Once in a while, a debut album comes out of nowhere to win the hearts of the prog rock crowd. It’s only February, but we already have one such record: Jacob Roberge’s The Passing. It released back on January 31^st, and the sheer potential I hear in it is off the charts.

Jacob hails from Québec City, Québec, and is a singer and multi-instrumentalist with a classical music education. You can tell that pretty quickly. He handles vocals, keys, drums, bouzouki, and some bass, and brings with him William Gaboury on guitars, bass, programming, and keys; Marjorie Bourque on violin; Julien Siino on cello; Rémi Cormier on trumpet; Annie Paeur on backing vocals; and Gabriel Cyr on guitar.

The music here is quite ambitious, being progressive rock with lots of strings and orchestrations and movements. It feels like someone classically-trained wrote this, and there is a purity and crystal-clear innocence that seems to lie in every song; unadulterated beauty reigns. It’s really something to behold and feels fresh. And for some reason, I particularly love the acoustic guitar tone heard throughout.

The album has six songs and lasts about an hour. I’ll be straight with you: my favorite part of the album is tracks 3-6. I’ll readily admit that there are some moments in the first two tracks that nag me, some slightly-off vocal melodies and harmonies that don’t quite hit like I think Jacob desired, and maybe some somewhat awkward lyrical choices that some might consider witty, but that don’t sit well with my writer’s brain. I will say that “The Long Way Home” has a rock-solid chorus that I really like, as well as a massive guitar solo that hits just right. “Empty Traces, Part 1” is probably the weakest track on the album, but even its more reserved character is still solid—I’m not a fan of the elongated vocal harmony he attempts a few times, though.

All that is to say, if you see the hype and are let down by the first couple of songs, I encourage you to keep going. Starting with “Garden of Souls”, the album barely misses. This track is probably my favorite for its warm and comforting chorus and proggy instrumentals in the second half. “Petrichor” is an excellent sister track that is fairly reserved, but Jacob really emotes, and so it ends up feeling overwhelming good and familiar. “Empty Traces, Part 2” comes next, and is much better than the first part; I particularly like the piano and organ here, and the somber storytelling tone.

The tracks so far make up only half the album, though. The epic title track that closes the record is 32 minutes long and could almost have been an album unto itself. Look, this isn’t ever going to be the song you throw on while running errands, but it is a beautiful, cinematic, and touching piece that doesn’t feel nearly as long as it is. The song mixes classical and prog rock inspirations almost flawlessly, and while I’m sure it could have been edited down to something more digestible, Jacob really does a veteran job of making each part feel meaningful and necessary. There are very few vocal portions overall, but plenty of razor-sharp guitar and keyboard solos. I love the gorgeous melody that pervades the whole thing, visiting time and again with memory and light in its wake.

I’m deeply impressed by The Passing. Jacob has created an album that longtime musicians would be proud to have composed, and the pros vastly outweigh any cons. This is a true testament to how passion and skill can come together into something special.

___________

Find Jacob Roberge online:

Facebook

Website

Bandcamp

___________

Support The Prog Mind

___________