Author: Peter Podbrežnik
Artist: Hammill, Peter
Label: Fie! Records
Released: 2006
Rating: 4.5/5
Peter Hammill, musical visionary, indestructible doctor of post-apocalyptic poetics and one of the greatest vocal oddballs of our time, spent most of 2005 busy with the newly reformed prog rock legends Van Der Graaf Generator, who also put out a new album, “Present”, that same year. But by the following year the hyperactive Hammill was back in the studio, ready to throw himself fully into his no less thrilling solo career, which spans a magnificent, sprawling body of stylistically wildly diverse work from this one-of-a-kind musical visionary. For a workaholic and genius like Hammill, more than a year’s break in his solo career – unbelievable but true – is a red alert and a sign that it’s time to put out something new. That’s why in 2006 he temporarily put everything related to Van Der Graaf Generator on hold and channeled all his creative energy into finishing the solo work he’d set out to do. One of the two results (the other is the studio album “Singularity”) is “Veracius”, a live recording on which he teams up once again with violinist Stuart Gordon. The two had already worked together at Hammill’s live shows in the past, and two live albums with Gordon had come out before this one: “Room Temperature” (1990) and “The Union Chapel Concert (with Guy Evans)” (1997). From that track record you can only conclude that Gordon is one of the best musicians Hammill could team up with, since not a single release he and Peter have made together has been even remotely off. The stage chemistry between them is incredible, every single time. Worth noting: “Veracious” arrives seven years after Hammill’s last live album, the excellent “Typical- Solo Performances” (1999), which was much more of a classic live recording, with him playing most of his best-known pieces plus a few VDGG songs. With “Veracious” we now get another Hammill live album that’s worth every minute.
This time I’ll sum up my impressions of the whole recording like this: “Veracious” is a very good live document that immediately sucked me into some seriously intense listening for a long, long time, and set off quite a few ecstatic moments across more than an hour of Hammill’s masterful take on some specially chosen pieces that he doesn’t exactly play all that often. There’s not the slightest sign of tiredness on the recording, nor any hint that he’s said his last word in his constant search for new horizons. Peter still shines live just like he did in most of the best moments of his rich musical journey. When people talk about him, it’s about nothing other than excellence and perfectionism in musical ideas, and an extraordinary balance between genius and the incredible energy of unusual aspects. Not without reason, many who know his musical path well have called Hammill a genius mind. “Veracius” is a lovely cross-section of that wonderful mind and all the virtues of his artistic approach to music. It’s a recording that once again blows past every limit set by notions like “standard,” “normality” or “the everyday.” With its unusual but nicely judged selection, “Veracious” includes nothing at all from his previous two studio albums, “Clutch” (2002) and “Incoherence” (2004), but instead showcases plenty of other, mostly lesser-known gems from Hammill’s magnificent body of work.
With Gordon’s help, Hammill takes a completely different, fresh approach to playing each piece, and they differ markedly from their studio versions. I’m especially taken with how he handles his longer, more energetic numbers. After a few minutes you don’t miss the drums or any kind of rhythm section at all. Most of the performances rest on the excellent combination of Peter’s incredible vocals (about which plenty has been said already, and plenty more surely will be) and his use of various instruments (be it piano or guitar), plus the thrilling, equal contribution of Gordon’s violin, which weaves together lots of beautiful arrangements. Hammill is in incredible, phenomenal vocal form and doesn’t let up for a second – whether he goes for a rawer approach or for the more melancholic moments. Gordon, on the other hand, comes across less as a guest and more as an equal partner. Most of the pieces truly raise the stakes and mess with your head, like the at-times demented performance of “Like Veronica” (None Of The Above, 2000). Elsewhere, “Veracious” carries on Hammill’s proud tradition of live reinterpretations with rousing versions of other pieces such as “Amnesiac” (X My Heart, 1996), “Nightman” (This, 1998) and “A Way Out” (Out Of Water, 1990). All the pieces on the recording were actually played at three different live venues, but you never notice it while listening, because it works as a seamless whole. The mood keeps building, from dark and murky to outstanding esoteric expressions. All Hammill fans will experience a true manifestation of miracles while listening to “Veracious”, in this musical giant’s interpretation,
“Veracious” proves more than clearly that master Hammill is still a peerless musical artist live, too. It seems like time doesn’t pass for him at all, as he doesn’t ease off one bit in realizing his incredible artistic visions. “Veracious” is a work that only someone operating on such a high and special level as he does could make. No sincere fan of his solo output can afford to miss this live experience. Even in this century, Hammill remains one of the few musical artists who perform their work with an incredible artistic energy, one shared by some artists outside music too (literature, theater, film, painting). A true concert treat for all music connoisseurs looking for proof that rock music can be an integral part of high artistic craft even in the 21st century!
Line-up
Peter Hammill – vocals, guitar, keyboards
Stuart Gordon – violin
Production
Peter Hammill
Track list
1. A Better Time (5:13)
2. Gone Ahead (5:02)
3. Driven (4:17)
4. Nothing Comes (4:23)
5. Amnesiac (6:15)
6. Nightman (5:54)
7. Like Veronica (8:52)
8. Bubble (5:26)
9. Easy to Slip Away (6:03)
10. Primo on the Parapet (9:17)
11. Shingle Song (5:12)
12. A Way Out (8:14)
Album length: 74:08
