Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating * * * *
It could be argued that by listening to, seeing, or actively taking part in art, the emotion experienced can lead to what is felt as a kind of rebirth, that first time we sing either something of our own creation or just projecting a few words into the air that surrounds us of that which has once caught our attention, the moment we step on stage and handle with care the words that frame an expression or break another’s heart, that is the moment we undergo a kind of transformation, a first breath in which the soul becomes more than a lump of clay, it becomes active and human.
For The Durutti Column, their first studio album in more than 15 years, Renascent, is one not only of keen celebration, but also the means in which revival flourishes.
It could be argued that the group, led by stalwarts Vini Reilly and Bruce Mitchell have waited for this precise moment to release an album of such elegance, one that seeks a different kind of response from the soul that the outcome is exactly as mentioned, one of re-emergence, like a butterfly fighting its way out of the cocoon, the final form is one of stirring beauty, an audible delight that wraps its arms around you and cradles the imagery safely and without fear.
From the depth of appreciation comes tracks such as the openers Echoes In The Memory and Your Shadow In The Morning, Vapour In A Matchbox, Time Present And Time Past, and For Friends Everywhere, the music is a moving canvas of consistency, a creative endurance that flows with expression, of reaching for something new in the already tangible substance already faced with vigour, and what makes it even more endearing is the simplicity of the piece as an aural sculpture but knowing deep down it’s demand of physical unrestraint is what makes it almost Prog like, progressive and broad minded but never unreceptive.
Renascent is a sophisticated, filled with sound of a melancholic nature, and yet one of generous pleasure; it is well worth the wait that the fan and the listener have spent patiently lingered in the hope of new material, and it is one that does not disappoint.
Ian D. Hall