Detailed Reviews [Judge Smith - 2023 - "Mr. McKilowatts Dances"]

Prolusion. One time Van der Graaf Generator Judge Smith has the majority of his output outside of the band he once was a founding member of, with more than 20 releases to his name as a solo artist. It would appear that 2023 has been quite the productive year for Smith, as he has released two albums in this calendar year. "Mr. McKilowatts Dances" is the most recent of these, which was made available through the Masters of Art label in the late fall of 2023.

Analysis. Those with a dedicated interest in progressive rock will probably not find this latest album of Smith to be all that interesting in terms of the material we are presented with, as rock is probably way out of contention here as far as style is concerned and the progressive aspects may well be questioned too. It would appear that this is very much an English album however, drawing in impulses from a specific source I'm unsure of people outside of the isles are all that familiar with. As the description of the album states: "In my youth, the BBC Light Programme often featured music by so-called ‘Novelty’ ensembles; groupings of unusual or incongruous instruments, which somehow almost always included a Xylophone. This happy tradition is continued today by the band who perform these musical miniatures of mine.". For those not familiar with this old BBC tradition, I would describe these musical escapades as residing somewhere in between circus music and cabaret music in shape, sound and form. The organ is a vital instrument, and alongside what sounds like vintage keyboards the create uplifting and mournful textures with ease, often with a slightly unnerving and haunting quality, and with surges of effects I generally associate with movies dealing with supernatural topics. Bass and drums of some variety come into play here and there, but more important are percussion instruments, with the marimba and xylophone in particular. Both of which can be used to add uplifting and more energetic elements into the landscapes explored. With everything having a bit of a whimsical tone and attitude that strikes me as very English, and perhaps the one musical facet here that will strike a chord with long time fans of vintage era progressive rock. These short numbers tend to ebb and flow between joyful and uplifting sections and more mournful or haunting displays, with eerie details and interludes being a common trait throughout. I rather guess that the general appeal of these compositions do reside within a niche audience, although perhaps with a slightly broader appeal than what the creator would imagine. While those familiar with the novelty ensembles described by Smith is an obvious audience here, and those with a deep interest in vintage keyboard and percussion instruments is another crowd that will have a natural interest in these creations, there is a third audience that might find this material appealing too. One detail I did note down early on when listening through this album is that the sounds, moods and atmospheres of these compositions also feature a fascinating similarity with early days computer music. Music with a similar disposition to the songs on this album was a feature of the computer music scene and computer game music scene back in the day when software was loaded from floppy discs and the computer geeks were fighting over whether Atari or Amiga was to be the home computer of choice. While I wouldn't describe the music on this album as strictly similar it does feature similar sounds, moods and attitudes, and I'd hazard a guess that quite a few of the people that fondly remember and listen to this old school computer and computer game music would find this album to be a fascinating one too. And there is a good chance, of course, that the people who wrote that old school computer music were inspired by the same kind of music that was the inspiration for this album. Oh, and a small note of appreciation goes towards the stated and depicted line-up for this album. Those pictures gave me a good chuckle. And I do think that for the next occasion, you might want to add O'Boy(d) too.

Conclusion. While Judge Smith may be an artist that has his primary attachment to the progressive rock scene by way of history, this latest album of his may strike a chord with progressive rock fans too, due to the whimsical moods and atmospheres as well as the vintage instruments used throughout. In terms of style and orientation I'd describe this production to reside somewhere in between cabaret music and circus music myself, while the artist have specified that old school, novelty ensemble music used by the BBC is the source of inspiration here. I do find this to be a solid album myself, filled with what I'd describe as a bit of a quaint charm, and fans of vintage keyboards and percussion instruments, whimsical instrumental music and possibly also fans of old school computer and computer game music strikes me as the audiences that will be most receptive to the landscapes explored on this album.

Progmessor: December 2023
The Rating Room