{"id":66035,"date":"2020-11-13T12:15:53","date_gmt":"2020-11-13T12:15:53","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/essentiallypop.com\/epop\/?p=66035"},"modified":"2020-11-18T23:25:15","modified_gmt":"2020-11-18T23:25:15","slug":"review-of-professor-and-the-madmans-new-album-seance","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/essentiallypop.com\/epop\/2020\/11\/review-of-professor-and-the-madmans-new-album-seance\/","title":{"rendered":"CONCEPTUAL ART – Professor And The Madman Resurrect Prog-Rock On New Album ‘Seance’"},"content":{"rendered":"

Professor and the Madman<\/strong> are not a band you could accuse of lacking ambition.<\/h4>\n

Seance<\/strong><\/em>, their fourth album and second to feature the much vaunted Damned\u00a0<\/strong>rhythm section of\u00a0Paul Gray\u00a0<\/strong>and\u00a0Rat Scabies, <\/strong>is essentially a play set to music.<\/h4>\n

As co-writer and singer\u00a0Sean Elliott\u00a0<\/strong>told EP <\/strong>in an interview<\/span><\/strong><\/a> in September – it’s an attempt to recreate the immersive concept albums of the ’60s and ’70s.<\/p>\n

Elliott and collaborator Alfie Agnew <\/strong>take the listener on a picaresque journey, encompassing a plethora of musical styles and genres from sci-fi to music hall.<\/p>\n

\"Professor
Seance album cover designed by Cliff Mott<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Albums like this shouldn’t really work in this impatient age of streaming, when audiences can simply download the tracks they want and discard the rest.<\/p>\n

But\u00a0Seance\u00a0<\/em>demands your attention because of the strength of the songwriting and the absolute commitment of all four members.<\/p>\n

For make no mistake, while they may not be involved in the writing, Scabies and Gray make a massive contribution to the songs.<\/p>\n

Indeed, Gray in particular really comes ot the fore on this album, his bass dominating proceedings on tracks like A Child’s Eyes<\/strong><\/em> while Agnew and Elliott create a wash of jangling guitars in the background.<\/p>\n

Like their rhythm section, Elliott and Agnew started out as punk musicians, first meeting as guitarists with West Coast speed merchants\u00a0DI<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

But just as The Damned evolved into more than just a punk band, PATM are fearless when it comes to musical exploration.<\/p>\n

Opener\u00a0All The Lonely Souls\u00a0<\/strong><\/em>kicks things off with Beatles-esque psychedelia, So Long <\/strong><\/em>is high tempo melodic rock, while\u00a0Real Me\u00a0<\/strong><\/em>ventures heavily into\u00a0Kinks <\/strong>territory – and that’s just the first three tracks.<\/p>\n

Having two songwriters on board is clearly an advantage, taking the band in very different directions.<\/p>\n

This is most evident on the intermingled tracks\u00a0Time Machine<\/strong><\/em> and\u00a0Nothing To Lose<\/strong><\/em>. where Agnew becomes a scientist experimenting with time travel, while Elliott assumes the role of the down-at-heel loser seeking a second chance by nabbing a seat for the ride of a lifetime.<\/p>\n

Standout track\u00a0Two Tickets For The Afterlife <\/strong><\/em>is pure high camp\u00a0Alice Cooper\u00a0<\/strong>with a touch of\u00a0Black Sabbath\u00a0<\/strong>thrown in.<\/p>\n

It’s a ghoulish gameshow hosted by – spoiler alert – the man downstairs, you know, the one with the horns.<\/p>\n

It’s loud, bonkers and downright hilarious.<\/p>\n

“We got thrills, we got pills, we got million dollar bills,” Elliott screams. “We got weed, we got speed, we got everything you need.”<\/p>\n

\"Professor
Madmen: From left Rat Scabies, Sean Elliott, Alfie Agnew and Paul Gray<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Council of Purgatory\u00a0<\/em><\/strong>sounds like a cross between an old music hall number and the title track to a US ’60s light comedy show.<\/p>\n

There’s more Fab Four inspired melodies on All<\/strong> the Lonely Souls\/Greetings From the Other Side<\/strong><\/em> but this time mood is darker, more cynical.<\/p>\n

The brief (58 secs) candy-coated New World <\/strong><\/em>brings us to a hopeful, if enigmatic climax with a warning to the protagonists to make a better job of things, “because if you don’t, maybe we’ll see you again”.<\/p>\n

With\u00a0Seance\u00a0<\/strong><\/em>PATM have created an album which is old-fashioned, but in a good way.<\/p>\n

In this age of Playstations and Xboxes, they’ve even quaintly included a board game on the back of the record you can play while listening along. A boxed version of the game, with full accessories, is also available.<\/p>\n

By stripping prog-rock of its hideous excesses – mindnumbing, indulgent solos and pompous lyrics – they’ve managed to deliver a record that holds together as a genuine concept album.<\/p>\n

A considerable achievement and worth investing in should you fancy a bit of time travelling of your own.<\/p>\n