SINGLE REVIEW: Fire, Said The Albatross - “Pumpkin Spiced G. Rover Cripes”
Fire, Said The Albatross brings a smooth crescendo into madness with “Pumpkin Spiced G. Rover Cripes”
Written by JD Walker
Progressive music has seen a renaissance as of late - the sound that was pioneered in the 70’s by the likes of Rush, Yes, and Genesis has evolved into a smattering of post-hardcore, mathcore, rock, and a selection of other sounds and genres capstoned by the likes of Dance Gavin Dance, Hail the Sun, Polyphia, and many others. Fire, Said The Albatross puts on full display just what “progressive” music is in a number of different ways in their new single, “Pumpkin Spiced G. Rover Cripes”.
The song begins smoothly with a chiming, ambient guitar from guitarists James Falkowski and David Houseman layered with soaring vocal melodies. It quickly kicks into a heavier, overdriven verse with high energy and uptempo drums before kicking into a somehow chilled-out breakdown. The vocal juxtaposition between the duo of Lucas Story and Caleb Gatling adds credence to the controlled chaos of the song. Just the first 90 seconds of the song goes to show how versatile of a band Fire, Said The Albatross is and how many sonic textures they have to work with on their expansive musical palette. The band seamlessly transitions from chill melodies into dissonant, explosive sections highlighted by drummer Douglas Bishop and bassist Jonah Anderson as the whole song crescendos with a constant build-and-release of musical tension.
Fire, Said The Albatross embody the very nature of a progressive rock band - the 6-piece group hailing from West Michigan describe themselves as a progressive post-hardcore concept band with a story that has elements adapted from video games, Dungeons and Dragons (a popular role-playing game), and other high fantasy. The band embodies their concept through the use of odd time signatures, unorthodox song structure, and a plethora of soundscapes that they leverage on a whim.
Fire, Said The Albatross are no strangers to the different concepts and sonic colors familiar to progressive music - the band has a wonderful grip on the ever expanding soundscape and wealth of ideas that drive modern prog bands to create music that will stand the test of time. The group display their ferocious ability and chops while never over-playing to the point of doing an injustice to the song. This level of care in the songwriting process goes to show just how skilled of musicians and songwriters they are, and while Fire, Said The Albatross will continue to unleash bangers on the progressive music scene.