What Are You Listening To?

[Ruby]

I’ve been listening to multi-instrumentalist Andrew Marshall, aka Willowglass. Symphonic prog, despite being a one-man outfit, or just about – drums excepted on the first two and drums and violin, flute and additional guitars on the third, The Dream Harbour (spelled with a ‘u’ which is a clue as to his origins – I heard it referred to as Mud Island the other day! Lol!). Of the three, I think I prefer the second, which is Book of Hours – the first is eponymously titled. Lots of mellotron on them all – they are all instrumental and pay very evident homage to the great progressive music of the seventies – in a similar vein to Anthony Phillips. Release dates 2005, 2008 and 2013.

          

While Marshall has played in several bands over the years, Willowglass is his to do with as he pleases, and it is an evolving project. I like the sounds he’s produced which have some of that important luminosity, although if I had to level criticism, it would be that he tends to fall in love with his riffs now and then! Also, I think that sometimes when ‘outside’ contributors are used there seems to be a bit more of a struggle with cohesion in the end product. Colin Masson doesn’t have that problem, and neither does Steve Unruh who I’ve also been listening to because of his work on the third Willowglass album. That said, however, all three of these Willowglass albums are definitely worthy of admiration (if you like this kinda thing to begin with, of course ?).
 
A track from each of them:

• Willowglass – “Walking the Angels” … https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-bP93KrOg_M
  
• Book of Hours – “The Maythorne Cross” … https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YXEfcFTH0CU
  
• The Dream Harbour – the title track … https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z5Zt5J4MLrA (which incidentally went directly into Camel’s Stationary Traveller on autoplay on YT – OMG – comparisons seem so unfair, but they are undoubtedly in a class of their own – gorgeous music … https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=acb3wRtzuBE)