A Night At The Library
Apollon, 2022
8/10
Listen to A Night At The Library
An album recorded live from a streaming concert at the Bergen Public Library in 2020, Major Parkinson deliver a very stripped back listen here, where their prog-rock ways are quite artistic and full of vivid storytelling.
The dense piano of “Lover, Lower Me Down” starts the listen, where stirring strings add much grace to the haunting storytelling, and “Black River” follows with chilling female vocals entering the mysterious atmosphere that’s piano fueled.
In the middle, the very elegant and emotive “Strawberry Suicide” pairs firm piano with soaring backing vocals alongside the raw male voice, while “Baseball” is a swift, sometimes intense display of cinematic song craft that’s darkly prog-influenced.
Advancing towards the end, the dreamy “Jonah” also gets gruff and chunky in between gorgeous moments, and “Heart Of Hickory” exits the listen upbeat and dynamic, before quickly escalating into dizzying strings and keys.
This is the first ever physical release of live music from Major Parkinson, and the band’s unique meshing of rock, pop and psychedelia shines in a very intimate setting. Whether this is your first taste of the band or if you’ve spent quite a bit of time their way, you won’t be disappointed with their distinct songwriting.
Travels well with: Brudini- From Darkness, Light; Pymlico- On This Day