Random Orchestrations from a Future Space
In a world that constantly fears nuclear warfare, Nick Grey & the Random Orchestra have produced an album that shows a prophecy of desolation and depravity. Spin Vows Under Arch is the band’s sixth studio album and their best to date.
Spin Vows Under Arch does not succumb to traditional song structures. The compositions are pieced together slowly and in a way that evokes a vision of the landscape of a vast, bleak dystopia. The tracks are shaded by long, grumbling bass notes that block out any possible impression of lighthearted notions. This is a serious album dealing with serious concepts, and it does so extraordinarily well.
Lyrics are not used as a focal point to the record, but as a hand leading the listener further down a cold, harsh environment. Images of a post-apocalyptic state are hard to shun in opener “King Flood,” and the development of an “all hope is lost” aesthetic is almost impossible to ignore. This album is a definitive display of the natural progression of Pink Floyd prog rock and to a lesser extent King Crimson.
Here is a band that is in its element when creating daunting soundscapes that would easily terrify an unexpecting listener, a band that has created an innovative blend of ambient tone and intelligently morbid lyrics. This album is nothing short of marvellous and Nick Grey is quickly becoming the most brilliant absent mind in the music industry.
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