Shelter
Apollon, 2024
9/10
The 6th album from the prog-rock heroes Laughing Stock, the trio welcome many guests to these 8 carefully crafted tracks.
“A New Home” starts the listen with dense guitars, as Jan Mikael Sorenson’s pounding drums align with both hard hitting and soft moments, and the title track follows with a soothing dreaminess thanks to pretty singing and Håvard Enge’s pensive keys.
The middle tracks belong to “In You” and “Waterfall”. The former welcomes guest Torjus Moland’s stirring violin to the elegance, while the latter makes great use of Jan Erik K Nilsen’s meticulous guitar via the cinematic and rich album highlight.
Deeper yet, “Radio” emits a textured haze, where the trio’s dynamic interaction yields much power and cautiousness, and “The Flood” exits with Tim Bowness’ expressive voice and Terje Johannesen’s soulful trumpet amid the thick buzzing and reflective bouts of diverse and memorable songwriting.
The stunning cover art was provided by the legendary artist James Marsh (Talk Talk), and it suits the top notch prog sounds that balance the tension, melody and grace that Laughing Stock are known and adored for.
Travels well with: Alwanzatar- Engsyre; Sunface- Cloud Castles