Unbeknown to me, the Downes Braide Association (or DBA as they are known elsewhere) have been around since 2012. Here they are with album #5.
Written by: gdmonline
ARTIST: Downes Braide Association
ALBUM: Celestial Songs
LABEL: Magical Thinker Records
SERIAL: DBA-CD-06
YEAR: 2023
CD REISSUE: Discogs Reissue List
COUNTRY OF ORIGIN: England
LINEUP: Geoff Downes – keyboards, programming * Chris Braide – vocals, piano, keyboards * Dave Bainbridge – guitars * Andy Hodge – bass * Ash Soan – drums
TRACK LISTING: 01 Look What You Do * 02 Clear Light * 03 Keep On Moving * 04 Darker Side Of Fame * 05 Hey Kid * 06 Will To Power * 07 Heart Shaped Hole * 08 Dear Petra * 09 On The Run * 10 Goodbye To You (Sister Shame) * 11 Beyond The Stars
RATING: 60/100
WEBLINKS: Site Link
Downes Braide Association Background
Unbeknown to me, the Downes Braide Association (or DBA as they are known elsewhere) have been around since 2012. Here they are with album #5. It’s like a whole new chapter has been opened up to me. Face palms all round.
Geoff Downes needs no introduction to GDM regulars, though in 2023 he’s pulling double duty with both the Downes Braide Association and Yes releasing recent albums. Chris Braide is a lesser name to me, but really – he probably shouldn’t be. He’s better known as a producer and singer/pianist plus a film score composer in the same rarified territory as Trevor Rabin.
Also, he was a founding member of the UK qusrtet the Producers featuring drummer to the stars Ash Doan, and renowned record producers Steve Lipson and Trevor Horn. On this album at least, Ash Soan appears here, as does Iona guitarist Dave Bainbridge and Marc Almond bassist Andy Hodge.
‘Celestial Songs’ is a bonafide melodic progressive rock experience, everything about the genre can be found within the hour long runtime. Where to start then? How about the beginning said Fred?
The Songs
There is a certain emotional element to the record that will either appeal or bore the pants off you. I’m caught between the two, as I prefer my prog with a dose of over amped energy but surely that’s asking too much with a record like this?
‘Look What You Do’ with its spoken word introduction and gentle delivery could be the equivalent of musical therapy. This tune just meanders mostly without any sense of moderate tempo. ‘Clear Light’ is easily a highlight so early on in the piece. The yearning vocal and persistent guitar lines are prominent.
There is a repeating guitar motif on ‘Keep On Moving’ but I found the next track ‘Darker Side Of Fame’ a lot more interesting, particularly with its musical leaning toward a Barclay James Harvest like delivery.
I didn’t resonate with ‘Hey Kid’ though I kinda understood the tough guy/hero complex being written about, in the context 8f war and conflict. ‘Will To Power’ at least has a degree of rockiness and isn’t as ponderous as earlier material.
‘Heart Shaped Hole’ is another tune to drift on a melancholic cloud, you’ll either get it or you won’t. ‘Dear Petra’ takes it one step backward, a complete piano laden track with no rhythmic backbone whatsoever. Oh dear.
‘On The Run’ goes some way toward musical reparation, a prog/pop number with a degree of interest. ‘Goodbye To You (Sister Shame)’ features some guitar noodling from Dave Bainbridge but it wasn’t enough to save it. The track segues into the 10 minute finale ‘Beyond The Stars’, though unashamedly prog, its broken down into several passages including more spoken word narration.
In Summary
I’ve read the comments elsewhere on the Net comparing the Downes Braide Association to the Alan Parsons Project. Personally I couldn’t hear one drop of that. Sounds like an ignorant throwaway comment to me.
Someone also mentioned that this could be Geoff Downes day job. Err I don’t think so. There’s more money with the Yes gig than DBA. Ten fold.
Despite hoping for a record that would deliver according to potential, I came away pretty disappointed with the end result. The arrangements weren’t overly complicated, and the lack of a significant rhythmic back line didn’t help matters. As far as the Downes Braide Association is concerned, investigate with caution.
Downes Braide Association on Video
Click to go to YTM album page.
