As with their previous records, Philadelphia's Espers lilts along beautifully, starting many of their songs with pretty female or duo male/female vocals over acoustic guitar backing. The songs are exteneded affairs that wander through light and dark territory in unexpected ways, slipping into sophistication and adding intricate layers that somehow never seem that complicated. It's a bit like watching the moon cross the pretty night sky without realizing the depth and breadth of the cosmos around it. This is a band that uses anything they need to construct their songs, aside from traditional rock orchestration they include a mini-moog, recorder, doumbek, dholak, singing bowl, Big Muff (not juzz any Big Muff, but the Russian Big Muff)... you get the idea. It's an open-minded approach to song-writing and it pays off in the unique and fascinating sound they've developed. Like a good soundtrack, the music serves the lyrics, and is so subtle that you'll barely notice the complex instrumentation and changes, but you'll feel it's influence through the songs and the terrain they cover.
Of course listing instruments and influences is pointless if the songs themselves don't deliver. The first two Espers records are very pretty affairs with a great deal to recommend themselves, but a flatter sound that tends to leave their CDs on the shelves. Espers II corrects this with more momentum, which is probably related to their swelling membership, making them now a sextet. That said, the sound is never cluttered, and is in fact so delicately balanced that it's almost amazing that their are no clinkers here and there. Fastidious attention to detail is the key, and these songs are lovingly constructed and performed. The melodies sneak into your head with long hooks and lovely vocals that belie the threatening developments that wait in the wings. The lyrics are as complex as the orchestration, yet never feel rushed, unfolding to serve the meaning of the songs.
No review of Epsers would be complete without making reference to, well, the many references that one hears in their songs, and apparently they have a huge variety of influences without sounding derivative. Much is made of the celtic feel of their progressions, but the fact is that, forgetting who you're listening to, you're likely to hear strains of King Crimson, Led Zeppelin, Jethro Tull, The Incredible String Band, Pink Floyd, Fairport Convention, Rennaisance or even Wire. Again, eclecticism is the key - this is a band that uses whatever is at their disposal to get the job done. To my ears, one of the best prog bands I've heard that really doesn't deserve to be called prog: instead they're a band that uses the extended language of rock and folk to accomplish their means. Espers II is Espers with a vengeance, and what an exquisite vengeance it is.
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