Reviewer
Prognose	The easiest way for a band to rest assured of their fan base is to make the same kind of album over and over again. But changing your style is brave but dangerous, with the possibility of displeasing a lot of fans. Mostly Autumn didn’t pick the easy way. So you’re in for a different Mostly Autumn. Some of these changes are very positive. The production is better, the sound is more dynamic and the songs are very strong. Other changes will be harder to accept by the hard die fans. There are no more Celtic and folk influences on this album. Except the Uilleann pipes of Troy during “Carpe Diem”. The flute and recorders of Angela have even been given a minor role on this album, which is really a pity. It was also a bit of a surprise that Heather isn’t singing as much as on “Passengers”. On that album she really evolved into a real, great singer and she was the main vocalist, but on Storms Bryan is doing about half of the vocals again. Although he will never be a top singer, he has improved a lot. He seems to have gained a lot of self confidence which shows even more in his guitar playing. His solo’s are really top notch. Watch out, Mr. Gilmour and Mr. Rothery, Mr Josh is lurking round the corner!! This album is the first with the new drummer Andrew Jennings, who is really enjoying himself and is giving the band an extra dimension. His presence is a great improvement. The album opens with a great melody on a slide guitar and already sets the tone for the new Mostly Autumn sound. The more ‘gothic’ way of singing by Heather on this track is a bit of a surprise and takes some time to get used to. “Broken Glass” is a pumping, poppy track, sung by Bryan, with a great keyboard melody line. The same feeling returns in “Ghost in Dreamland” with a few quieter moments accompanied on the piano. “Heart Life”, already known by regular MA gig visitors, is the first quieter break although the chorus turns the song into a power ballad, with great vocals by Heather. And for the first time on this album, there is Angela on a recorder in the background. And what a guitar solo to top it all off. “The End of the World” has some peculiar lyrics (food for thought and interviews), half narrated on an arrangement with some obvious Genesis references. “Black Rain”, the heaviest MA song unto now, is a real Purple/Heep track, including the Lord/Hensley Hammond. “Coming To”, a short instrumental, written by Iain, ends the first part of the album, the part with the shorter heavier tracks. What a surprising ending to this track. The first time I thought my CD player skipped the rest of the song. The second half of the CD contains longer tracks. Apparently the Pink Floyd covers they played have had their influences because “Candle To The Sky” could have been called “Dark Side of the Moon”. The second part of the track is a quiet instrumental ‘floydish’ improvisation which could have been a lot shorter. “Carpe Diem”, my favourite, reflects on the Tsunami disaster. The track is opened by the Uilleann pipes of Troy, giving this song an even more melancholic feeling. A great combination of flute, piano, keyboards, vocals and pipes, brought to a climax by a brilliant Josh guitar solo. The same built-up is used on the title track. Another great ballad, but my preference goes to “Carpe Diem”. “Tommorow” is a short instrumental to end the album. Andrew opens in “Phil Collins” style after which the track grows to a bombastic ending of the CD. The Storms are really blowing you away with a darker and harder edge than the usual MA stuff, but I really like the album after hearing it a few times. It will never replace “The Last Bright Light” on top of my favourite MA list, but it’s a refreshing new Mostly Autumn, that deserves to be listened to.	