Camel
A Nod and a Wink

In continuous musical evolution, with new ideas motivated by the success of the previous work Rajaz, the latest effort for the camel once again brings a change of direction. The magnificent cover is the perfect synthesis of this particular and courageous album: a sweet and fairy-tale atmosphere, disrupted by the passing of a train moving to who knows where! Perhaps it is a look at one's own past, a mature man looking down at his childhood self, while in the distance a steam train (life?) continues its journey whistling along the tracks of its existence. And it is precisely the whistle of a departing train that opens the album, the first masterpiece of the album, with a lively Latimer flute and a finale full of anguish and melancholy (…by day or by night, in the dark or in the light, come back to me, in the same way you leave. Then you can always find me in your dreams…) which flows seamlessly into “Simple Pleasures”, a composition with bluesy sounds and long, delightful guitar phrases. It is not a concept album; the compositions are conceptually unconnected but united by a common meaning, the magic of existence (…when he left the room his fragrance filled the air. Thirty years have passed, it's still there…).

There are truly many references to the past, to the eternal child that resides in each of us, as in the acoustic-pastoral “A Boy’s Life” (…I try to see through your eyes, but life keeps changing the point of view. Are we so different? After all, it’s a boy's life…). Flutes, acoustic guitars, and keyboards intertwine in a swirl of emotions rich in meaning. The brisk pace of the song's finale introduces one of the most picturesque moments of the album, but I would dare to say also of the entire Camel discography: “Fox Hill”. Once again, the acoustic guitars, supported by Guy Leblanc's keyboards, open the piece. It tells the story of the fox hunt, a story that ends badly…but not for the fox Tod, which will never be caught! In fact, it's the fox that challenges the English aristocrats in this game (...”well, I'm a skillful dodger” said the fox. “They never get me, no. I lead them all in a merry dance”…). Around four minutes in, there is an interesting guitar and keyboard duet that reprises the initial theme, closing once again with an inspired Latimer.

The few verses of “The Miller’s Tale”, one of my favorite pieces, bring back the typical Camel atmospheres built on a guitar arpeggio accompanied by the ever-present flute. Here Latimer surpasses himself, singing magnificently in a few verses, then the atmosphere darkens and cello and oboe enter forcefully in a climactic ending (…and the two friends returned home. No words are needed. They are as one. And now the summer is over, the light in the fields grows old…). The unmistakable Camel instrumental, very recognizable, keeps the album's level high. It's an interesting track, even from a compositional standpoint, but perhaps it falls a step below “Sahara” from the previous Rajaz. There is, however, a great deal of work on the drums with significant rhythmic variations. This leads to the concluding “For Today”, the only one to also feature Leblanc's signature in an album whose lyrics are the province of the leader and his wife Susan Hoover. The wounds of the 9/11 attacks are still open, but in the bitter awareness that nothing will ever be the same again, the album closes with a glimmer of hope (…nothing lasts forever, there are no second chances, never waste a day, always live each day…).

A nod and a wink is not only the last album of new material by the English band, it is perhaps the most intimate. An album that speaks much of Andy himself and that has the merit of going beyond certain writing schemes that are often imposed on musicians. It is also the least progressive, least pop, least experimental album, but you will surely notice from the first notes that it is a great album. And it is by Camel.