Third part of a trilogy of albums from Census of Hallucinations, which also included 2013's Spirit of Yellow, comprising new interpretations of classic songs from the Stone Premonitions catalogue, and Coming of the Unicorn, which emphasised CoH's more overtly psychedelic side. As with the preceding albums in the trilogy, long time members of the Stone Premonitions collective are joined by John Simms and Maxine Marten of Clear Blue Sky, a band with a long history in the prog scene, who released albums on Vertigo in the early 70s and are still active today.
There's always been a sociopolitical aspect to Stone Premonitions, with lyrics that critique greed and consumerism, environmental destruction, totalitarianism, violence, and banality forced upon the population by the mass media, and call for peace, spirituality and independent thinking. The common theme behind this latest album is found within the lyrics, which explore themes such as these in a way that pulls no punches and fully intends to jolt the listener out of a sense of complacency. The songs are set to a variety of musical backdrops which take on board an eclectic mixture of influences whilst retaining a sense of coherence. Signature combines a soul-influenced melody with rock-oriented accompaniment. The Emperor is a mesmeric spacerock piece. Delivering the Goods is a kind of angular experimental rock. Cold as Trout is classic rock with an inventive twist, incorporating aspects of psych, prog, jazz and ambient. Timelessness is experimental rock with proggy and ethereal elements. The Crunch is hard-hitting heavy rock effectively juxtaposed with ambient and experimental sounds. A Most Remarkable Number features a recitation on the symbolism of the number nine, set to a creative and darkly atmospheric instrumental piece.
A harsher and perhaps more experimental album than the other parts of this trilogy, The Nine can at times be rather a challenging listen, though I get the feeling that that was their intention. Whilst the music can be unsettling at times, it is undeniably full of inventiveness and continues to demonstrate the talented musicianship Stone Premonitions is known for.
(Reviewed by Bliss/Aquamarine - http://www.blissaquamarine.net)