Wednesday, June 28, 2017

“Hidden Hills” by Pavey Ark – A Song Review

     If the goal in listing “influencing” bands is to assist potential fans of an unfamiliar band, It’s a Beautiful Day probably shouldn’t be listed. It’s a Beautiful Day never received the level of acclaim it deserved. Their most significant single, “White Bird,” was appreciated in some areas, but only reached Number 118 on Billboard's “Bubbling Under the Hot 100 chart.” That was in 1969.
     It’s a Beautiful Day is the band we would identify when asked for the closest comparison to the UK band Pavey Ark. It was more than halfway through Pavay Ark’s “Hidden Hills” before the violin moved into a short melody that triggered the comparison, but once triggered, the thought was firm in its position. For both bands, the violin and atmospheric vocals play major roles. And for both, the sounds are blends of Folk, Rock and splashes of Classical and Jazz.
     At the start of “Hidden Hills,” you expect George Harrison to chime, “Here comes the sun.” But the song soon heads in a fundamentally different direction. “Hidden Hills” is a highly layered track, with simultaneous melodies given equal emphasis. But each instrument is given its moment in the sun.

     The hometown of Pavay Ark is Hull, UK. And its members are Neil Thomas (vocals, guitar), John Hamilton (bass), Sam Handley (drums), and Chris Heron (violin).
     “Hidden Hills” by Pavey Ark 


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