It’s been four years since Blackfield II, the perfunctory-titled sophomore effort from the tuneful pair of Aviv Geffen and Steven Wilson, but that’s perhaps understandable when you consider the pair’s working lives. The former is Israeli’s biggest musical export, who has just released his first English-speaking album, while Wilson is one of the hardest working mavericks in (or outside of) prog, who has as many musical projects as there are days in a month. For all the associated demands and touring that has engulfed them in the interim, album number three quickly finds the pair back on familiar ground.
Glass House opens the album with typically lush production, dripping with strings and dangling minor-seventh chords, introducing the mid-tempo pacing and polished veneer that will grace the next ten tracks. It’s a shame then, that it all starts going pear-shaped by track two Go To Hell. For a group that’s usually characterised by their sophistication, its positively sulking with ‘lyrics’ that loop “Fuck you all / I don’t care anymore / Go to hell.”
Rising Of The Tide follows, and though it’s faced with the (easy) task of raising the bar, it’s only to a mediocre level, and those teen angst scribblings for lyrics remain. It’s characteristic of the album’s weaker moments, not offensively bad, but uninspired and – despite the four-year waiting period – leaves you with the feeling that they’ve rushed it.
There are highlights, however: Waving ambles towards a pop rush of ‘la-la-las’ with strident strings and jangling guitar keeping apace in wonderful fashion. The insistent chordal punctuation of Dissolving With The Night is a winner, while Blood contains traces of System Of A Down with the middle eastern influence on its heavy crunch. Even legendary producer (and former Buggle) Trevor Horn contributes keys to the melodramatic Oxygen. Unfortunately, the sameness of a lot of the tracks shows a lack of fresh ideas.
It’s not a bad record per se, but there are certainly better introductions and more rewarding listens to be had in the pair’s other musical exploits, either in their respective solo work or on previous Blackfield albums. The final equation is an album that’s for diehard fans only, and even they might be left with a feeling of disappointment.