De gemakkelijkste manier voor een groep om zijn fans te behouden is het maken van hetzelfde soort album als het vorige. Van stijl veranderen vergt moed maar is gevaarlijk met de mogelijkheid dat je de fans teleurstelt. Mostly Autumn koos niet voor die gemakkelijke weg. Dus houd je klaar voor een vernieuwd groepsgeluid. Sommige van die veranderingen komen heel positief over. De productie is beter, het geluid is dynamischer en de nummers zijn zeer sterk. Andere veranderingen zullen moeilijker te aanvaarden zijn voor sommige fans. De Keltische en folk invloeden zijn verdwenen, uitgezonderd de doedelzak van Troy tijdens “Carpe Diem” en de (blok)fluit van Angela heeft een veel kleinere rol gekregen, wat toch wel jammer is. Het is ook een verrassing dat Heather niet zoveel zingt als op “Passengers”. Met dat album was ze werkelijk geëvolueerd tot topzangeres en was ze ook de belangrijkste stem, maar op Storms neemt Bryan weer ongeveer de helft van de zang voor zijn rekening. Hij zal nooit een topzanger worden maar hij is wel een stuk verbeterd. Zijn zelfvertrouwen is duidelijk gegroeid en dat blijkt nog meer uit zijn gitaarspel. Zijn solo’s zijn werkelijk van de bovenste plank. Kijk maar uit, Mr. Gilmour en Mr. Rothery, Mr Josh ligt op de loer achter de hoek!! Storms is ook het eerste studiowerk met de nieuwe drummer Andrew Jennings, die zich duidelijk amuseert en die de groep een extra dimensie geeft. Zijn aanwezigheid is een hele verbetering. Het album opent met een mooie melodielijn op een ‘slide’ gitaar en zet reeds de toon voor het nieuwe MA geluid. Een kleine verrassing is dat de zang van Heather meer ‘gothic’ klinkt dan gewoonlijk, wat toch wel wat gewenningstijd vraagt. “Broken Glass” is een pompend, poppy nummer, gezongen door Bryan, met een prachtige keyboard lijn. Hetzelfde gevoel keert terug in “Ghost in Dreamland” met enkele kalmere stukken ingebouwd, begeleid op piano. “Heart Life”, een nummer dat velen reeds van live shows kennen, is het eerste echte kalme moment op de CD hoewel het refrein ook dit nummer verheft tot een power ballad, met sublieme vocalen van Heather. En voor het eerst op dit album mag ook Angela de blokfluit eens bovenhalen, zij het teveel op de achtergrond. En wat een gitaarsolo om het nummer af te sluiten. De tekst van “The End of the World” is heel speciaal (voer voor interviews) en wordt half gezongen, half verteld op een arrangement dat duidelijk refereert naar Genesis. “Black Rain”, het hardste MA nummer tot nu toe, is een echte Purple/Heep song, Lord/Hensley Hammond incluis. “Coming To”, een kort instrumentaaltje, geschreven door Iain, beëindigt het eerste deel van het album, het gedeelte met de kortere, hardere nummers. Wat een verrassend einde heeft dit nummer. De eerste maal dacht ik dat mijn CD speler een stuk van het nummer oversloeg. De tweede helft van de CD bevat langere nummers. Het is duidelijk dat de Pink Floyd covers die ze de laatste tijd gespeeld hebben, hun stempel hebben nagelaten, want “Candle To The Sky” kan je bijna de titel “Dark Side of the Moon” meegeven. Het tweede gedeelte van het nummer is een rustige instrumentale “Floyd” improvisatie die voor mij iets te lang duurt. In “Carpe Diem”, mijn favoriet nummer, denkt Heather terug aan de Tsunami ramp. Het nummer wordt geopend met de doedelzak van Troy wat het nummer nog extra melancholisch maakt. Prachtige combinatie van fluit, piano, keyboards, zang en ‘Uilleann pipes’, naar een climax gevoerd met een briljante Josh gitaarsolo. Dezelfde opbouw wordt gebruikt tijdens het titelnummer, eveneens een prachtige ballad, maar mijn voorkeur gaat naar “Carpe Diem”. “Tommorow” is een instrumentaal nummer om het album af te ronden. Andrew opent in ‘Phil Collins’ stijl, waarna het nummer passend naar een bombastisch einde groeit. The Storms blazen je werkelijk weg met een donkerder en harder geluid dan het bekende MA werk, maar na enkele beluisteringen vind ik het best te pruimen. Het zal nooit “The Last Bright Light” naar de kroon steken op mijn favoriete MA lijst, maar het is een verfrissende nieuwe Mostly Autumn die zeker een beluistering verdient.
