By DJ Astrocreep
Having covered last year’s ‘Ark EP’ by the same band, I was delighted to receive an offer of early access to Hats Off Gentlemen It’s Adequate’s forthcoming ‘Nostalgia For Infinity’ album months before its actual release. The question was whether a full-length release would stand up to the test of a rather enjoyable EP as a predecessor, as well as a rather glorious-sounding back catalogue. Having cleared out the more immediate releases from my pile, it was time to give the album its first spin.
On the first listen through I notice there is a heavier lean towards an electronic piano sound at times, not that this is a negative – it strongly suits the way that HOGIA craft their musical paths – just that it wasn’t quite what I had in mind prior to the listen, while the Jazz approach to short instrumental ‘Scorpio’ around two thirds in adds something a bit further different into what I would expect as part of their sound. ‘Ark’, the title track of the previous EP, is included within this album which is fair enough in my own opinion, given it’s a rather standout track in its own right and was one of only two originals on the previous EP, which also included a cover.
When the likes of ‘Chasing Neon’, one of the more electronic sounding affairs on this journey, was released six months ago, it gives you an indication of just how long Malcolm and co have been sitting on this material and tweaking things to make it as perfect as they can in their own eyes, something that shows in the sheer quality that pervades throughout this release. There is a definite feel of space orientated prog with a couple of extra additions, with the main mental image I get from the sonic landscapes being one of drifting through the cosmos and taking in all of the sights and wonders that both surround and envelop you, while the likes of ‘Ark’, which tells a musical tale of the Ark Royal in World War II, gives you something of a still flighty, yet more down to Earth’s landscapes feel.
The title track itself both fits in, in terms of its sound, yet doesn’t in that it steps away from the rather progressive appeal of most of their work and instead sounds like a much more straightforward melodic rock song in its own right and is something that they capture rather marvellously at the same time, making it a real standout point of the album, if not entirely symptomatic of it.
This is a rather glorious release that should appeal equally to fans of ’70s/’80s style progressive rock as much as to some more interested in their slightly more mainstream AOR. While it may not have the big choruses of the AOR big boys, there feels a certain affinity throughout the album that this is something beyond a ‘mere’ prog album. It certainly deserves to get as wide of an audience as is possible.
‘Nostalgia For Infinity’ is released on 6 May. You can get your copy HERE.
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