Author: Peter Podbrežnik
Artist: Hammill, Peter
Label: Fie! Records
Release: 2009
Length: 46:48
Rating: 4.5/5
“Thin Air” is the milestone thirtieth solo album from English singer, composer and occasional man of letters Peter Hammill, a charismatic fellow who went down in music history first and foremost as one of the most unique voices in rock. Over a rich career spanning more than forty years, both solo and with the legendary prog rock band Van Der Graaf Generator, Hammill has made a good number of highly innovative and challenging, not to say downright provocative, albums, which, especially in the seventies, had a major influence on the development of modern experimental and even popular music.
Even in recent years, since the reunion of Van Der Graaf Generator, his solo albums have kept coming with a gap of two years at most, which deserves a deep bow for a musician of his venerable age (for comparison, Peter Gabriel lately needs almost ten years before he puts out a new album). Despite how often they appear, Hammill’s solo releases haven’t gotten any less interesting or any more predictable over the years, since he remains a one-of-a-kind master of the art rock craft, which he proves once again on “Thin Air”. Just like on the previous album “Singularity” (2006), Hammill again played all the instruments, wrote all the songs and handled production himself.
The main lyrical themes this time are disappearance, loss, separation and change, in other words notions that have always suited the eternal master of expressing melancholy and pain down to the ground. The mood of the album is soaked in extreme melancholy and longing from start to finish. Some of the lyrics refer to flying and airplanes and to the World Trade Center, even though Hammill has denied any direct connection to 9/11. The musical side of the album rests on the ethereal experimentalism that Hammill revived on its predecessor “Singularity”. That means most of the motifs are built on distorted electric guitar, piano arrangements and challenging sonic textures, with digital samples thrown into the mix as well. With the help of the latter, he built some exceptionally tasteful orchestral arrangements, so good that the listener can easily forget there’s only one person on the album.
As you’d expect, Hammill still shines brightest with his most important “instrument”, namely his voice. The test of time has taken a barely noticeable toll on his singing, since he’s still a master of astonishing leaps between high and low registers. To convey deep emotional states, he also leans heavily on choral vocal harmonies, which he has deftly laid down especially between the individual choruses. Those familiar with Peter’s solo career will pick up quite a few sonic similarities to his work from the late seventies and early eighties, such as the album “A Black Box” (1980).
In Peter’s usual manner, the individual compositions are eclectic enough to keep eternal musical adventurers happy even after many listens, with a string of pleasures and fresh sonic discoveries. “The Mercy” grabs you right away with a dramatic electronic intro that sets the stage for Peter’s harrowing delivery of deeply personal emotional states. The guitar distortion that cuts in and the violin-driven orchestral arrangements provide a pronounced instrumental minimalism, out of which a dark and at times chilling atmosphere grows. Hammill also remains a master of captivating ballads, which he shows off nicely on the excellent “Your Face On The Street”. It’s based on the contrast between delicate piano accompaniment and theatrical vocals. Dramatic operatic harmonies and distorted guitar bring a slightly chaotic mood along the way.
“Stumbled” has almost everything it takes to have come out on a Van Der Graaf Generator album, since with its combination of a pastoral acoustic guitar melody, jazzy flourishes and minimalist guitar distortion it hits pretty close to one of the ethereal ballads from their past. All it’s missing is the organ, and a new VDGG ballad classic would be born. “Wrong Way Round” is a short but cocky instrumental, stuffed with electronic samples, distorted guitar passages and a funky rhythm. The jazz-leaning “Ghost Of Planes” is drenched in unbelievable melancholy. Porcupine Tree could happily use those eerie-sounding ambient textures too. Some of the percussion patterns in between sound like a rattlesnake’s rattle.
On “If We Must Part Like This”, the grief-stricken master Hammill decides to play around with bluesy guitar passages and a minimalist rhythm, over which he lays his inconsolable singing in an incredibly convincing way. “Undone” has an almost solemn mood thanks to its piano melody and the orchestral textures that drift in. In the spotlight, as usual, is Peter’s heart-rending singing, delivering an interesting philosophical lyric. “Dimnished” brings some much-needed romanticism to this melancholic, darkly moody album with the help of numerous ambient waves. There’s also no shortage of experimentation that at times edges almost into post-rock territory, thanks to an interesting sequence of digital samples. The closing, ultra-melancholic epic “The Top Of The World Club” is a lyrical continuation of “Ghost Of Planes”. Many will think of 9/11 when they hear the words, even though Peter has denied any such links. Hammill’s gripping vocal performance, where fear, sorrow and anger all mix together, is accompanied throughout by an extremely fragile piano melody, which is gradually joined by dramatic sonic textures in the background.
“Thin Air” is another gem in the collection of Hammill’s solo masterpieces. Over the years, the charismatic musical visionary hasn’t let up when it comes to conjuring gut-wrenching emotional states and probing the dark corners of the human psyche, all backed by incredibly effective ambient foundations. He has reached that level of songwriting maturity, out of reach for many musicians, where he no longer needs any outside collaborator for his creative projects and visions, which among other things gives him total instrumental freedom, even when simulating orchestral arrangements and maneuvering through guitar passages. I hope that, despite his venerable number of years, the legendary artist will keep delighting his loyal audience with such high-quality releases for a long time to come. “Thin Air” came out on physical media via Peter’s own label Fie. It’s also available as a digital download through Burning Shed Records.
Lineup
Peter Hammill – vocals and all instruments
Production
Peter Hammill
Track list
1. The Mercy (6:21)
2. Your Face on the Street (5:21)
3. Stumbled (4:48)
4. Wrong Way Round (2:40)
5. Ghosts of Planes (5:23)
6. If We Must Part Like This (4:38)
7. Undone (4:25)
8. Diminished (6:11)
9. The Top of the World Club (7:03)
