Ger Eaton is an Irish multi-instrumentalist and songwriter most recently known as keyboardist/guitarist for Dublin alt-rock heroes The Pale. However, he has long been an illustrious mainstay of the Irish music scene as a member of Premonition, Las Vegas Basement, Les Marionettes, Pugwash, The Carnival Brothers and via numerous solo and collaborative efforts. He has recorded and toured extensively with the likes of Mundy, Duke Special, Jack L and Fionn Regan. Ger releases his debut album, of what he describes as renaissance pop this month with `Season Changes`. About the album the singer has shared that it`s”an old fashioned break-up record. Each song deals with the complexities, both emotional and physical, that come with the ending of a very long and significant relationship. Mirroring the seasons, it charts the often inevitable decay of a relationship, from the glowing bloom of its springtime right through to its wintry conclusion.”
The album opens with the first of a number of instrumental interludes or soundscapes that reflect the changing seasons and function as a kind of palate cleanser between tracks. Indeed `Introduction` has sounds of a flowing stream with a percussive beat and haunting flute tones, a tender prologue for what’s to follow. There`s a mellow folk like elegance to `I Thought I’d A Friend` where strings add a poignancy to this introspective musing. A heart-rending meditation on the parting of a long term partnership.
`Home Again` has a wonderfully hazy dreaminess with some brief female vocalisation shared in French and some brass tones added towards the end. Flowing water, twittering birds and a strummed guitar give a Nick Drake like ambience to `Interlude: Taking Leaf`.
The sublimely orchestrated `Heaven Knows` is a reflective but questioning consideration on a connection between a couple that seems to be in the balance whereas `Phoenix (Reborn)` appears to be about moving on with its wistful and faraway flute, brass tones, and minimal resonating guitar riffs.
`Interlude: Estival Air` is one of two longer intermissions and conjures up a peaceful picture come feel of Summer and all the joy that season potentially has to offer. We move on to `Interlude: Overture To Autumn` which initially had a kind of spaghetti western vibe veering into what sounded like an Indian sitar. As Autum signifies change, permeance and reflection, this evolving soundscape seemed to mirror it perfectly.
`Hollow` does express that empty bereft introspective self-examining feeling and had a gentle Bacharach ambience to it. Kettle drums and a brass ensemble lead us into `The Time It Takes To Fall` a further reflective musing with an expansive feel.
The stripped back piano driven `Interlude: Wintertide` with its flute resonances allows a feeling of chill that you`d associate with this period. `To The Ones` is primarily shared through an acoustic guitar and is an ode to a lost love or life partner, a kind of eulogy with some deeply thoughtful lyrics.
Title track `Season Changes` sees us out with what might be uilleann pipes along with a real variety of instruments such as tuba, flute, organ, and a plethora of brass and percussive beats. A sprawling number that has a marvellous retro ambience.
`Season Changes` is a fairly breathtaking listen and takes you on an interesting musical journey with some folk like musings along with more that are at times slightly psychedelic and trippy. If you`ve ever experienced a break-up after a long term relationship, the lyrics here will certainly ring true. It`s an album that will need a few listens to really hit home but i`m sure it`ll be one of those albums that I’ll return to in certain moods and discover something that I hadn`t unearthed before. An opus that i`m sure was cleansing and cathartic in the making and should become a classic.
The musical arrangements here are exquisite and if you are inclined towards artists such as ABC, The Divine Comedy, Love, Brian Wilson, Duke Special, and The Moody Blues, you`ll love Ger Eaton.
Rating 9/10
