Author: Peter Podbrežnik
Artist: Van Der Graaf Generator
Label: Esoteric Recordings
Release: 2012
Rating: 4/5
»ALT« is the latest project from English progressive rock legends Van Der Graaf Generator. It landed just a year after the masterpiece »A Grounding in Numbers« (2011), which caught plenty of fans completely off guard, since they haven’t been used to their heroes dropping a new studio record in back-to-back years since the late seventies. Then again, »ALT« is anything but your usual Van Der Graaf Generator album. It’s a collection of improvisations recorded in between studio sound checks, often bordering on Musique Concrete, which will go down well with anyone into avant-garde forms. According to the legendary singer, songwriter, guitarist and pianist Peter Hammill, for whom this is the first VDGG project without any vocal contributions from him (which also shocked plenty of fans before the album came out), most of the music on »ALT« was created while the band members weren’t really focused on compositional form, or while only the left half of their collective brain was active.
That’s exactly why the purely instrumental »ALT« should be approached in light of Hammill’s words and not as a regular, run-of-the-mill VDGG album. It’s aimed first and foremost at longtime fans, who will find plenty of thrilling moments here from start to finish, no matter how tangled the avant-garde improvisations may seem on first listen. Over time they become almost shamelessly infectious when it comes to creating an incredible atmosphere. The legendary trio often manages to conjure up that specific dark and chaotic VDGG ambience, while their instantly recognizable instrumental flourishes dominate otherwise, and will keep plenty of listeners immensely entertained. It’s worth noting that »ALT« isn’t the first improvisational project in their history: the second half, or second disc, of »Present« (2005), recorded while the legendary woodwind player David Jackson was still in the lineup, already featured a series of more or less demanding, avant-garde-spiced improvisations. Compared to those, the pieces on »ALT« are a lot more ‘free’, less dark in ambient terms, and a bit easier to listen to. Above all, there are more moments of total individual improvisational freedom for each of the three members.
The opening »Earlybird« is a perfect specimen of Musique Concrete, somewhat reminiscent of the early experiments of Frank Zappa and The Mothers Of Invention, and also of Pink Floyd’s avant-garde psychedelic phase on »Ummagumma« (1969). The lively chirping of birds is laced with increasingly intense cymbal work from drummer Guy Evans, who gradually adds more percussion elements within the completely free improvisational form. Two very short improvisations follow. »Extractus« features some witty Hammill riffs on electric guitar, with Evans’ jazzy drum mannerisms in the background. »Sackbutt« is a total improvisational switch-off, where scattered drum escapades are complemented by an electric guitar pulled through a somewhat bombastic effect, while the whole thing is accompanied by a booming layer of organ from Hugh Banton.
»Colossus«, on the other hand, is a longer piece with the distinctly dark, tense mood usually associated with VDGG. They build this chilling ambience out of fractured percussion improvisations, rattling drums, dissonant guitar effects, agitated bass lines and creeping organ sounds. »Batty Loop« is a short percussion escapade from Evans, accompanied by an irritable guitar improvisation. »Splendid« is marked by the traditional VDGG organ sound, completely specific to Banton’s technique, with Evans’ sprawling dashes around the drum kit keeping it company. »Repeat After Me« puts a tender, melodically seasoned improvisation on Hammill’s piano front and center, which makes it an extremely gentle and relaxing piece in ambient terms, one where his vocals would have fit perfectly. Eventually, Evans’ jazzy work on the cymbals joins the fragile piano improvisations, deepening the hypnotic mood even further.
»Elsewhere« is a perfect ambient contrast: a rather chaotic improvisational collage made up of crazed, dissonant guitar effects, wild drum escapades and bashful organ fragments, which together create the anxious atmosphere of some kind of nightmare. »Here’s One I Made Earlier« is steeped in Hammill’s furious improvisational caprices on electric guitar, combined with dissonant effects for a somewhat claustrophobic feel. The jazz-leaning »Midnite Or So«, with its authentic evening-bar ambience, is soaked in the warm sound of Banton’s organ improvisations, while Evans’ ever-thrilling drum combinatorics keep it company. »D’Accord« is once again a total contrast to its predecessor, with the atmosphere of a psychedelic horror movie, courtesy of Hammill’s guitar chords pulled through dissonant effects.
»Mackerel Ate Them« is a pretty chaotic improvisational merry-go-round, ruled by crazy guitar effects and wild runs across the cymbals, so it’s not all that strange that the trio ended up with an ambient association with the eating habits of a voracious mackerel. »Tuesday, The Riff« is an authentic VDGG improvisational concoction straight out of the worst post-apocalyptic nightmare, where the ominous drone of the organ crosses paths with untamed riffs backed by frenzied drum fills. The closing »Dronus«, at over ten minutes the longest improvisation on »ALT«, is a deep descent into the gloomy ambient labyrinths of Musique Concrete, where dissonant effects and unpredictable percussion improvisations reign, building a mood of ultimate bleakness and anxiety. The whole thing feels like the soundtrack to some post-apocalyptic sci-fi film.
The »ALT« project is the ultimate improvisational switch-off, made first and foremost for the longtime fans of this legendary progressive rock trio. They’ve always had a soft spot for this kind of totally unpredictable sonic experiment from these unrivaled masters of ambient post-apocalypse, one of the very few pioneering prog rock bands still making exciting music in the 21st century. These fans will know to take into account that this isn’t a ‘conventional’ VDGG album, but a project born out of pure fun, when Messrs. Hammill, Banton and Evans, in between recording in-depth compositions in the studio, gave a few minutes over to the free flow of the ‘unconscious’ in their collective brain. And those who can’t come to terms with the absence of Hammill’s charismatic vocals should, while waiting for a ‘regular’ VDGG album and while »ALT« is best enjoyed as a great ambient good time and experience, spin his excellent current solo album »Consequences« a few more times.
Lineup
Peter Hammill – guitar, keyboards
Hugh Banton – organ, bass guitar, bass pedals
Guy Evans – drums
Production
Peter Hammill
Tracklist
1. Earlybird
2. Extractus
3. Sackbutt
4. Colossus
5. Batty Loop
6. Splendid
7. Repeat After Me
8. Elsewhere
9. Here’s one I Made Earlier
10. Midnite or So
11. D’Accord
12. Mackerel Ate Them
13. Tuesday, The Riff
14. Dronus
