. This changes when Sparnenn-Josh takes over - her soaring voice given more of a harder base with proper drumming, heavier guitars and even more synths. Parts of Josh's guitar solo feel a bit different from the norm, too, with some squealing high notes adding to the overall atmospheric feel nicely.
If the previous two songs were the album's weakest offerings, then what follows is one of the best. Future Is a Child stood out to me from the off, and the multi-part piece has only sounded better with each repeated listen. It is classic modern Mostly Autumn in tone and it mixes organic instrumentation, an anthemic feel at times, and soaring hooks to create something which really sticks in the brain. The verses are very stripped back, with dark acoustic guitar chords over which Josh sings in quite a downbeat manner. Later verses feel a bit deeper, with vocal harmonies and more of a drum depth, but generally the acoustic guitars and subtle keyboard dominate - and the song really comes alive when Sparnenn-Josh takes over for a chorus which is the most siren-like moment on the album. Rumbling Hammond organ and soaring vocals make for the hookiest chorus here and it really brings the best out of Sparnenn-Josh on one of the three songs here she co-wrote. Mostly Autumn have often made the most of effective bridge sections in the past, with Winter Mountain immediately springing to mind, and there is another here - with a really emotional, percussive section that features some delicate vocals, before Josh lays down a precise acoustic guitar solo and the final reprise of the chorus kicks in. This is not it, though. As the song seems to be fading out, Gordon comes in with a warm flute melody, which acts as the link between the song proper and Josh's huge guitar solo. It is easily his best solo on the album and, Evergreen-esque, it takes the piece to the next level and showcases all of his talents as a songwriter and a guitarist - with the lengthy solo being packed full of memorable hooks. In fact, Future Is a Child feels like a modern take on Evergreen - and it deserves to become a live staple much like the latter was for many years. The album the comes to a close with its title track, which is just over 19 minutes long. It feels like something of a spiritual sequel to White Rainbow, and there are motifs from that song reused here. I do not think that it reaches the heights of White Rainbow, but it is nevertheless impressive - with the early few minutes dominated by piano. Josh initially sings, but the song really gets going when Sparnenn-Josh takes over, and there is more of a band feel behind the piano melodies. This part, closed out by a big guitar solo, might be my favourite individual piece of the song - which comes to an end with some sounds of the sea and a distant accordion playing sea shanties. This atmospheric period lasts for a while, with organ slowing swirling around, before punchy guitar and drum stabs introduce a keyboard pattern taken from White Rainbow - although when Sparnenn-Josh starts singing again the vibe shifts to something more dynamic and hard rocking. Something of a chorus is later utilised, wish Josh adding his gruff voice to boost Sparnenn-Josh's power - the song here flirting with a more symphonic sound. This chorus is hooky, dominating this middle part of the song, and another standout moment here is a synth solo from Jennings - which also later bleeds into a later rendition of the chorus. Another change of tack then sees Josh taking over vocally, to deliver a strange semi-spoken word section, Pink Floyd-esque, against a pacy backing which adds nicely to the song's slightly creepy overall vibe. By this point there is only a few minutes left and, following some more weather noises, the slow vibe of the song's intro, this time with acoustic guitars, and melodies reprised from When Nations Collide, create a closing, slow-burning vocal section - before a lengthy symphonic outro features dancing keyboard melodies, a subtle guitar underpinning, and a closing piano melody. Mostly Autumn rarely disappoint and Seawater is no different. Like most of the band's albums it really grows over repeated listens and some of the songs here rival some of their best recent work. For me it is certainly up there with the trio of releases which preceded Graveyard Star and the harks back to the band's early days are welcome in seeing this album as something of a full circle release - something which the band have not really done for a while.
The album was released on 28th February 2025 via Mostly Autumn Records.
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