Unfortunately, I didn't manage (I hope only this time) to start listening to the new Tribe3 album - "Life Among Strangers" at the same time as the three gentlemen sitting in the studio on January 17 this year at 7:19 p.m. Such a photo was placed on the so-called disc insert. The photo shows smiles and satisfaction. And it must be admitted that they may have reasons to be happy about the just released album.
However, before talking about the music itself, I must mention that "Life Among Strangers" is the second release by the band once known as EleKtriK. The name change, line-up change and the start of a new chapter in activity were caused by Covid, the "singing" drummer and earlier work on the debut album. There is probably no need to write about Covid. Many musical projects and bands have ceased their activities or simply disappeared due to the pandemic. The case of the "singing drummer" is a bit more interesting. Jon Kinsey - because he is the singing drummer - joined the duo Chris Jones (guitars) and Steve 'Yip' Hughes (bass, keyboards) while preparing material for the first, debut album of the band EleKtriK, which was most likely supposed to be an instrumental album. And it was good that the band adapted their instrumental songs to Jon's lyrics and singing style, because as a result, their debut album titled "Tribe3" was released in 2023. And it was a good album. Six songs full of guitars and keyboards and, more importantly, proving the compositional maturity of the band. And what really pleased the writer of these words - these are songs that every progressive listener likes... no shorter than nine minutes. And, of course, nothing whets the appetite like a successful debut. And there is probably nothing more stressful for an artist than recording a second album.
The new Tribe3 release begins with the four-part suite "Voyager". And the journey of a lonely traveler ("Part One: The Lonely Traveler") begins with a synthesizer intro, which delicately gives way to a quiet confession: "(...) Drifting, transmitting, naked in the cold / In the dark, silent in the dee / Sun so bright is far behind me." The sad fate of the traveler is emphasized by the piano and the vocals blending into the musical lines. The impression of sadness is deepened by individual guitar sounds that appear at times. This complaint-confession resounds into the instrumental second part ("Part Two: The Depth and The Wander") and a moment later, carried by the sounds of decisive keyboards, it enters the third part ("Part Three: Surfing the Maelstrom"). This part is a wonderful demonstration of the cooperation between guitar and synthesizers. The song ends ("Part Four: A Lonely Reprise") with a calming piano playing and a seemingly hidden, gradually fading vocal. And the fate of the traveler? – “(…) I journey on to the edge of the unknown / New horizons, I stake my claim on you.”
If "Voyager" is a somewhat fairy-tale story about the fate of a lonely traveler, the next song - "Falls Like Rain" - concerns present, everyday matters. “(…) Politically, economist, and strategist / Just trading over their gold / Or terrorizing underlings, threatening a / family creed” – and as always, there remains the question of whether I, an individual person, have any influence on the fate of the world around me. Musically, we get a neat song with an interesting melody line, and the perfectly arranged synthesizers are noteworthy.
"Last Encore" - the next song from the album is arranged in a similar way to the previous composition, although (one might say) it fully meets the desires of the most demanding fan of neo-progressive music. We have catchy keyboard passages, tempo changes and captivating vocals urging us not to give up on love - "(...) Don't fade away / Our love will bind us 'til the end."
The short, only two-minute-long song "Requiem For A Friend" is an instrumental composition combining heavenly music with orchestration styled after old church chants, which are heard in the background and constitute, like angelic choirs, a very nice complement to the main, synthesizer melody line.
The very first line of the song "Life Amongst Strangers" indicates its main theme: "(...) Billions of people alive in the world – can't see them, don't know them." It is also the second longest composition on the album, next to the song that opens the album "Voyager". The almost thirteen-minute-long song begins lightly, calmly and innocently, but soon this apparent peace is broken by a wall of sounds from the guitar and keyboard, counterpointed (somewhere in the second minute) by a bass march and single guitar chords, against the background of which Jon diagnoses the situation of modern man: "(...) We're little fish in a big big pool / Scurry round - busy bees"; “(…) We live our lives among strangers / Seas of faces that I can’t see.” In terms of arrangement, despite the deep importance of the text's content, we get a light and melodic song in which it is worth paying attention to the mentioned chord-sounding guitar reminiscent of guitar compositions from the early 1980s. Additionally, the introduction of choirs singing subsequent lines of the text sounds like in ancient Greek dramas. Both here and there, their singing deepens the feeling of misunderstanding and paradoxicality of human existence.
The eighth minute of the song brings a certain surprise. It is an improvising guitar, as if contradicting the previously rather neat song arrangement, and is also an introduction to the next part of this suite composition - a charming "summary" of this story about a man and his fate: "(...) Life is varied with oh so many behind closed doors." And although we would probably all like to find the answer to the eternal question of humanity - "what does it all make sense?", the song leaves us with a certain, very human, understatement: "(...) My silent soul wonders why amongst so many people I feel - so alone."
This story-diagnosis about the human situation in the world ends with an outro full of guitar and keyboard power, rich in arrangement and to some extent reminiscent of Marillion's earlier songs. And only the words remain in memory: "(...) We live our lives among strangers / Seas of faces that I can't see."
The penultimate track from the album "The Front Line" is the story of a soldier who faces a dilemma: whether to protect his life or fight knowing that he may lose it. How can you musically lead such a story? Gently... with a swinging solo guitar, keyboards wandering in the background, drums beating a decisive yet delicate rhythm. The whole song is a very nice neo-progressive composition containing all the elements favored by fans of the genre. There is no worse or weaker moment here, and the synthesizer solo appearing somewhere in the seventh minute with its slightly marching rhythm is definitely the best fragment of the entire composition.
The end of the album is the song "Evening Tide". Swaying keyboards, a delicate guitar solo, the singer's hushed voice - this is how this song begins. All these elements grow and evolve in the next thirteen minutes, leading towards a decisive and delicate, suite-sounding composition. Despite the seemingly slow rhythm and very careful vocals, the whole thing flows, encouraging you to listen with the delicate sound of the keyboards on the one hand, the slightly satin vocals and a kind of unhurried atmosphere. It's a "good" song at the end of the album, showing, on the one hand, the instrumental skills of individual members of the group (e.g. the improvisational fragment appearing around the eighth minute), and, on the other hand, maintaining a slightly solemn atmosphere of the whole.
Summary…? Tribe3 – "Life Among Strangers" - it is worth writing down the name of the band and the title of the album because it is one of the better music releases of the beginning of the year. Of course, a lot can still happen, but it's worth remembering this album and playing it often. And if the "shorter" songs from the album can somehow be compared to Marillion's earlier compositions, the longer ones, without a doubt, define the band's individuality. They contain everything that every progressive rock fan likes, and at the same time show the class of the band's arrangement and vocals. And finally, I must admit that although "singing drummers" are not very common, Jon Kinsey looks great. And unlike the singer of the band mentioned here, Marillion, he does not have a "tight throat" in higher keys. Oh... and a small request for the gentlemen in the photo from the CD insert... you can move your legs to the other side...
