John Holden is back with a new album called Proximity & Chance. I meant to review this before its release day, which was May 29th, but I didn’t feel ready. Honestly, his albums always make me feel that way and I end up delaying the review. The album is beautiful and it feels that way at first shake; but, I don’t know, there’s just something about this album that takes time to process.
John is a prog rock musician from the UK. He likes to make songs about specific historical events or historical persons and their ideas, or sometimes even philosophical takes that result from learning from history. He likes history. Fans of Big Big Train might feel right at home here. He always brings guest vocalists, too, this time being Shaun Holton (Projected Twin, Southern Empire) and Pete Jones (tons of bands and projects), and Sally Minnear (Pendragon and more). He himself provides guitar, bass, keys, and orchestrations; and the rest comes from Dave Brons on guitar, John Hackett on flute, Pete Jones on organ and saxophone, Moray Macdonald on trumpet, Luke Machin on guitar, and Vikram Shankar on piano and synth.
John knows how to pick them, right? His album are always illustrious affairs with gorgeous melodies, wonderful performances, and an air of class and sophistication. I’m going to be straight with you, though. I mean, I always try to be, but this time, I want to be crystal clear about something. John Holden’s music is always a little odd and quirky the first time you hear it. It really is. There’s no getting around it. But on subsequent listens, his sense of melody and place and history starts to take hold, and then you’ll notice the terrific bass line here or the excellent synth solo there, and then you start to fathom the experience John is trying to create as a whole. And then you “get” it. That’s where the appreciation settles in and the enjoyment increases.
So, I find myself really liking Proximity & Chance. It’s a different sort of album, even among the pastoral prog rock crowd. His music has plenty of rocking portions, but much of it also hovers, as if on a whisper, and some of it feels almost theatrical. This album also leans into a classical tone, especially on the excellent instrumental tracks. Like all of his albums, it feels more like a collage of sorts, not a united whole, but the humanity within it is what binds it together.
John is also consistent. The album has no highs or lows, in particular, but is good and beautiful the whole time. I like the opener, “13”, which is the single, but I’ll admit that it is my least favorite on the album. It’s a good, driving prog rock song with Pete offering solid vocals. Shaun comes in on the next song, “The Man Who Would Be King”, one of my favorites. I like how it feels legendary in tone, and the trumpet and folk aesthetic really works. “A Sense of Place” is an instrumental piece with acoustic guitar and flute, and it is beautiful. I really like how pure it feels. The first half ends with another great song, “Burnt Cork and the Limelight”, a more theatrical piece with Pete on vocals and a seriously terrific opening that sounds sublime and cinematic. The storytelling on this piece is extremely convincing. I love that one.
The second half begins with Shaun on “Agents”. This song is somewhat darker for John and ominous, too. Shaun brings gravitas and Pete brings a terrific sax solo, and the song is shadowy and maybe colorful at the same time. I really like it. Sally appears next with the song “Fini”, which is a ballad with a strong hook; it’s growing on me. Sally has a way of communicating nostalgia and innocence, and that feels perfect here.
The last two songs are quite different from each other. “Proximity” is a brilliant instrumental piece; in fact, it’s more of an orchestral piece with cinema and movement in its veins. I like the guitar and synth accents, but the meat is the gorgeous orchestrations and the dark moments it boasts. I think it might be my favorite on the album. The closer “Chance (Under One Sun)” is bright and happy. It has a beautiful message and feels innocent in both lyrics and composition. It is an ideal closer for a John Holden album.
Look, John makes music that is peaceful and melodic with spurts of rip-roaring rhythms and theatrical climax. It takes time to put the pieces together, but the complete experience is worth your time and energy. I like how picturesque this album can feel, but also the darker side it has, and I like his forays into classical music as they are a resounding success. Prog rock fans should definitely give this a look.
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The PROG Mind 