I raved about Stuckfish’s last album ‘Days Of Innocence’ in my review in 2022 so I am very glad to report that this album continues in the same manner and vein. Although a few things have changed for the band, namely they are now part of the growing White Knight label run by Rob Reed and David Mackie. Also, they have a new keyboard player in Paul McNally who replaces Gary Holland (who left very amicably because of being unable to fully commit to the bands increased level of activity).
This new album has nine tracks, in all of varying lengths and all have a very different fell to them with differing moods. You do notice the quality oozing through the songs though as they are all very impressive sounding. The album begins with an acapella style opening on Shadows & Moonbeams, a song about Sarah Bernhardt, the French actress who had a very busy romantic life in that lots of men fell in love with her, thinking they were ‘The One’ who could win her heart completely. However, they never succeeded and she left a trail of broken hearts in her wake. It is a piece with a great chorus that will stay with you for ages and is one of the best opening tracks of the year with its chugging bass lines, sympathetic keyboards and a strong haunting guitar line from Ade Fisher. Silently Waiting is quite a fierce number with more solid keyboards and great acoustic guitar in the mix. This has a great vocal from Phil Stuckey who sounds a little Styx-like in his delivery, as he does on a few songs here. The song is about wanting to rebuild a relationship, here he is Silently Waiting for a positive outcome. The mid-section has an exciting and dramatic interplay between the musicians that impresses greatly and the whole band are on fine form here. The return of the acoustic guitar is a plus, as is the lyrical guitar solo that plays towards the tracks conclusion, another excellent track from the band.
Lifeline opens with strong chord work and, again, the Styx comparison holds true. Another strong vocal from Phil makes this a standout track for me, again the chorus is a distinct ear worm and will pop up unannounced in your thoughts during coming days. The song is about being free to be yourself and it is a fantastic song that calls out for a live performance, especially the great keyboards that close out the track. Liberty takes us to the poetry and musing of 13th century Persian poet and philosopher Rumi, who wrote about how love completes us. Again, the chorus is very memorable and strong and is repeated several times to great effect, Fragile is a short song, the shortest in Stuckfish’s canon of works and it benefits from a chugging bassline and atmospheric keyboards along with a very solid back beat from drummer Adam Sayers, whose meticulous timekeeping powers the track along. The song relates to how we are all fragile as individuals with our own life stories to live, experience and enjoy and how we can also make a new start when life fails us. A very short, concise and powerful track. The Time Of Your Life talks about how choices made early in life upon the expectations of other can be a burden that many are unprepared and unable to reach or cope with. The spoken word section is very memorable and works very well in the song, as does the excellent guitar solo from Adrian that crowns the song in style as he channels his inner Rothery in a very lyrical solo. This is another triumphant song, utterly magnificent!
JFKX rocks with style as more chugging bass and great keyboard textures and synths abound before a very meaty guitar riff is introduced by Adrian. The mid -ection has a keyboard solo from Phil McNally. Originally this song was written for Marc Storace of Krokus fame who rejected it, his loss being our gain. Fly (On Feathers Of Hope) begins with a very Yes like sound of keyboards and great guitar. The song is about love as a spiritual experience and expression so that it can be almost dreamlike. Which is an interesting construct as opposed to the traditional long slog of love that most folks experience. I guess it is all in how you approach it and also how much you value and appreciate your loved one. It is a journey that you take together and that is reflected in how you experience and express it for yourself. The album closes with the epic Skies Fall which is about near death experiences. This song is a slow burner with its strong use of bass, drums and keyboard interjections along with some harder metal edged guitar power chords. It slips into an almost eastern sounding mid section with more great guitar lines and that solid rhythm section holding everything together. There are great lyrics to this song too and, as the song builds in power, a great guitar break draws the song to its conclusion in style, including an effects pedal that changes pitch in a most dynamic way to fine effect.
So that’s it, a highly impressive sounding album full of memorable songs, strong choruses and excellent musicianship. If you get the chance to hear this album then you really must take it as it is certainly one of the years strongest releases and the band are more active touring wise these days too. So watch out for them as live this material will be fantastic!
Very Highly recommended indeed.
Released 13th October, 2024.
Order the album here:
https://stuckfish.bandcamp.com/album/stuckfish-iv-with-12-page-lyric-book
Watch the video for Shadows & Moonbeams here: