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Rating: The album "Grave New World" unquestionably marks the artistic and formal peak of the Strawbs, an English band led by Dave Cousins, which originally debuted with the flautus vocis Sandy Danny on vocals and Tony Hooper on guitar; the group also featured, for the span of two albums ("Just A Collection Of Antiques And Curious", 1970, "From The Witchwood", 1971) the collaboration of the virtuoso Rick Wakeman on keyboards.
Deeply influenced by the folk revival movement of the late '60s, which erupted violently following the acoustic "betrayal" by Dylan, the Strawbs progressively distanced themselves from the folk-rock stylings, which nevertheless would always remain as a structural reference, to ultimately create an avant-garde musical experiment, one of the greatest (and most underappreciated) artistic peaks of the '70s.
"Grave New World" is therefore the final and ultimate acme of an artistic maturation born from the fusion of acoustic folk, non-noisy psychedelia (Red Crayola) but dreamy and atmospheric (Grateful Dead), sacred music, Eastern mysticism, baroque harmonies, and a clear vein of decadent aestheticism, sometimes vitalistic and pantheistic (D'Annunzio), other times contemplative and intimate (Cohen), but always supported by substantial arrangements that reflect the search for the formal perfection of melodies, ranging from liturgical choirs to electronic experimentation, from Indian ragas to Eastern sacred music.
All the tracks on the album are thus permeated by a sensitive ecstatic and religious transcendence, which at certain points (New World, Is It Today Lord, Benedictus) becomes overwhelming and extremely intense; the image is Bernini's "Ecstasy of Saint Teresa", transcendent yet deeply intertwined with the sensuality of the cosmos.
Tracklist Lyrics and Videos
01 Benedictus (04:25)
The wanderer has far to go
Humble must he constant be
Where the paths of wisdom
Distant is the shadow of the
setting sun.
Bless the daytime
Bless the night
Bless the sun which gives us light
Bless the thunder
Bless the rain
Bless all those who cause us pain.
Yellow stars may lead the way All
diversions lead astray While his resolution holds Fortune and good will will surely follow him.
Bless the free man Bless the slave
Bless the hero in his grave
Bless the soldier
Bless the saint Bless all
those whose hearts grow faint.
03 Queen of Dreams (05:31)
Spoke the Queen of Dreams
I was Lord of the Forest
Walked within her paths
Sheltered within her bowers
Pine needles for my pillow
The dove my only true friend
I was Lord of the Forest.
Spoke the Queen of Souls
I was Lord of the Ocean
Swam beneath her waves
Sheltered within her shipwrecks
Precious gifts I bring you
From rusting hulls of the deep
I was Lord of the Ocean.
Spoke the Queen of Heads
I was Lord of the Mountains
Scaled her highest peaks
Sheltered within her valleys
Climb high upon my shoulders
I will show you the world
I was Lord of the Mountains.
I had no head for heights
But close my eyes to make the climb
Oh Queen of Dreams
Oh Queen of Souls
Oh Queen of Heads
It's time.
05 New World (04:13)
There's blood in the dust
Where the city's heart beats
The children play games
That they take from the streets
How can you teach when you've so much to learn
May you turn
In your grave
New world.
There is hate in your eyes
I have seen it before
Planning destruction
Behind the locked door
Were you the coward who fired the last shot
May you rot
In your grave
New world.
There is death in the air
With the lights growing dim
As those who survive
Sing a desperate hymn
Pray that God grants you one final request
May you rest
In your grave
New world.
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