From the masterminds of two multi-instrumentalists Dan Britton (keyboards & guitars) and Trinna Kesner (acoustic guitar, viola & violin), comes a new band called All Over Everywhere and the debut album entitled Inner Firmaments Decay. I‘ve had the pleasure of reviewing two of Dan‘s other bands Deluge Grander & Birds And Buildings. Musically All Over Elsewhere is different than the others, mainly because it‘s more vocal based and generally shorter songs (two of which exceed the 7 minute mark). It’s also a perfect marriage of styles as Dan comes from a prog background and Trinna, a folk & classical one. The end result is something wonderfully new.
Joining Dan and Trinna are Megan Wheatley (vocals), Natalie Hughes (cello, bass guitar), Jennifer LaPlatnia (piano, accordion, vibes), Kelli Short (clarinet, flute, oboe), Ignacio Cruz (zither, dulcimer, electric guitar), Pat Gaffney (drums), and N. Scott Robinson (additional percussion).
From the opening track “The Art Of Earth” (4:16) to the epic track closing the album “Gratitude” (10:32), the listener is treated to some very haunting and melancholy based music. One of my favorite tracks is “On A Dark Street” (3:12) which has a very haunting atmosphere, mostly by the Mellotron and Megan’s beautiful vocals as well as some acoustic guitar passages. Another is the last track “Gratitude” (10:32) which shows the band in a more expanded mode with all of the elements of what I’ve enjoyed on the album are present here. I would have liked if they had another song of this length but I’m happy with what is presented on the album.
If you’ve enjoyed Dan’s other bands as well as the more vocal based progressive rock bands that feature female vocals, then look no further than All Over Elsewhere and it’s debut album entitled Inner Firmaments Decay. This is one of the surprise releases of 2010 that deserves the attention of any serious music fan. I’d classify this as a highly recommended release for 2010.
Reviewed by Ron Fuchs on December 17th, 2010
