Rocking Horse Music Club’s latest project is a madcap progressive rock endeavor featuring many of New England’s best musicians with some international players chiming in. RHMC’s creation, titled Circus Of Wire Dolls, chronicles the lives of several invented, manufactured dolls that come to life, form a performance touring company and who experience the world in much the same way as human beings.
The entire two disc concept album works majestically, with each track having its own narrative line, its own narrative arc. Each track also folds itself neatly the larger narrative of this Circus Of Wire Dolls. Not only do the dolls live out an intriguing story. Their stories are told with a largeness of purpose, talent, and lyrical development that intrigues the most demanding listener from beginning to end.
Opening track “Prologue Riverside” entices the ear with an airy mix of synth, dulcimer, piano, and electric violin and a lead guitar that sublimely passes through the sonic landscape. Brian Coombes haunting mellow croon raises the curiosity level. Vocalist Justin Cohn chimes in with another texture to indicate the drama to follow.
Noel McCalla turns his sweet, smooth voice to the Ringmaster’s character on title track “Circus Of Wire Dolls.” His smooth resonance travels well over the wild freewheeling lead guitar magic of Jon Finn and Juli Finn. It’s one of many fun rides this double record set takes the listener on.
Myron Kibbee’s lead guitar work on “Packed Up” astounds with its thrilling pierce. Eric Wagley(who drums on almost the entire album) drives us into “Senseless Sky” with his clever rotation of driving fills. There are also several instrumentalists playing magnificently over those drums but they wouldn’t be able to fulfill their complex high wire act without Wagley keeping his individual beats and fills beneath them.
“Animate In 5/8” features the interchanging lead vocals of Noel McCall and Caroline Carter. Male and female vocals take turns soaring ever upwards as the multitude of keyboards and guitars send out their own laser precision, smooth as silk phrasing. When the vocalists come together, it creates a semblance of modern day Broadway musicals, which is fine as it does not stray far from the rock opera format.
“To Reach The Other Side” is graced by the slide guitar work of Myron Kibbee as well as the electric and acoustic guitar playing of Patrik Gochez. Justin Cohn brings an understated emotion to his delivery, his vocal sublime, something that captures the imaginative quality of this rock opera.
The vocal exchange between Tightrope Walker(Patrick Gochez) and Prima Donna(Caroline Carter) titled “Will You Be My Downfall” maintains a lilting pace that allures as much as their sweet, smooth vocals. There is also a musical chemistry between them that makes this piece special. Brian Coombes’ mix of sweet mellotron, harpsichord, celeste, and sleigh bells drop pretty, shiny notes that contrast well with the guitar, bass and drum timbres.
The melancholy drift of “So Little Left” develops well, while remaining low key, with Patrik Gochez’s seriously tender assertion of his character’s plight. Jeremy Harman’s moody cello contributes greatly to this seemingly simple piece.
Harman’s cello sweeps us gently into “Trapeze “Waltz,” a rollicking rocker with Bobby Rice’s drums work and Brenden Harisiade’s bass finesse making a persistent oldies beat. Rob Townsend’s wild sax and the rest of the band’s playfulness create something with an early 60s nostalgia sound. Kate St. John’s accordion deposits a swirling bottom and Amy Birk’s duet with Justin Cohn rings out with wonderful tone.
Of course, nothing ever stagnates in this rock opera. Things take a turn for the sunny when Caroline Carter handles the lead vocals on “Burn.” She croon over the lively peaks and valley of this piece before using her soaring vocal to lift herself over the rush of energy from the band.
This ever changing kaleidoscope of a rock opera turns to “Cut From A Different Cloth.” Chris Difford’s Tom Waits- like world weary down tempo voice carries itself through a textured landscape. Ringing guitar tones, pretty pedal steel sustains, Coombes’ collection of keyboards, washboard, and sleigh bells create a world that Difford, as The Oldest Man Alive looks past. The handsome, sandpaper vocal contrasts well with every sound around his voice, perfectly illustrating the cynical personality that notices things, even among beauty, that others do not want to see.
“Face Of Rain,” lead by Justin Cohn’s wide sweeping, sweet vocal timbre, buttressed by Myron Kibbee’s pretty lead guitar phrase, moves through the meter with confident verve and a forlorn emotive quality. The artists on this song remarkably show a narrative shift as a main character, Mr. Wolfe, wonders if his life’s work has been worthwhile.
