Steve Hackett
Darktown

There are artists whose skill and creativity allow you to joyfully appreciate even their most introspective and somewhat dark works. This may seem like a contradiction in terms, but it only is if one examines the passion for sublime art superficially. There is a joy for life even where the themes are introspective and perhaps deal with not-so-"bright" subjects such as discomfort, racism, and death. It all depends on the positivity with which one approaches it, and thus even an album with a gloomy cover like this one (abandoned graves galore both on the cover and the internal booklet).

In 1999, Steve Hackett decided to release this very peculiar album using material already recorded years before, featuring many musicians who at the time of the album's release in question were not part of Steve's group (the great Roger King would join his group right after Darktown). It is said that there are albums that can only be fully appreciated after multiple listens, and 'Darktown' is definitely one of them. Therefore, for those who decide to get to know it, the suggestion is to listen to it over and over again; it is demanding to grasp, but once you've internalized it, you won't be able to do without it. The classification required by the site is not easy: defining it as prog is reductive, but here we truly find a mixture of genres and multiple contaminations.

It begins with the opening track titled "Omega Metallicus." Even here, one is faced with something scarcely expected from the king of prog guitarists; indeed, it is decidedly a jungle piece with samples and electronic percussion that initially disorients. Additionally, Steve's guitar is distorted to the extreme, creating an almost psychedelic piece with a very hard rhythm. A piece with great impact, it shakes you, it assaults you, and leaves you breathless; it transitions to the title track, where the listener encounters the first truly ominous track due to the decidedly martial setting resulting from an arrangement based on obsessive electronic drums and extremely low-toned synths. The lyrics, sung in a cavernous voice by Steve, talk about the British educational system, which with its methods has produced generations of men now undergoing psychoanalysis (exact words from the sleeve notes). There's a saxophone intervention by the great Ian McDonald (formerly of King Crimson), who plays his instrument in a delirious manner. Splendid.

The third piece suddenly becomes dreamy, moving to a delicate semi-acoustic track with an expansive breath, a beautiful introspective song titled "Man overboard." Acoustic guitar and some mellotron interventions with very sweet vocals. Truly a nice moment of relaxation after the first two decidedly overwhelming songs. "The Golden age of Steam" is the fourth song, and classifying the track proves to be really complex. It starts with a march mixed "in crescendo" with John Hackett's flute and military-style drums until the keyboards come in, creating an orchestral effect. Steve's voice sings lyrics recounting the life of Anne Frank through the reconstruction of a man who "sells" Anne Frank's location and that of her family to the Nazis. At times, the song even seems to be performed by a Mittel-European style orchestra. "The Days of Long Ago" arrives to once again soften emotional tensions. It is a piece Steve wrote in 1992 and decided to have sung by a great Scottish singer (Jim Diamond). It results in a delicate and evocative ballad, romantic and never cloying, with the nylon-string classical guitar taking center stage. Wonderfully mixed song.

One of the best tracks on the entire album comes next: "Dreaming with open Eyes." A delicate bossanova that must be listened to either on headphones (the stereo effects are incredible here) or while traveling, as the piece lends itself fantastically. Full of breaks and very sweet rhythmic reprises. Rich in arrangement and decidedly relaxing. Splendid interventions by John Hackett on flute and overlapping voices in a chant that is almost celestial. Truly a wonderful blend of prog and Latin-American rhythms. In every album, there is always the song that impresses the most, and in the case of "Darktown," it is undoubtedly "Twice Around the Sun". The spell is complete, with the electric guitar distorted in the most Hackett-esque way, sweet and hard at the same time. An instrumental track with electronic drums and majestic keyboards providing a backdrop to the aforementioned distorted six-string "walks." An impressionistic piece that gives you chills with a dark interlude that opens into an almost sunny climax, leading to the end where the longest guitar note in rock history is present (Hackett docet). The legendary Fernandes sustain is masterfully used here.

The next song is more traditional, meaning there is a "real" drum played by the great Hugo Dagenhardt (already Steve's drummer at the time of "Guitar Noir"). Arpeggiated acoustic start with background choruses and Steve's voice beginning to sing about the theme of reincarnation. Gradual entry of the rest of the band and an explosion of very warm notes with a rapid and very ornate rhythm base by Dagenhardt. A real gem, which only has the defect of being somewhat short. It is titled "Rise Again". The following piece is entirely negligible (sometimes a donut doesn't have the hole). "Jane Austen’s door" is a nerve-less, rather saccharine and banal little song, but Steve is forgiven for this and more. Fortunately, with the reprise of the title track ("Darktown Riot"), strong emotions resurface. Once again, the jungle peeks in, and electronics triumph in an almost deafening roar with a syncopated rhythm and a guitar that seems almost ravished. Truly a fascinating track.

Some albums in history have had their ending that lingers in your ears for hours after you've listened to the entire album. It is also the case with 'Darktown,' which closes with a long piece that is the quintessence of majestic and somewhat dark prog, but, as mentioned at the beginning of the review, it still leaves you with an incredible internal joy. We are at "In Memoriam", where the great guitar technique marries magical atmospheres created by Roger King on keyboards with rhythmic accompaniment based on drums and bass (played by another progressive great, John Wetton). The lyrics, sung in an almost solemn voice by Steve, talk about the memory each of us leaves for loved ones when passing on to a better life. If one is willing to be moved, tears are lurking when listening to "In Memoriam". Making the track's atmosphere even more magical is a real choir from an English cathedral. At the end of the album (but only when it has truly been grasped), one is enchanted and even looks differently at the cover, so gloomy but so fitting for an introspective album that guides you towards multicolored paths.

Truly an album that makes you understand the human and artistic maturity of one of the most enlightened and exemplary prog exponents in its rigor and its desire for experimentation. Splendid.