Aloha Magazine	Mostly Autumn - Storms over still water | Classic Rock Direct LTD * * * * * Mostly Autumn founded about ten years ago has proven that it is possible to get pretty far in this world without hit songs , but with outstanding music and many gigs. This sixth album Storms over still water is released because of the fans who ordered 2000 copies by the official website http://www.mostly-autumn.com/ even before the recordings had started. The music is a unique mix of Pink Floyd, Jethro Tull, Genesis And Deep Purple. Its for all female singer Heather Findlay and guitarist Bryan Josh who dictate the sound. On Storms hard rockers as Out of the Green Sky, Broken Glass, Black Rain and Coming to …are varied by beautiful epic ballads as Carpe diem and the Title song. The other five , as strong as the others, are floating in between. Josh playing is phenomenal, and as far as I’m concerned the only guitarist who is allowed to stand in the shadow of David Gilmour. But it is the symphatic Heather who takes care of the definitive spell. Make sure you are at there on July 16th ( Boerderij Zoetermeer ), and September. Then they are here. Kees Baars Genre: Progressive folk rock
From our friends at http://www.progarchives.com/	MOSTLY AUTUMN Storms Over Still Water Review (Permanent link) by Nick @ 6:39:36 PM EST, 5/10/2005 — An album with two faces; a rockin' Dark Side and an excellent soaring symphonic rock Side with four excellent epics. But nevertheless it all fits well on one album, but it needs more as one spin in your desk. They've left the Celtic edge what was so characteristic for their first two albums. And so there isn't much room for Angela and her amazing flute, and that is a lost I think, because I like her playing extremely well. On the other hand the contributions of Ian are greater as ever, the rhythm team has improved and again it seems that Heathers voice has made another big step to higher grounds. Carpe Diem and the title track are classic masterpieces already. The sound quality is superb and I really enjoyed the fresh live sound of the whole album. Maybe that is because a new engineer was brought in and the professional surrounding of the Chapel Studios has a positive effect. Bryan: "... we never have used this kind equipment as this before... one thing I really wanted to have for the album is a kind of fresh sound, white moist, fresh nice production sound, think the songs deserve that...". A few moments before he mentioned that they didn't have used all the posibilities of the Chapel Studios, so to speak with Bryans words "...there will be a lot beautiful moments to come." But first enjoy this one! Nick from the lovely South of theNetherlands at www.mostlypink.nl -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- MOSTLY AUTUMN Storms Over Still Water Review (Permanent link) by Mostly Autumn [ITALIA] @ 8:21:23 AM EST, 5/19/2005 — finally an other album of by now asserts Mostly Autumn, indeed where endured famous an optimal album that the singer of the Mostly Autumn Heather Findlay mainly takes advantage of its talent with its beautifulst voice in pieces like "Heart Life" and "Storms over Still Water". An album that could very well be defined Rock/Folk/Progressive where the group emphasizes highest competence in producing fast pieces and discs of a valve binding together the unquestionable competence el the remaining leaders Bryan Josh with members of the group that a lot they make to think that the Mostly Autumn will remain in the history. A lively advised album for who loves music. Excuse me for my english but i'm Italian Bye -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- MOSTLY AUTUMN Storms Over Still Water Review (Permanent link) by Jim Fulton @ 10:03:00 AM EST, 5/27/2005 — Mostly Autumn are the band who introduced me to the wonderful world of progressice rock even though I have always been a huge Marillion fan, both with and without Fish. This album takes MA onto a new plane of performance and songwriting from the initial track 'Out of the Green Sky' to the final one 'Tomorrow' we are taken through a fantastic sixty odd minutes of unsurpassed excellence of music and vocals. Mostly Autumn are the best at what they do and every prog fan should emerse themselves in the music of this incredibly talented group of musicians. Storms Over Still Water is just proof to me that their talents are getting better because, unlike many bands, they have not sat back and just churned out the same old thing. Buy it, you won't regret one single minute of it. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- MOSTLY AUTUMN Storms Over Still Water Review (Permanent link) by Richard Rogers @ 9:39:04 AM EST, 6/13/2005 — 4 1/2 Stars. An excellent album, though not quite a masterpiece or essential album. MOSTLY AUTUMN continues the turn away from their celtic-folk beginnings to more of that of classic rockers. The CD basically starts out with 6 short rock songs, all are good, but certainly more classic rock than prog. Of the songs, the best is "Heart Life", which is softer, leass rock than the others. All the songs are very enjoyable, and extremely well played. Than with track 7, the CD begins to change. "Coming to" is kind of a trippy, driving rock little instrumental which leads into the proggier rest of the CD. MOSTLY AUTUMN have never made a secret of their PINK FLOYD influence, and "Candle to the Sky" could have been straight out of any of the classic FLOYD albums. A great song, followed by an even greater song,"Carpe Diem". "Carpe Diem" is probably the closest song to older MOSTLY AUTUMN". Than another masterpiece in the title track of the CD. Three (3) great songs in a row, all masterpieces. None of them hit the 10 minute mark, as they range in the 7 and 8 minute ranges. The CD ends with a another rocky instrumental called "Tomorrow". I had heard that the CD should be listened to from beginning to end uninterrupted, and I think that holds true. The whole CD just has been extremely well put together. My biggest regret is that while I love this CD, I preferred the celtic-folk influences of their earlier CDs. Also, Angela Goldthorpe, who is an outstanding flautist, gets pushed more into the background. Her playing has always added another beautiful layer to the playing of MOSTLY AUTUMN, but on this CD, her flute is only audible in a few songs. Overall however, MOSTLY AUTMN'S musicianshipp has never been better, Ian Jennings fine keyboard work comes more to the front, and there isn't a better almost unkown guitar god than Bryan Josh. An outstanding CD.
