SPILL ALBUM REVIEW: ATLANTÆUM FLOOD – ONE DAY

Atlantæum Flood
One Day
Schoolkids Records

Instrumental albums can be tricky things. They can become bland where all the songs kinda meld into one. This is clearly not the case with One Day. Atlantæum Flood have created very visual pieces with the use of real instruments.

One Day is an instrumental album full of incredibly moving, emotional pieces written by Steve Knott. The music wavers from Celtic to prog-rock to semi-classical. By the end of the album, the listener is pulled through the emotional wringer. It is a fantastic album. It is hard to believe that this is their debut release. They sound like they have been around for years.

Atlantæum Flood is a five piece band comprise of Marty and Olivia Willson-Piper, Steve and Lynne Knott and Dare Mason. Mason and Marty Willson-Piper also work together as Noctorum and quite frankly Willson-Piper amazes me at the amount he is able to achieve in one year. Beyond these two bands there are other projects with other bands as well as his own solo career. The amazing part is that none of these projects suffer due to his punishing work schedule. Did I mention he tours quite a bit, with the bands, his wife (Olivia) and solo? He is one busy guy.

Lynne Knott’s cello combined with Olivia Willson-Piper’s violin is an astounding combination. Add to this Marty Willson-Piper’s melodic and original guitar work and Steve Knott’s keyboards, and this quintet makes a glorious sound.

The album is a day in the life with the titles reflecting a very usual day. “Before Sunrise” flows into “After Sunrise”. The pattern continues with the wonderful “Before Noon”. “Before Noon” is so full of emotion, it almost becomes unbearable to listen. “Before Sunset” has a Mediterranian feel to it, while “After Sunset” gently leads the listener into the evening. The album concludes with the breathtaking “After Midnight” which is also a natural lead in to the opening track “Before Sunrise”.

One Day is an incredible album, and one that should lead to more in the future. It is beautiful, and in many ways timely. It is the perfect antidote to the chaos of the world today. It is an escape into another landscape and it is a work of art. A very impressive debut album.

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