Label: Insideout Music
Release date: 17. 7. 2020
Production: John Mitchell
Album length: 49.46 min
Genre: Progressive Rock
Rating: 9.0/10
John Mitchell (Arena, It Bites, Kino, Frost*, The Urbane) is an English guitar virtuoso and charismatic singer. With his solo project Lonely Robot, he keeps growing as a songwriter and arranger from one album to the next, and he keeps proving why he’s one of the key musicians on the modern prog rock scene. Now he’s back with his fourth album, “Feelings Are Good”. On it, this huge sci-fi buff tries to explain to post-millennial generations why (genuine) human emotions are good and important, as opposed to the coldness of modern electronic gadgets, ‘smart’ phones leading the charge, and why they’re the main obstacle to the accelerating, all-encompassing robotization of humanity. The previous Lonely Robot album, “Under Stars” (2019), could already be called a masterpiece, but in terms of songwriting and atmosphere “Feelings Are Good” is another step forward in the sonic evolution of John’s increasingly interesting solo project.
Besides guitar, John also played keyboards and bass lines and handled the production, with drum hero Craig Blundell (The Mute Gods, Frost*, Steven Wilson, ex-Pendragon) lending a hand. “Feelings Are Good” would be a lot less interesting without him. As has been the case with most of John’s output so far, “Feelings Are Good” is mostly a melancholy, dark album with the occasional brighter shade, while all the musicians involved, using loads of synth and electronic effects, mostly succeed in conjuring up a futuristic mood. The opener, which is also the title track, is a short overture where John sings through a vocoder, giving his voice a robotic sound. “Into the Lo-Fi” is an energetic ‘bomb’ that sets the tone for most of the album. The sarcastic, socially barbed lyrics about modern civilization’s addiction to wireless internet are a story in themselves, the kind that could only come out of the ‘cabbage patch’ of an English prog rock band.
“Spiders” is a slightly neurotic experiment, which goes especially for its multi-layered chorus with minimal use of the vocoder. “Crystalline” is a gorgeous power ballad that’s closer to art pop rock than prog rock, and it shows a strong Peter Gabriel influence on John’s approach to songwriting, while the vocal similarity between Gabriel and Mitchell has always been pretty obvious. “Life Is a Sine Wave”, which at times recalls a somewhat more melancholy version of It Bites, moves convincingly between punchy and quiet, still-life moments. “Armour Of My Heart” has a nostalgic chorus and hypnotic synth arrangements, while the melancholy guitar passages are a story all their own.
“Suburbia” has a mysterious, slightly dark vibe, while John’s eclectic layering of synth textures, seasoned with heroic guitar soloing, eventually brings in brighter shades. “The Silent Life” is a stunningly beautiful power ballad with sweeping orchestral arrangements and a superb, deeply emotional vocal performance from John. “Keeping People As Pets”, which opens with an electronic intro, is one of the highlights of “Feelings Are Good”, thanks to its eclecticism, great chorus and lyrical message about how humanity is increasingly being enslaved by modern electronic technology and emerging artificial intelligence. The post-apocalyptic and at the same time pacifist “Army Of One”, which opens with the sound of heavy military footsteps, is the album’s hardest-hitting moment, with its irritated guitar passages, merciless drum fills and piercing vocal delivery. “Grief Is The Price of Love” is a short, acoustic-leaning ballad that serves as an almost idealistic, positive close to this rather fatalistic album.
“Feelings Are Good” is the peak of Mitchell’s work so far with his increasingly interesting solo project Lonely Robot. It won’t just be sci-fi fans among the ‘prog heads’ who get a kick out of it, but plenty of other fans of eclectic, brilliantly arranged and socially barbed music too. It’s honestly surprising that less than a year after the excellent “Under Stars”, John managed to make an even better album and one of the most interesting art rock achievements of 2020. The only thing worth a complaint is the aesthetically rather unappealing cover, which at the same time carries a highly meaningful and effective message, if not a symbolic and slightly self-ironic jab at modern society.
Author: Peter “Dr. ProgRock” Podbrežnik
Tracklist:
1. Feelings Are Good
2. Into The Lo-Fi
3. Spiders
4. Crystalline
5. Life Is A Sine Wave
6. Armour For My Heart
7. Suburbia
8. The Silent Life
9. Keeping People As Pets
10. Army Of One
11. Grief Is The Price Of Love
Line-up:
John Mitchell – vocals, guitar, keyboards, bass guitar
Craig Blundell – drums
Guest musician:
Nick Beggs – bass guitar
