Nick Beggs has had a varied career, to say the least. While perhaps best known as Kajagoogoo’s bassist, he’s his time to progressive folk band Iona, and worked with working with various artists as diverse as Alphaville, Belinda Carlisle, Emma Bunton (on her album ‘Life in Mono’) and Led Zeppelin’s former bass player, John Paul Jones. He’s also worked as an A&R man for Phonogram, and as a writer for various guitar magazines.
But clearly, like so many musicians, playing is an unscratchable itch. Hence, presumably, The Mute Gods, and the arrival of their debut album. There’s no shortage of noteworthy collaborators featured here, but this isn’t about the roll-call, it’s about the music.
The album opens with the title track, a seven and a half-minute neoprog rock epic with a clear sense of accessibility that manages to avoid being overtly pop. I’d likely point to Amplifier as a reasonable comparison: vocal harmonies carry a strong melody and layered guitars steer the sound, while the expansive structures never stray too far from a return to a solid and uplifting chorus. It’s an album that time and again proves The Mute Gods have an ear for a chorus.
Elsewhere, ‘Feed the Troll’ is hypnotic, mystical and soaring, and the chunky rock instrumental ‘In the Crosshairs’ weaves in some oriental motifs to create a mystically-infused prog epic that nods to Led Zep’s ‘Kashmir’. They’re balanced by tracks like the introspective ‘Strange Relationship’.
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It may be Nick Beggs’ band, but there’s no evidence that this is some ego project, and he doesn’t dominate with his bass (or Chapman Stick) playing, instead preferring to hold thing steady in the rhythm section – apart from on ‘Your Dark Ideas’ where he lets fly with a thunderous groove which underpins a corking string-soaked stoner/prog/rock workout. ‘Swimming Horses’ is another standout track, on which the bass/stick playing cuts through – but it’s in keeping, and isn’t overdone.
There are some disappointing efforts – ‘Nightschool for Idiots’ sounds like a wet stab at soul that comes on like a cross between The Style Council and ‘Little Kix’ era Mansun. But as a hole, it hangs together well, with some solid – as well as skyward – tunes, and neatly executed.
The Mute Gods Online
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