http://www.kalyr.com	CD Review: Mostly Autumn, Storms Over Still Water When I returned from work on Friday, there was a package waiting at home for me. It contained my Limited Subscriber Edition of Mostly Autumn's new album, which I'd ordered a few months ago. Mostly Autumn have followed the lead set by Marillion a few years back, persuading fans to preorder the next album before it's been recorded; thus relying on their fan base rather than an advance from a cynical record company to pay for the recording costs. Mostly Autumn are a York-based seven-piece inspired by the currently unfashionable classic rock bands of the 70s. Early albums were full of echoes of Pink Floyd, Renaissance, Uriah Heep, Jethro Tull, Deep Purple and Fairport Convention. Later on they fused these influences into their own unique sound, combining celtic atmospherics with soaring symphonic rock. This is the sort of music that requires multiple listens before it can properly be appreciated. Unfortunately any album of theirs runs a serious risk of being dismissed by mainstream critics who will attempt to appraise it on a single listen, even if they don't reject it out of hand as being totally out of touch with contemporary musical fashions. Storms Over Still Water, MA's fifth "Proper" work, is very much an album of two halves. The first half is made up of short, fairly commercial rock numbers in the vein of 2003's "Passengers". But the second half contains longer sweeping pieces in the style of the high points of their earlier work. The actual sound is a little different this time; unlike the sparser productions of some earlier albums, this time there's a big, full sound which probably needs an expensive stereo to do it full justice. I don't normally do track-by-track reviews, but this time I'll make an exception: Out of the Green Sky: Liam Davidson's slide guitar leads into a heavy guitar-driven opener. Bryan Josh's vocals on the verse are rather low in the mix, which makes a dramatic contrast with Heather Findlay's soaring vocal on the chorus. Broken Glass: A lighter, poppier song with a big 80s style multi-tracked guitar hook, although the vocal melody is a bit weak. Ties with Ghost in Dreamland for the weakest song on the album. Ghost in Dreamland: Another rather lightweight poppy number, which, like the previous song, doesn't do an awful lot for me. Probably the nearest thing the album has to filler. Heart Life: This bluesy ballad has been in the live set since the end of last year, so I'd heard the song before. The acoustic verse recalls a faint echo of the band's older celtic folk sound, but with a much rockier chorus. A great vocal performance from Heather on this one, and an equally great solo from Bryan at the end. For me, this is the standout song from the first half of the album. The End of the World: Possibly the strangest song on the album, with a lyric that seems a homage to the whimsical but dark stories Peter Gabriel used to tell in between songs. It uses the contrasting vocal styles of the two lead singers to great effect. Black Rain: MA rock out with the heaviest song they've ever performed. I've heard the riff being described as a bit like Oasis, but it reminds me more of Uriah Heep at their best. Another superb vocal from Heather and some wonderful guitar heroics from Bryan. They should really put this one out as a single; it would show up The Darkness for the poseurs they are. Coming to...: An instrumental that doesn't quite work. Builds up from a repetitive guitar riff and marching keyboards, but abruptly stops before it reaches a climax. When I first heard it, I thought there was a fault on my CD. But no, it's meant to end like that. Candle in the Sky: The first of three lengthy epics. The beginning section is reminiscent of parts of Dark Side of the Moon, with Bryan's vocals sounding very Dave Gilmour. The song leads into a bizarre Bon Jovi-like singalong middle section, and finally an chill-out atmospheric playout. The individual parts are good, but I'm not sure whether the thing works as a whole. Carpe Diem: A symphonic rock classic. In some ways it resembles the much earlier 'The Gap is Too Wide' from 1999s "Spirit of Autumn Past" Built upon a simple repetitive piano figure from Iain Jennings, it starts with a beautiful vocal section from Heather, and builds into an extended