Fish
Sunsets on Empire

For the series “continuing to scrape the bottom of the barrel of rock music from previous decades, since the current one is rather in decline, asphyxiated and lacking in novelty…”, the target that has lately appeared before me is the Scottish singer, composer, lyricist, and occasional actor Fish, a giant as tall as Michael Jordan, author of a substantial row of albums under his name, which I have thus far charmingly sidelined, almost ignored.

…Having preferred to chase after the evolution of his former group, Marillion. Well...! Mind you, a reputable and diligent group, coherent and humble, with an elegant and lush sound, but over time the whining, pleading, or shrill voice of Fish's replacement, the honest but much less exciting Steve Hogarth, becomes tiresome. Listening to their lengthy diatribes, almost always slow and lacking in melodic significance, one is always searching for something, usually a flash from the guitar of the other Steve (Rothery), which, however, arrives more and more rarely.

But I digress… So, Fish has a great and disturbing voice, quickly shedding the obvious echoes of Peter Gabriel to rise to an autonomous excellence. And this album, dating back to 1997, the fifth in his solo series, caught me dramatically with the first three tracks, each better than the last. I was about to realize I was in the presence of a masterpiece, then the other seven compositions served to slightly dilute my enthusiasm, but not by much.

I am not yet familiar with much of Fish's production; actually, this is only the second work I have delved into (the first being “Suits” from 1994). What I notice here are the guitars, many guitars, and keyboards almost always very simple, thus the old Marillion balances are quite distant. More than progressive, it's really rock, certainly very "acted," in the theatrical nature of the protagonist, perhaps his greatest Gabriellian legacy in the end.

And here (excellent) the guitars are in the hands of the genius Steven Wilson, from Porcupine Tree, who also composes, produces, arranges, puts loops, keyboards, and effects. In the opening “The Perception of Johnny Punter”, which struck me the most, the roaring wall of fuzzy guitars in Wilson's style makes Fish's already disturbing performance intense and significant, to package a noisy, hyper-melodic, and super-resonant rock blues (!) jewel: almost eight minutes trotting without uncertainty and declines in intensity, even in the interludes recited by the protagonist's magnetic timbre. The repetitive and predictable Zeppelin-like riff is indeed what launches the opening of the choruses, which are immense, cathedral-like (thanks to the mellotron that swells the electric arpeggios). You can't wait for them to arrive!

The following “Goldfish & Clowns” has a very old-style Marillion prologue (the only one on the album), soon swept away by more bluesy atmospheres, almost in a "noisy Dire Straits" style, if I may. Very simple and straightforward, not at all progressive, as usual, highly dynamic vocally in the owner's style, who loves to alternate almost spoken preludes with bursts of intensity in the refrains.

“Change of Heart”, third on the list, starts with a beautiful semi-acoustic theme, to open deliciously in the bridge, seasoned with slide guitar, takes rhythm and lyricism, sung divinely by our man's very mobile voice, a sequence of whispers, falsettos, mumblings, shouts, vibrato parts, and other straight, without inflections.

And that's enough, I'll spare you the rest of the album, like the sensational guitar+keyboard riff counterpointing the chorus in the fourth track “What Colour Is God”, and more here and there… It's a very "rich" album (tablas, violins and cellos, harmonica… everything), it takes many listens to digest it well while being perfectly accessible, loaded as it is with melodies and refrains that "detach" and ignite, in the best pop tradition that needs hooks here and there to ensnare the listener.

If you haven't already, catch up on the works of this man well over 100 kilograms and well above average as a talented entertainer for us good music enthusiasts. I'm just starting again now.