The Midnight Drop : Celestial Songs

[Gilly Goodness]

No one's right
No one's wrong
We heal with love
And celestial songs.






Not long now. Midnight approaches soon on the East coast of Australia. A new day beckons with a new DBA album. One we have had to wait for. Let's hope the management and Cherry Red Records puts it on youtube. Otherwise I'll have to go back to bed disappointed. Can't remember if Halcyon Hymns was put up. Wasn't really a fan then. Wouldn't have known either way.

What to expect? World class songs. World class choruses. World class verses. Understated but essential keys. Fiery guitar solos. Influences? Wings. Prefab Sprout. YES.

Lookin' forward to the epic Beyond the Stars....

What a day. New Stones song. New Agnetha song. Now new DBA. DBA5.







____________________________________________

[Gilly Goodness]

GOODBYE TO YOU ( SISTER SHAME)

Have just woken up. First cup of coffee. ☕

Looks like. All the songs are up.

Ok. Let's do this.

Longish song. Chorus is a winner.

Piano led openin' with moody feel. Tinkling piano with keenin' synth or slide guitar wash in background. Definate Beatlesque feel with the chorus. Sister Shame. Brother Blame? This is the Andy Partridge co-write I think. OK. The guitar ends up very Wingsy. Flanged. Could have landed on Venus and Mars. 😉 "Planets draw near. Atmospheres can be mixed". OK. Men are from Mars. Women are from Venus. We get it Chris 😉


BEYOND THE STARS

Now. A beautiful song over lovely piano by Geoff. Orchestrated synth passages. A bit of Barney poetry. He came up with the album title here. This has the hairs on the back of the nape stand up. A swellin' song. That keeps elevatin' higher and higher. Has a twinklin' Old Hollywood style lushness. Would have made a perfect song from a romantic musical starrin' Gene Kelly and Sophia Loren. Again I am reminded of Coldplay's Coloraturo. ❤ And Barry's final words. Woah. Hit home. Now. It is a love song and like all great love songs is really about your own love. Relatable. You can really hear the emotion in Chris' voice. This sounds like a one take situation. Vulnerable. Layin' it all on the line. He's all in 🔥

All I will say to praise this track is that it exhibits the thrillin' elan of Burt Bacharach and his use of strings and orchestration to amplify the emotion. When Chris sings to his love " You hear Me " or "You heal Me" , my heart skipped a beat. Overcome. And. Remember I'll never see 60 again.


HEY KID

Chris starts in a low register. Simple piano led ballad. Another simple melody. Heavy lyrics. Kids
playin' with guns. Great lyrics. Poignant. "Swagger like a king. Do it for your country. You owe it everything" Short song. But powerful. Sarcastic.


WILL TO POWER

Uptempo. The guitar sound is curious. A strident,twangy short sound. Drivin' song. Will sound good in the car. No pun intended. Has a kind of spy movie feel. Tense. "Gives you light in the darkest hour." Catchy rocker. One of the highlights. Sounds like The Police in places. Choppy rythm.
Geoff's synths are so cool on this one.



LOOK WHAT YOU DO

Barney starts with a short bit of poetry. Namecheckin' the album title again. This is givin' me UK vibes. The guitar and incessant piano.
Rendevous 6.02??? Then down into simple heartfelt song. Again Chris is singin' a little lower in parts. A masculine huskiness to his normal sweet warblin'. A wounded, mature feel to this. A little Coldplay ballady. Could see Chris Martin eat this up.
Looks like there will be another lyric video for this one. Not up yet. Definately lighters aloft/phone torches held aloft with this one. Has
a gospel feel too. Lovely. Just lovely. One of the highlights for me, on third listen. ( BUT ) So Coldplay!!! hahhahahhahahaha
On fourth listen. This is my highlight along with Beyond the Stars. Marvellous. ❤❤

X&Y was a long album but if Martin wrote this song he would've dropped 3 songs and put this at the end of the album.



DARKER SIDE OF FAME

Narrative song about what it says on the tin. Cowritten with Marc Almond. He sings as well. Duets. Piano led again with orchestrated synths overlayed. A cautionary tale.


ON THE RUN

Uptempo number. Catchy. Radio friendly. About stayin' ahead of the demons in your life. OK. Easter egg time. Yes. That is the drum pattern of Runnin' Up That Hill at the start. What's Chris singin' before the line "Has got you on the run"? At first I thought it was "Ha-pi-ness" but that can't be it. ????
Great radio friendly track. Hooks aplenty 🔥


DEAR PETRA

Another simple piano led ballad. About Ukraine. Has a Eastern European lilt to the piano. Or is that my imagination? A heartfelt, consolin' song to the poor children involved in this war. Great lyrics.


HEART SHAPED HOLE

Narrative about an agin' performer chasin' the next spotlight. To his or her detriment. Longish song that in the 2nd half features an eloquent extended solo by Dave Bainbridge. They must have just let him have his head. Bit Floydy. Bent notes. A partner song to Dark Side of Fame. Cautionary tales.


CLEARLIGHT

Uptempo wonder of a song. Already enjoyed.