soaring solo from Bryan. I love the interplay between the guitar and the backing vocals. The band have done this sort of thing before, but never to such effect. Storms over Still Water: The title track is vaguely similar in arrangement to the previous track; opening with an atmospheric vocal section, sung (I think) by both Heather and Angela Gordon, a heavier middle section sung by Bryan, and another extended solo at the end. Another good one, even if it doesn't quite reach the heights of the track before. Tomorrow: The closing number is another short instrumental, building up from a simple guitar riff overlaid with walls of keyboards to build a big symphonic wall of sound. A fine way to end the album. Overall, this is a superb album, and a logical progression from what's gone before. It builds on the strengths of "Passengers", but also includes some soaring epics, the one thing Passengers lacked. Missing almost completely this time is any sign of the old celtic folky feel; maybe elements of this will reappear next time around? One thing that stands out here is Bryan Josh's guitar playing. If "Passengers" showed a tremendous advance in Heather Findlay's vocals, this one shows just as big an improvement in Bryan's lead guitar. Before he was a competent journeyman player; now in places he's showing the potential to be a Steve Rothery or a Dave Gilmour. The production gives him a big overdriven sound that suits his playing well. But if Bryan Josh and Heather Findlay share the spotlight, the unsung hero is Iain Jennings, whose keyboard playing never takes centre stage, but fills out the sound all the way through the album. The album isn't quite perfect; I'd like to have a heard little more of Angela Gordon's flute playing, which is seriously underused this time around. Also some of the arrangements still show some rough edges; several songs don't seem to have proper endings, but just seem to stop. But these are quibbles; the albums great strengths overwhelm these relatively minor faults. If you liked any earlier Mostly Autumn album, you will not be disappointed in this one. Posted by TimHall
Musical Discoveries	(15 May 2005) A few eyebrows were raised when it was announced that Mostly Autumn would play the Bloodstock open-air heavy metal festival in June 2005. Despite a strong crossover following, a metal band they are certainly not, yet listening to Storms over Still Water (Classic Rock Productions (UK) CRP1745, 2005), the bands’ fifth studio album proper, it is easy to see why such an appearance might be considered appropriate. Structurally, this new album has many similarities to its 2003 predecessor Passengers (review), with the shorter, more single-friendly songs beginning the album, while the real meat lies in its last 25 minutes. However, where the sound of Passengers was warm and wholesome, in the classic rock tradition, Storms has a big, bright, live sound. Indeed, the subject matter, while, in the main, retaining the traditional Mostly Autumn life affirming message, has a much darker, almost neo-gothic quality. Bryan Josh, Heather Findlay and Iain Jennings have again written all the material in various combinations, while Andrew Jennings makes his studio debut on drums. The darkness of the music means that Angela Gordon is underused on flute and recorders, though her contributions are excellent when they arrive, as is the contribution of Troy Donockley when called into service on Heather's "Carpe Diem." Indeed, "Carpe Diem"--seize the day--might be considered a theme for the whole album, and lyrically it is an especially strong record. "Out of the Green Sky" is a hard rocker with some searing slide guitar. Bryan and Heather sharing lead vocals, in its call for us all to live life to the full. "Broken Glass" with its wonderful, poppy chorus is up next, though the lyrics, brought across by one of Bryan's best lead vocals, are somewhat down beat and Gothic. The urgent "Ghost in Dreamland" features some excellent synth and piano from Iain Jennings, plus a lead vocal from Heather, using her lower register, that owes a great deal to Julianne Regan of All About Eve. "Heart Life" will be familiar to all those that have seen the band live in the last year or so. Its pretty recorder and acoustic guitar introducing a slice of bluesy rock sung by Heather that would not have been