Poor Genetic Material – Here Now (QuiXote-Music Record, 2020)
Poor Genetic Material is a band I know very well. Their catalog is deep with profound music. I have reviewed several albums from their catalog. On September 18th, 2020, the band will unleash their 8th studio album, Here Now. The album is being released by the QuiXote-Music Record Label.
This Speyer, Germany – based band is unique in the modern world of progressive rock, in that their music sounds so unique. Like Hats Off Gentlemen, It’s Adequate, their music is so hard to pinpoint, to any specific influences, although you can hear flavors and essences from every great progressive band, from Genesis to ELP. No, PGM has its own unique sound, and they have been constantly evolving that sound over the years.
That uniqueness starts with the sound of their vocalist, Philip Griffiths. Sounding a little like a regal Michael Sandler, from Saga. The music follows with rich ambiance when Pia Darnstaedter enters the scene to provide flute.
The band is led by Philip Griffiths, on lead & backing vocals; Martin Griffiths, on lead vocals on “The Garden”; Stefan Glomb, on guitars; Philipp Jaehne, on keyboards; Pia Darmstaedter, on flute; Dennis Sturm, on bass; and Dominik Steinbacher, on drums & backing vocals.
The album opens with the album’s title song, “Here Now”; quietly with soft keys, then forward lurching with lead electric guitar and bass. The drums accompany, setting pace for the dynamic rhythm. These early sounds remind me of early IQ. But soon Darmstaedter joins the soundstage and pulls you back to the sound of Poor Genetic Material. The opener is one of my favorite songs on the album.
“Serendipity”, is full of wonderful keyboards throughout. A vocal-driven showcase for Philip Griffiths, with some regal lead guitar. Darmstaedter, on flute, returns to add wonderful flavor with the keys.
“The Waiting Game”, opens with those soft, cool keyboards I remember from some of my favorite albums. On this track Philip Griffiths’ vocals really sound the closest to Michael Sadler. Cool keys from Philipp Jaehne, and excellent drums from Dominik Steinbacher.
“Note from My Younger Self”, is a wonderful idea to conceptualize. PGM does a great job lyrically telling this story – “You’re stuck in a moment, but try not to forget,. What drove you, what made you, what saved you. I see no limit. No limit but the sky. Nothing I wouldn’t do. Nothing I wouldn’t try. To reach the place I was meant to be. To reach the place that was meant for me”. It opens with deep piano keys and Darmstaedter, on flute. Dennis Sturm, almost echoes Greg Lake’s bass sounds from Court of the Crimson King.
“The Garden”, is a five-part, epic story, running over 13 minutes. The best track on the album, and a classic for the ages. It opens with piano, keys, and lead electric guitar that sounded eerie familiar; like it belonged on Selling England By the Pound. The fife and drum sounds with Darmstaedter, on flute, are an impressive start. Finding peace in the garden, when so much around the world is burning and changing.
Martin Griffiths’ vocal delivery is much different. His vocal sound closer to Denise DeYoung from Styx. “On the run from a smoking gun, I found rest and peace in the garden”. Yes, we all need a break from the violence and trouble the global pandemic has brought to the world. The music and words are calming and welcoming. A place to go to escape all that is surrounding us in the here and now.
“This Place”, is a wonderful closer, full of Darmstaedter’s flute, at its opening. Philip Griffiths paints a picture of the things we are being distracted from with all that is going on in the world. The beauty and magnificence of the world, close to home, that we overlook, as we concentrate on all the uncivility surrounding us. The keyboards in the middle almost have a pipe organ sound. Darmstaedter’s flute solo that follows is like sunlight, on the birth of spring. The piano trailing off has an eerie A Day in the Life sound. But I would rather compare it to the power of the ending on Supertramp’s classic last song, “Don’t Leave Me Now”, but of course that was with drums.
As usual, Poor Genetic Material have surpassed all expectations with Here Now. This album is a wonderful addition to their catalog, and one of the better produced albums of the year. Please get this album and take yourself away from the bitterness of the here and now around you, and off to a here and now imagined…finer.
Tracklist
1. Here Now – 4:44
2. Serendipity – 3:43
3. The Waiting Game – 6:59
4. Note from My Younger Self – 7:00
5. The Garden – 13:13
I. The War
II. The Garden
III. The Theatre
IV. The Silver Peacock
V. The Peace
6. This Place – 9:34
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