KEEP ON MOVING

Cowritten by Francis Dunnery who plays arpeggio guitar. Dreamy. Nostalgic. Heartfelt benedictions at end. Already enjoyed.


_______________________________________



LOOK WHAT YOU DO. TO MY HEAD. TO MY HEART

[Gilly Goodness]

OK. Another wonderful collection of heartfelt songs that will probably slide by the mainstream. I mean DBA Facebook page has like 2 people who post comments there.
Me. And Dave Bainbridge. They may have painted themselves into a corner with some of the themes of the album. Avoidin' the pitfalls
of chasin' the false dreams of the pop industry. This seems to be a satisfyin' side project to them. No more. Will they ever tour properly with a full band?

Maybe a tour with Trevor Horn, Marc Almond, Andy Partridge, Kate Pierson? DVD filmed.


___________________________________________


LOOK WHAT YOU DO. TO MY HEAD. TO MY HEART

[luvyesmusic]

Skipping the: your reviews for now.
Did my first ever preorder last night. Love to support Geoff and the guys, and it would be great to see how the record does in the English charts. Not sure what else is being released today.

One of the reasons I had waited to preorder was that I was looking for a DBA Celestial Songs tee shirt to be available. Nothing as of last night. Anyone come across one, please let me know.

[Gilly Goodness]

Skipping the: your reviews for now.
Did my first ever preorder last night. Love to support Geoff and the guys, and it would be great to see how the record does in the English charts. Not sure what else is being released today.

One of the reasons I had waited to preorder was that I was looking for a DBA Celestial Songs tee shirt to be available. Nothing as of last night. Anyone come across one, please let me know.

No worries, Rob. I only stream nowadays. So like I did with MttS, will also support the guys with a T-shirt from an official supplier.

You will love the album. If you love Braide's voice and lyrics, Geoff's colours and textures and beautiful piano figures, you'll love it.

Influences include McCartney and undeniably Coldplay in the 2 songs I consider highlights. 😍
Otherwise very DBA DNA overall.


_____________________________________________

[Frumious B]

I kind of wish DBA hadn’t decided they were a prog band because I really think they would do better with the more eclectic writing approach of their earlier work . It seems like everything on Celestial Songs is just so relentlessly nice sounding with very little straying from “lush, melodic and stately”. Oh wait, here’s a guitar solo, but that is also “lush, melodic and stately”.

[Gilly Goodness]

I kind of wish DBA hadn’t decided they were a prog band because I really think they would do better with the more eclectic writing approach of their earlier work . It seems like everything on Celestial Songs is just so relentlessly nice sounding with very little straying from “lush, melodic and stately”. Oh wait, here’s a guitar solo, but that is also “lush, melodic and stately”.

True dat.

My ear catches out the more raspy, desperate moments in Chris' vox. The anger in his Hey Kid delivery. Seethin' sarcasm and bewilderment of the normalization of gun violence.

Elsewhere Bainbridge's curious tones on Will to Power. Short, stabby notes. Chuggin' along.

But. Yes melody and lushness abound. But. To my mind that's exactly what I want. It's my jam.

Though have time for spiky, ragged bluesy rock. Was in the local bottleo grabbin' some cab sav talkin' the Stones with the mature girl behind the counter as I thought she had The Stones on the PA system. Place was rockin'. She said. "No. It's the Saints. Chris Bailey and Ed Kuepper." I said "Yeah. Saw him solo once in a pub in Surry Hills. Great muso."

Band is famous for the punk anthem Stranded. From Brisbane originally before decampin' to the UK back in the day. Kuepper went on to form the Go Betweens. All ancient history now.

https://youtu.be/Q-GueNOKolo

Anyway back on DBA. Hope they tour and perform these songs LIVE. Think they'll bristle with energy and brio. And lushness 😉


_____________________________________________




STILL I DREAM OF A SKY WITHOUT FIRE

[Soundwaveseeker]

I just ordered Celestial Songs! Just waitin' now for someone over there at Amazon UK to slap it on a plane and send it screaming through the clouds towards me Stateside and into my greedy, grubby, grabby paws. Hope it's at least as good as Skyscraper, I don't expect the magic of the first 2 albums. But I do like the two tracks from Celestial Songs that I have heard already. Prospect: good.

[Susanne]

I just ordered Celestial Songs! Just waitin' now for someone over there at Amazon UK to slap it on a plane and send it screaming through the clouds towards me Stateside and into my greedy, grubby, grabby paws. Hope it's at least as good as Skyscraper, I don't expect the magic of the first 2 albums. But I do like the two tracks from Celestial Songs that I have heard already. Prospect: good.

That's interesting. I just posted in the current listening thread that it doesn't seem to be quite as magical as the last two albums! 🙂
Perhaps it'll settle with you quicker than it is doing with me (but I'm hoping I will get there. Sometimes these things take a bit of time.)

[luvyesmusic]

Magic always happens in the moment.

Remorse happens thinking back.

I am always chugging forward to the next day, never looking back with remorse, just some great memories, and what could have been. Just like everyone else. Love me some She’ll be Riding Horses for the storyline, and that it never really works out that way. Always a clean split unless you share kids.