out of place on Passengers, with a typical Bryan Josh solo over its closing bars. "The End of the World" is a real departure, another shared lead vocal led entirely by the poignant yet gritty narrative--reminiscent of Raymond Briggs' "When the Wind Blows"--within the lyrics over a gentle, Genesis-inspired arrangement. This becomes crunching hard rock on the second, Bryan sung, verse. "Black Rain" is the natural closer to the first half of the album, a Deep Purple-influenced, thumping slice of heavy rock with a rasping lead vocal from Heather. Its lyrics make an impassioned call for environmental change. Bryan provides a powerful riff, and Iain's organ is eerily reminiscent of John Lord. The doomy Iain Jennings instrumental "Coming to…" bridges the two sections of the album wonderfully, its sinister opening developing into a slice of dramatic, orchestral metal. "Candle to the Sky" takes us uncannily into “Dark side of the Moon” era Pink Floyd, with Bryan again giving us his impressive Dave Gilmour vocal impersonation. The song then diverts into an up-tempo, sing along mid section, and follows it with a progressive excursion with some great flute, and a gentle, if slightly superfluous, coda. Heather's "Carpe Diem," with Iain's lovely piano refrain, is the closest the album gets to a ballad. Its lyrics reflect on the Tsunami Earthquake disaster in Asia in a very personal way, and, with the aid of Troy Donockley's typically atmospheric uilleann Pipes and low whistle, it builds in stature to a wonderful Bryan Josh guitar solo, played over some impassioned, wordless vocals from Heather. "Carpe Diem" is a genuine Mostly Autumn classic, and the album highlight, combining the spirituality of “Passengers” with the emotional resonance of "The Gap is too wide." Andrew Jennings must also be praised for his spectacular drumming on this song. The introduction to the magnificent title track is reminiscent of the rearranged live version of "Somewhere in Between," before a beautifully serene opening lead vocal from Heather gives away to a triumphant vocal section from Bryan. This leads to a beautifully fluid guitar solo, blossoming into an up-tempo guitar workout in "Evergreen" style. The album ends on a relatively low-key note, with the melodic instrumental "Tomorrow" which allows Angie some effective "Spirit" style multi-tracked flute. The rest of the package has both good and bad moments. The booklet features stunningly reproduced photographs by Chris Walkden, though Bob Carruthers' sleeve notes are unnecessarily lengthy, and the cover itself, though pretty, is something of a mess. The accompanying DVD is entertaining, though hardly essential. A brief making of video accompanies the two--frankly, misguided--promos of "Ghost in Dreamland" and "Broken Glass." The DVD extras are interesting, with two projections from the last batch of multi-media concerts accompanying good live versions of "The Last Climb" and "Shrinking Violet" from the Mean Fiddler in 2002, and an audio-only version of "Mother Nature" from the marvellous York Opera House concert in 2003. The DVD hardly makes the package worth double the normal album price, in America almost $60.00 ppd. Patient enthusiasts should wait for the CD-only version due out from the band this autumn. Under the guiding hand of Bryan Josh, Mostly Autumn have produced an album with variation, craft and very little padding. However, where Passengers was relatively safe and mainstream, on Storms the band have dared to move in a slightly new direction, without running the risk of alienating their growing fan base. With the material as strong as it has ever been, that might just be the best move of their career. Dark, beautiful and uplifting, Storms Over Still Water is something close to a masterpiece. It is a shame that the additional DVD does not quite do the album justice.--Stephen Lambe in Cheltenham, England and Russ Elliot in New York. CD DVD
Jovitull from www.rockreport.be	Mostly Autumn - Storms Over Still water I have just recieved my copy of the new Mostly Autumn album Storms Over Still Water and it's a masterpiece folks! Currently only available as a limited edition collectors edition beautifully packaged with a bonus DVD and 50 page book (weighing in at a pricey £25, but well worth it!) The album proper is not released until later in the year.