Author: Peter Podbrežnik
Artist: Tiger Moth Tales
Label: White Knight Records
Release: 2015
Length: 41:29
Rating: 4.5/5
Peter Jones is a blind but all the more brilliant British multi-instrumentalist, composer, arranger and singer who, under the name Tiger Moth Tales, shocked the modern prog rock scene with the excellent debut »Cocoon« (2014), which went down best with Genesis fans and lovers of assorted neo-prog acts. Jones lost his sight to a rare illness in his early teens, so he turned to music and over time developed his exceptional talent to the fullest.
After early musical adventures in the pop world, and even an appearance on the commercial TV show X Factor, Jones was finally won over by his long-standing love of symphonic prog rock, especially once he decided to create the ambitious debut mentioned above, which was also a concept album, partly autobiographical, about saying goodbye to an idyllic childhood and crossing into adulthood. Already on »Cocoon« Jones thoroughly fascinated with his outstanding songwriting, first-rate playing of every single instrument on the album, and a voice that was velvety and charismatic at once, conjuring up the best days of good old Genesis. Besides Genesis and Steve Hackett, Jones also counts Queen among his main musical role models, while among newer prog acts he especially admires Big Big Train, Frost*, Haken and the various projects of Swedish master Roine Stolt.
The dust around his debut hadn’t even properly settled when Jones had already recorded his second Tiger Moth Tales concept project, »Story Tellers – Part One«, on which he merges symphonic prog rock, once again heavily influenced by classic Genesis, with the world of children’s fairy tales, stories and animal fables, which are obviously among his favorite themes. Such a fusion doesn’t seem all that strange if we just remember classic Genesis, whose lyrics, through assorted music boxes, aging kings, harlequins, giant weeds, magic wells and horned visitors from fantastical places, often touched on (lost) childhood innocence and sought inspiration in various romantic, fantasy worlds and mythology.
Jones’s guitar playing is noticeably influenced by Steve Hackett and Anthony Phillips too, while certain arrangements and ambient segments strongly recall the »Wind & Wuthering« (1977) era of Genesis, so all lovers of symphonic prog romance and guitar neoclassicism will have an immense time listening to the individual compositions. You can hear it already on the opener »Beauty Falls«, a gorgeous instrumental and an interesting folk-symphonic prog hybrid, where Jones proves himself a pretty skilled flautist as well. The title track is full of old-timey magic, melodrama and authentic Victorian melos, which was so characteristic of Jones’s symphonic prog heroes. Jones’s vocals are full of theatrical pathos, which fits perfectly with the subtle, symphonic arrangements, through which he often steers some elaborate guitar improvisation. »Beauty Sleep«, where Jones plays 12-string acoustic guitar and flute, instantly brings to mind one of Hackett’s or Phillips’s pastoral-sounding feats, the kind that make green meadows appear before your eyes, with the morning mist just rising off them.
The humoresque piece »A Kids Tale«, on the other hand, is pure tomfoolery with a generous dose of black English humor, reminiscent of a rowdy halfway point between a children’s story, a fable and some village burlesque, where Jones proves himself not just an excellent multi-instrumentalist but also an excellent vocal impersonator and comedian. Through his theatrical vocal performance, with the occasional, mostly witty guitar improvising, various characters and animals from the concept mentioned above come to life quite convincingly.
Things get a bit more serious on the symphonic epic and Victorian drama »The Quest For Beauty«, where Jones confirms his exceptional feel for melody and for building moving arrangements. Along the way he casually slips in a passionate oriental motif built on pentatonic scales. »The Pipper«, about the fairy-tale piper of Hamelin who hypnotized all the rats and the town’s children, contains quite a few avant-garde detours with broken rhythmic patterns and an abundance of burlesque vocal bits. The closing, melancholic instrumental »Beauty Awakes« opens like some kind of parade march, but through mighty guitar variations it quickly turns into yet another ambient journey through a fairy-tale world, with Jones’s most emotional singing performance yet.
»Story Tellers – Part One«, the work of one lone man, is one of the loveliest neo-prog surprises of 2015. The neo-prog scene has clearly gained one of the biggest and most versatile talents in recent years, one who, on top of exceptional technical skill, brings to this kind of music a humor that’s far too often missed. The album also carries itself with excellent retro production, free of the excessive, modern and often shallow sonic “polish” that so often happens to some contemporary prog acts. It’s simply unbelievable what a single (blind!) person can create in the studio with the right use of traditional instruments, if they have the right drive, belief in themselves, exceptional songwriting and virtuoso skills, and an immense love for quality music. And anyone who may doubt Jones’s stage talent can check out the Tiger Moth Tales live album »Live At The Borderline« (2015), where the hyperproductive blind genius likewise played all the instruments completely by himself.
Lineup
Pete Jones – vocals, all instruments
Production
Pete Jones
Tracklist
1. Beauty Falls (3:51)
2. Story Tellers (5:40)
3. Beauty Sleeps (4:43)
4. A Kids Tale (6:08)
5. The Quest for Beauty (4:28)
6. The Piper (12:52)
7. Beauty Awakes (3:47)