Lush? I will wait and see, but a lush experience through out an entire album sounds right up my alley. A sonic delight for the mind and brain, without pretty girls/women getting in the way is always welcomed from an escape from it all.

why can’t I have Barney stand right next to me and say some classic English sounding things ti help start my day off right. ;-) LOL

[Gilly Goodness]

why can’t I have Barney stand right next to me and say some classic English sounding things ti help start my day off right. ;-) LOL

"Dare to dream of azure blue skies!" 😉🌞



__________________________________________




LOOK WHAT YOU DO. TO MY HEAD. TO MY HEART

[Gilly Goodness]

FULL COVER POSTER FROM VINYL BOXSET











Again. Can't quite make out what Chris sings in On The Run? Text too tiny on phone. Perhaps will be better on laptop.
Nope. Still too blurry. Can someone please help if you know?








Nice dedications to Alan White and David Longdon. Both sadly missed.

__________________________________________________ _-




“It isn’t the edgiest, most dramatic or experimental album released this year, but that’s really not the point”: Downes Braid Association’s Celestial Songs

Geoff Downes and Chris Braide return to their classic sound with fifth LP, which still carries the occasional nod to prog

By Gary Mackenzie
( Prog )
published about 11 hours ago




(Image: © Cherry Red) You can trust Louder Our experienced team has worked for some of the biggest brands in music. From testing headphones to reviewing albums, our experts aim to create reviews you can trust. Find out more about how we review.


The fourth album from Yes keyboardist Geoff Downes and singer/composer Chris Braide, 2021’s Halcyon Hymns, was their most recognisably prog-inclined. Despite its evocative title and instantly recognisable Roger Dean cover art, this follow-up is something of a retreat to the classic, 80s/90s-focused sound of their earlier work, albeit one that makes the occasional nod to prog.

Built upon loose themes that revolve around life, death, love and nostalgia (a common DBA thread), Celestial Songs sees Downes and Braide joined by mostly the same band that played Halcyon Hymns, including guitarist/keyboard player Dave Bainbridge and poet Barney Ashton Bullock, who provides narrative introductions to some of the tracks.
Opener Look What You Do has keyboard strains that misdirect the listener for a moment, bookending a sunny, mid-tempo love song that doesn’t sound a million miles away from something ex-The Verve frontman Richard Ashcroft might turn in during one of his more positive moments. Whether by accident or design, it’s entertaining to identify possible influences here: Heart Shaped Hole has a late-70s Genesis ballad feel to its verses (along with one of Bainbridge’s tasty, soaring guitar breaks), while Goodbye To You (Sister Shame), although co-written with XTC’s Andy Partridge, could have come from one of Paul McCartney’s later solo albums.

And the nod towards Kate Bush’s Running Up That Hill and the 80s pop styling of On The Run is entirely deliberate, with Braide putting a positive spin on the idea of demons that we should all be trying to escape from.

Those familiar with the work of ex-It Bites frontman-turned-solo-maverick Francis Dunnery should find Keep On Moving particularly satisfying. Co-written with Dunnery, the chord structure and melodic progressions carry his unmistakable DNA in a song that grieves for lost love while treating the past with equanimity and acceptance.

Anyone hankering for a hit of prog should head to Will To Power, with its sequenced keyboard patterns and deliberately life-affirming message, or the substantial closing track, Beyond The Stars. It isn’t a major stretch to imagine Yes’ Jon Davison (or, indeed, his predecessor Jon Anderson) delivering the vocal for both.

Celestial Songs isn’t the edgiest, most dramatic or experimental album released so far this year, but that’s really not the point. DBA are less about virtuosity and serving up musical pyrotechnics and more interested in communicating mood and texture; for them, the musical arrangements are at the service of the song and never a distraction from it.

Celestial Songs is available in multiple formats from Cherry Red.




#rainbowmilkyway23



________________________________________________



YOU ARE MY MIRROR TO THE SKY

[Gilly Goodness]

AVIDYA HAS GOT YOU ON THE RUN







and ASMITA






OK. This all came out of nowhere.

Hindu yoga terms for


AVIDYA : A sanskrit word that means ignorance, misconceptions, misunderstandings,incorrect knowledge.


ASMITA : A sanskrit term for "egoism" and it's interpretation of reality.

OK. So. Who knew Chris practised yoga and meditation? Or did he just read them in a footnote 😉😂 Too soon? C'mon. It's been 50 years.


Amazin'. No wonder I couldn't decipher the line. Actually feel relieved. Thought I was goin' blinkin' balmy 😯


So after Juano casually droppin' in Tikkum Olam into MttS. This is the most surprising lyric of the year.



____________________________________



ASMITA IS BLOCKING OUT THE BRAND NEW, CLEAR BLUE SKIES

[jskawaken1]

Excellent album. It's much more energetic than the previous releases. Dave's guitar adds a lot of depth. Probably the best of the catalog

[carlmarx38]

Can't wait to hear it. Sounds like it's a bit rockier than Halcyon Hymns, which was too Ballady for my tastes. I may wait until my YES show and see if they're selling it at the merch booth. Got an autographed copy of their first one at the Three Album tour back in 2013. Geez that feels like a long time ago....