Label: Dyad Records
Release date: June 30, 2023
Production: Soft Machine
Album length: 56.21 min.
Genre: Progressive Rock / Canterbury Scene / Jazz Rock Fusion
Rating: 8.5/10
Soft Machine, the cult figureheads of the so-called Canterbury scene from prog rock’s distant past, are back with a new album, »Other Doors«, and jazz rock fusion fans have plenty to be happy about. With their previous album »Hidden Details« (2018, RockLine review), their first studio effort in more than 35 years (if we ignore the three studio albums they made as Soft Machine Legacy), they proved there’s absolutely no reason to retire, even though there hasn’t been a single founding member in the ranks for a long time now.
Two years before »Other Doors« came out, longtime bassist Roy Babbington left Soft Machine, though he still pitched in as a guest musician on a few of the tracks. Babbington was replaced by Fred Thelonius Baker, best known for his work with In Cahoots, the band led by the late Canterbury scene icon Phil Miller.
Sadly, »Other Doors« is also the last Soft Machine album for longtime drummer John Marshall, one of the greatest jazz fusion drummers of all time, who retired soon after his farewell studio outing and then, due to illness, passed away later that same year. His replacement soon became Israeli jazz drummer Asaf Sirkis, who will get his chance to shine as a member of the Canterbury greats in the near future. The driving forces of Soft Machine are now guitar virtuoso John Eheridge, the only musician from their ‘golden’ era (the seventies), and woodwind player/keyboardist Theo Travis, who has been loyal to the legendary band since the Soft Machine Legacy days and is otherwise well known as a longtime, occasional collaborator of Steven Wilson, the leading prog rock icon of recent times.
The opening track of »Other Doors«, »Careless Eyes«, sounds less like classic Soft Machine jazz rock fusion and more like a close encounter between jazz and world music from the Far East, with a nod to some of the work of cult band Jade Warrior. Etheridge’s guitar playing is pure balm for the soul right from the start, and it immediately signals that he’s a master of his instrument. The band really comes alive with improvisation and tasty solo spots on the title track, which is a real treat for all the jazz fusion connoisseurs out there and stylistically recalls the era of »Softs« (1976, RockLine review), Etheridge’s first Soft Machine album.
»Crooked Usage« and the even more chaotic »Fell to Earth« remind us above all why Soft Machine, ever since they moved into their jazz phase, have been masters of unbridled improvisation, unpredictable time changes and technical complexity. On shorter pieces like »A Flock of Holes« and »Whisper Back«, Soft Machine also show off their often overlooked, subtler and at times almost meditative ambient side. The main reason »Other Doors« is a touch less interesting than its predecessor »Hidden Details« is the two re-recorded tracks from the ‘good old days’, since there was no real reason to give them a modern ‘refresh’. »Penny Hitch« comes out very similar to the original version from the album »Seven« (1973) and doesn’t improve on it in any way. Its main point of interest is probably the interplay of double bass lines between newcomer Baker and Babbington (for whom this was most likely the final act of a rich musical career). The decision to turn the standard »Joy of a Toy« from the psychedelic debut, released way back in 1968 as the band’s first single ever, into a jazz version is far odder and completely unnecessary.
On »Other Doors«, Soft Machine remain a byword for quality jazz rock fusion, and not even Marshall’s premature farewell can spoil that after this album. Of the early British jazz rock acts that have been on the scene for more than fifty years, they’re actually the only ones still active, both in the studio and ‘live’, and still able to make music on a level close to their best years, which is both surprising and commendable. There’s no reason why they shouldn’t keep going at this very encouraging pace in the years ahead with a somewhat rejuvenated lineup. As for re-recorded versions of old material, though, they’d better forget about those next time.
Author: Peter “Dr. ProgRock” Podbrežnik
Track list:
1. Careless Eyes (2:28)
2. Penny Hitch (6:49)
3. Other Doors (4:51)
4. Crooked Usage (8:29)
5. Joy of a Toy (3:24)
6. A Flock of Holes (2:18)
7. Whisper Back (1:41)
8. The Stars Apart (4:23)
9. Now! Is the Time (2:16)
10. Fell to Earth (5:51)
11. The Visitor at the Window (4:08)
12. Maybe Never (2:26)
13. Back in Season (7:17)
Lineup:
Theo Travis – tenor and soprano saxophones, flutes, Fender Rhodes piano, electronics
Freddy Baker – fretless bass guitar
John Etheridge – guitars
John Marshall – drums
Guest musician:
Roy Babbington – bass guitar on tracks 2 and 9
