Author: Peter Podbrežnik
Artist: Hammill, Peter
Label: Fie! Records
Released: 2014
Runtime: 50:27
Rating: 4/5
Over almost fifty years in music, both with the legendary prog rock band Van Der Graaf Generator and as a solo artist, Peter Hammill has built up a priceless treasure trove of records. They’re mostly quite different from one another, yet you won’t find a single subpar release among them. Few music icons of his generation have managed that, and he can be truly proud of it, even if it’s also true that Peter always dodged any chance at wider commercial success and stayed loyal to his poetic and often downright experimental principles.
His latest solo record, »…All That Might Have Been…«, is already his thirty-second, not counting the various collaborations with other musicians (his last joint project, recorded with Gary Lucas, was called »Other World«, 2014). The single-disc version of »…All That Might Have Been…«, much like the album »Incoherence« (2004), contains one epic, multi-section piece, while on the triple version of the album, which adds two bonus discs, that epic is ‘sliced up’ into twenty-one shorter tracks that together form a whole. This ‘fragmentation’ of interconnected pieces doesn’t spoil the listening experience one bit. The individual compositions flow into one another beautifully and together make for a very intense ambient experience.
The first disc of the special edition is called »Cine«, while the other two are called »Songs« and »Retro«. Once again, Mr. Hammill needed no outside help. On top of the vocals, where he has always been strongest, he played every instrument on this studio project too. Between the electric guitar and keyboards, he leaned heavily on various ambient effects that deepen the mostly dark and mysterious atmosphere, the place where Peter’s voice has always felt most at home. Most of the tracks on the first disc, »Cine«, are played at a mid-tempo, while Hammill keeps his vocals relaxed and calm.
One of the exceptions is »Alien Clock«, the longest track on »Cine« and one of the rare moments when Peter raises his voice and, for a moment, turns back into the angry thunderer most Van Der Graaf Generator fans remember so fondly. The backing vocal harmonies, which often sound like a whole choir even though it’s all just Mr. Hammill singing, were recorded very fittingly and cleverly, and they deepen the prevailing claustrophobic and at times downright chilling mood of most of the pieces. There are also quite a few spoken-word passages this time, like on »Rumpled Sheets«, and with their mostly deep and shattering messages they give the individual compositions extra artistic weight.
Stylistically, »…All That Might Have Been…« has quite a few parallels with Peter’s newer albums like »Singularity« (2006), »Thin Air« (2009) and »Consequences« (2012), plus a few ambient moments that will remind you of his older solo work, especially the early-eighties stuff led by the album »Loops & Reels« (1983). What ties all these albums together is that the cult vocal master made them without any instrumental help from outside collaborators.
Over his vast and incredibly varied musical career, Peter Hammill has proven time and again that he needs no outside help to pull off ambitious studio projects, and »…All That Might Have Been…« is no exception. From an experimental standpoint, especially in the special triple version of the album, it’s one of the most interesting and complex solo projects he’s put out in the last fifteen years, and the die-hard fans will appreciate that most of all.
Lineup
Peter Hammill – vocals, all instruments
Production
Peter Hammill
Track list
3CD box set tracks:
CD 1
1. In Overview
2. The Last Time
3. Never Wanted
4. As for Him
5. Nowhere Special
6. Piper Smile
7. Wanted to Belong
8. This Might….
9. Inklings, Darling
10. Be Careful
11. Alien Clock
12. Drifting Through
13. Washed Up
14. Rumpled Sheets
15. Fool-proof
16. Can’t Get Home
17. Washed Away
18. Back Road
19. The Line Goes Dead
20. He Turns Away
21. Hooks
CD 2
1. Upon a Sixpence
2. Someday (the Piper Smile)
3. Vai Lentissimo
4. Disrespect (in Kabuki-cho)
5. An Outlier
6. The Whole Thing Through
7. Best Wishes
8. Passing Clouds
9. Not Going Anywhere
10. Until
CD 3
1. SixSlowOut
2. KabukiCloudSome
3. TenorElseAny
4. 57WishesUntil
