Early this past March up-and-coming progressive rock act The Far Cry released its sophomore album, Once There Was. Released independently by the band, the 64-minute record is a presentation that fans of the genre’s founders and current notable acts will find worth hearing at least once. That is due in part to the musical arrangements that make up its 15-song body. The lyrical themes that accompany the album’s musical content are of their own interest and add some more reason for listeners to take in the record. The production puts the finishing touch to the presentation. Each item is of its own importance to the album’s presentation. All things considered they make Once There Was a record that prog fans will agree is worth hearing at least once.
Once There Was, the recently released sophomore album from The Far Cry, is a presentation that prog-rock fans will agree deserves at least some attention. That is due in part to its musical arrangements. Speaking technically, the album is spread across 15 songs, though the vast majority of those songs are actually “movements” in the album’s fourth song, its title track. Over the course of all of those tracks, what audiences get is essentially a presentation of the history of progressive rock. There are influences of bands, such as Yes, Genesis, and even Emerson, Lake and Palmer peppered throughout the record. At the same time, just as evident is the influence of other more modern acts that continue to emulate the sound and style of those acts, including and not limited to Spock’s Beard, The Flower Kings, and Transatlantic. This is evident in the vocal delivery style of front man Jeff Brewer, the work of keyboardist Chris Dabbo, and even the specific drumming style and sound of Robert Hutchinson. Simply put, the band does not necessarily break any new ground in regard to the prog-rock realm through the album’s overall musical content, but it is still interesting to hear the band’s take on such a familiar sound and style.
On another note, the album’s lyrical content makes for its own share of interest. ‘Unholy Waters,’ the album’s opener and its longest track, for instance – the song clocks in at 14 minutes, 10 seconds — , is allegedly centered on the waters of the infamous Bermuda Triangle and other similar locations of the world’s waters. This is inferred as Brewer sings in the song’s lead verse and chorus against the sound of blowing winds and even a plane engine in the opening bars, “Further than the eye can see/Over the rim is a mystery//Messages sent/Though truth concealed/In each event/No reason revealed.” This points clearly to so many disappearances around the world of aircraft and ships that have vanished without explanation. He adds later in the song, “Moving across a vast expanse/We realize/You are taking a chance…Yet no one knows the tragic events.” Some of the lyrics are a little difficult to decipher sans a lyrics sheet but the message is clear, especially as Brewer and his band mates further add, “Sailing ships and flying machines/Never again were they to be seen/Forces and elements they didn’t know/Unholy water above and below.” Between everything that has happened to aircraft and ships in the Bermuda Triangle, the disappearance in recent years of the infamous MH-370 airliner, and so many other incidents the world over, the song becomes even more gripping, especially considering the upbeat nature of the song’s arrangement.
The biggest example of the interest in the album’s lyrical content comes in its expansive fourth song, its title track. This song comes across as a sort of concept record within the bigger picture of the album. It follows the people of a fictional town who take into account their present, future and past. At least that is how this critic interprets the whole. It is an intriguing tale spread across the larger body of the record that is certain to engage and entertain listeners.
‘The Following’ is another deep lyrical presentation. It centers on a young man dealing with an existential matter over the course of its nearly seven-minute run time. The gentle, flowing piano line that opens the song conjures thoughts of Jordan Rudess’ work on so many Dream Theater records while the vocals that pair alongside the performance gives the song more of a Spock’s Beard type work. The inferred theme comes as Brewer sings, “Why do you let them/lead you there/Why feel the need to follow/The reason is empty/The idea is hollow/Why do you follow/An innocent child is born to this world…Living a story/High hopes of glory/For the winning/but there will be losing/May he run in the fields/The grass and the trees/Will bend to the breeze/Can he feel which way the wind’s blowing/taking his first steps to learn as he’s growing/So he’s reaching/With a need to be knowing/And to feel the wind blow.” Some of the lyrics are, again difficult to decipher sans lyrics sheet. But the seeming message is clear enough, regardless. Here is a young man whose fate seems controlled but eventually he reaches that point where he starts to question everything. The existential rumination that follows is a matter to which so many listeners will be able to relate. That is because so many people have been in that exact same position at one point or another in life. When this topic is considered along with the other noted lyrical material featured throughout Once There Was, the whole therein makes clear the importance of the album’s lyrical content.
Rounding out the most important of the album’s elements is its production. From one song to the next, those behind the boards ensured listeners’ engagement and entertainment by balancing the instrumental and vocal performances to the best of their ability. Yes there are a few minor hiccup moments but for the most part, the production ensures the aesthetic presentation of Once There Was is just as strong as that of its overall content. Keeping that in mind, the collective content and production of Once There Was makes the album a presentation that while not groundbreaking, still a record that progressive rock fans will agree is worth hearing at least once.
Once There Was, the sophomore album from The Far Cry, is an interesting new offering from the independent, up-and-coming progressive rock act. Its interest comes in part through its featured musical arrangements, which lift liberally from the past and present of the prog-rock community. At the same time, each song still boasts its own identity even with the easy comparison to works from so many other more well-known prog-rock acts. The lyrical content that accompanies the album’s musical content makes for its own interest. That is because at points it is familiar and unique in its delivery. In another – the album’s opener – the song’s lyrical content is unique, being that few if any other bands have ever touched on the examined subject. The record’s production rounds out its most important elements. That is because of the positive aesthetic that it ensures for the presentation. Each item examined is important in its own way to the whole of the record. All things considered they make Once There Was a prog-rock record that deserves to be heard at least once.
Once There Was is available now. More information on the album is available along with all of The Far Cry’s latest news at:
Website: https://thefarcrygroup.com
Facebook: https://facebook.com/thefarcry