“0300” continues Mr Wolfe’s rumination of regrets. Wolfe’s long dark night starring into his own soul rings with sincere emotions. This all happens on the strength of many instruments. Kate St. John’s oboe Jeremy Harman’s cello, and Mikaela Davis’s harp weave a special landscape of sound with Coombes’s piano, CP2, synths, and rhodes. It creates a platform for Justin Cohn’s tender, sweet vocal range while dovetailing well with Myron Kibbee’s freewheeling guitar phrase. Most of this album works because of how well each of the individual parts fit together.
“SY22” finds drummer Wagley and bassist Harisiades placing a solid push beneath layers of guitars, keyboards, trumpet, and singers. Its lilting groove supports so much of Wesley Thurber’s trumpet line, a wide, soulful phrase. The considerate rhythm section also make a fine contrast, with their fills and low end notes letting much synth and mellotron action ride over them. Rippling fills and spacey guitar make one wish this piece was an hour long.
A mesh of electric and acoustic guitar carries Justin Cohn’s lead vocals as well as the backing vocals of Michelle Coombes and Evelyn Cormier. Their voices swing out and over their tender guitar supports to carry forward a message of time and loss.
Getting more synth and drum programming, “House Party At Jack’s” becomes this rock opera’s dance track. Coombes works the synths, mellotron, programming and odd voices. Josh Kimball operates a drum machine and Mayden plays piano notes. With so much in the mix, it’s understandable why one cannot stop listening to this alluring segue.
Down tempo ballad “Flowers In November” lets Gochez showcase how smoothly he handles a song from the piano bench. Gochez wraps his voice around this Beatlesque melody, a vocal timbre that rides his tender piano. This song brings back memories as it reminds of so many 1960s melodies. Jenna Vagjian applies a forlorn violin voice in the backdrop, a second layer of emotive grist that makes this song work.
“Every Show Must End” plunges headfirst into prog rock adventure. Myron Kibbee wields a mean lead guitar phrase like a blow torch as it burns through the atmosphere. Justin Cohn conveys the emotive arc of the entire story in the way he sends his voice out over the length of each meter. Acoustic guitar and piano waltz forward, especially when Noel McCalla takes over the microphone.
Evelyn Cormier proves she’s worth her salt tackling “All Shall Be Well.” As Mother, the parent of PT Wolfe, the creator of the Circus Dolls, Cormier carries the wide ballad with large aplomb. Her considerate vocal pace arcing over the song and making a fine ceiling for all of the guitar solos, fancy keyboards, and rhythm section finesse.
Instrumental track “Circus Waltz” finds Wagley at his skin smacking best, Harisiades at his thumpiest. With such hefty grooves Coombes has support for his taurus pedals, Hammond organ swirl, mellotron cruise, and a few other things he has got going on. Mike McAdam, Juli Finn, and Jon Finn rock this hard on guitar while Rob Townsend blows a mighty sax phrase, soon giving way to David Cross on electric violin. This one rocks hard with its own special flavor. It’s also nice to be reminded that violin and sax have a home in prog rock.
This mighty and bittersweet rock opera finishes up with “Coda: “Slide Down The Cellar Door.” With a farewell feeling in every instrument’s tone, it closes out the album with the sweet sorrow of all goodbyes. Coombes’s myriad of exotic instruments and synths flavor things uniquely. Myron Kibbee’s lead guitar phrase cries it emotive fiber across several meters, and, a handful of vocalists bring the story to a close with their high, sweet harmonies.
Aside from an interesting query into human nature, Circus Of Wire Dolls is a hefty dose of excellent music. It can rock hard with fierce talent one moment, then sooth the soul the next with intricate details in melody, voice, and unusual instruments. It is easy to imagine Rocking Horse Music Club taking this on a concert tour similar to Trans Siberian Orchestra or a smart Broadway producer transforming it into staged rock opera.
There are featured here many of New England’s best musicians but also quite a few international notables. Noel McCalla(Mike Rutherford), Amy Birks, Tim Bowness, Caroline Carter, Evelyn Cormier, Chris Difford, David Cross(King Crimson), Michael Davis, Kenwood Dennard(Brand X), Melvin Duffy(Squeeze), John Hackett, Greg Hawks(The Cars), Rob Townsend, and Kate St. John(Dream Academy). Producer Brian Coombes, who contributes some lead vocals and keyboards, recorded most of this rock opera at his Rocking Horse Studio in Pittsfield, New Hampshire, with some additional recording at Abbey Road Studio in London, England and Dreamland in New York City. After Coombes got the sound he wanted, Peerless Mastering in Boston, Massachusetts refined the sound some more. The sound quality of this rock opera is a story in and of itself, getting so many players and singers into just the right zone.
This entire Circus Of Wire Dolls rock opera is going to get world wide notice, regardless if rock operas and double records sets are less commonly recorded these days. There is a power in this story and its telling that make it irresistible.
