`Gather The Scattered Mind` is the fourth album from Mordecai Smyth, who were founded as a musical commune by Mordecai Smyth inspired by 60s-70s rock or the British progressive rock scene in 2011. The album questions modern life and the radical changes affecting a society full of increasing division and tension. Social media, influencers, online dating, young adults financially trapped in the family home, AI, bullying, and our reliance on mobile phones. The latter issue inspired both the album title and the striking album artwork designed by world-famous graphic novel artist Martin Simmonds. New members Luxagen (keys, vocals) and Steve Thompson (bass), join an already strong line-up of accomplished musicians including Mordecai Smyth (vocals, guitar), Tabitha Smyth (sax, clarinet), and Michael Creech (drums, percussion). There was also additional guitar provided by Darren Medland.
I recently attended Morrissey`s one off show in London and he shared a cover of Roxy Music`s `Amazona` that he has recorded on his new album and this set me back to my very early teens and i`ve been revisiting albums such as `Stranded`, `For Your Pleasure` and their self-titled debut. The reason is that the opening track here `Armalites And Disco Lights` which refers to the threats of AI and kind of existential `Hung Up On The Art Game` both have a delightful Roxy Music vibe to them with sax hues that Andy Mackay would be proud of.
`Shrine To Youth` is an exploration of the younger generation’s experience, written about young adults unable to buy their own homes and still living with their parents. It has a delicious slight melancholy about it that really suits this thoughtful meditative offering and a superb understated dreamy guitar solo almost at the halfway mark. There`s also some endearing strummed acoustic guitar and organ keys. Mordecai Smyth’s love of Ian Rankin’s Rebus books inspired `One And The Same` which races off with a more almost sixties American West Coast feel. I share the artist`s Rankin passion and undertook a Rebus tour when last in Edinburgh.
`Handed On A Plate` is sweetly contemplative both musically and lyrically and shares thoughts on a fortunate upbringing. It builds in volume as it progresses and closes out with an appealing sitar ambience curtesy of John Ruston. We enjoy in `Breaking The Backs` a song of youthful rebellion and shutting down emotionally. A number that races along with a guiding guitar chord riff, sax tones and engaging harmonies which allowed a quite psychedelic atmosphere.
The slow burn `On A Daily Basis` musically mirrors the torment of a childhood of enduring harassment and victimisation while `Persuasion` relates to living an everyday life with all the usual unfulfilled dreams and ambitions over a fairly rocky backing with some lovely rolling drumbeats, a guitar solo and stuttering brass hues.
`Sharp Shooter` I read is a song about Bryan Ferry. It explores our ever-shifting sense of what is real, explored through realms of online dating and social influences and their compulsion to constantly create content regardless of how banal. It does have that kind of sophisticated, cool detached Roxy mood and melds into the final cut `Was It In Your Head?`.
A track that portrays that reassurance that a parent gives to a child who has suffered a bad dream and could be a metaphor for something far greater. A quite absorbed and tender musical offering to lead us out on.
`Gather The Scattered Mind` was a delightful introduction for me to the joys of Mordecai Smyth and with three previous albums already out there, i`ve got some catching up to do. It was an album with topics that i`m sure we`ve all considered, especially as we advance in years and reflect on our youth and society in general. The music was really engaging and stimulating with a lot of influences and elements blended together but was also fairly singular and unique.
A really pleasing and unexpectedly rewarding listen.
Rating 9/10
