Short Reviews [Malcolm Galloway - 2020 - "Wasp 76b"]

This is a somewhat unusual release in that ‘Wasp 76b’ itself only contains two numbers, “Chrysalis” at just over five minutes and the title cut at nearly 15, yet there is a bonus number here as well. Nothing unusual in that I hear you say, but in this case, it is the closing piece from 2016’s ‘Still Life’, “The Haber Process”, which is nearly 40 minutes in length so therefore dominates the other two songs as it is nearly twice as long as those combined. Given that this is only a bonus on the Bandcamp release I am going to ignore it and concentrate on the two new songs instead. Galloway is of course frontman with Hats Off Gentleman, It’s Adequate, where he works with Mark Gatland, but when operating under his own name he moves between minimalistic orchestral compositions and songs of a more electronic nature. In these two numbers we have examples of both sides of Galloway, and it is the first which really caught my attention. “Chyrsalis” is vibrant, exciting, and passionate, yet is also minimalistic and quite experimental. The use of different areas of the orchestra while taking us through the journey of the chrysalis and the new life inside is compelling, and one can certainly imagine this music being used as a soundtrack for a nature film depicting the event. It is light, joyous, yet also full of space and dynamics that engage the listener, so it is hard to pull away and is probably the most vibrant and essential piece I have heard from Galloway, either solo or with HOGIA. “Wasp 76b” finds Galloway in his more electronic field, and here the repeated melodies just do not work nearly as well for me. Whereas the first number felt alive, this feels far more artificial and the contrast between the two certainly does not work in its favour. However, I am also very aware that much of this is down to personal taste and this style of music is not something I am a huge fan of, so other listeners may well disagree. If you go to his Bandcamp page, then it is possible to either listen to the three tracks on offer or purchase it for just GBP 4.99, and for me “Chrysalis” is more than worth that just on its own.