Downes Braide Association aka DBA originally started as a collaborative studio project in 2012 between Christopher Braide a Brit working in the USA writing and producing music for film scores, advertising campaigns and with a host of rock and pop artists (Sia, Lana Del Rey, Christina Aguilera, Beyonce, Paloma Faith, Britney Spears, Marc Almond) and keyboardist Geoffrey Downes of YES, Buggles and Asia fame. Eight years later and the duo had three albums under their belt while tentative forays into live performance in 2018 (resulting in a live record) and again in 2020 had proved successful. After the live shows in early 2020, Braide found himself in a bit of a funk when Marc Almond called and suggested he look at the possibility of a new DBA record to get the creative juices flowing. Braide delved into some musical ideas from Downes and inspiration struck immediately. Compositional ideas and snatches of melody quickly began to take shape and resulted is Halcyon Hymns, a record that perfectly captures feelings and memories of a time and a place when everything seemed so much simpler.

The songs on ‘Halcyon Hymns’ are often long, complex and occasionally use a spoken narrative to enhance the mood and overall feel. On the surface, this all sounds very prog-rock, which might scare away the casual listener for whom prog is a four-letter word bringing up images of folks stabbing keyboards or wandering about the stage with completely impractical costume choices. DBA do, in some ways, embrace the tropes of prog rock (Downes is the keys man in YES after all) but Braide and Downes both bring impressive technical ability, glorious melodies and bags of pop nous to the table. The result is an album that should be accessible to everyone from the most diehard YES or Genesis fan to those of us who merely love a well-played and constructed tune.

Album opener and first single ‘Love Among The Ruins’ perfectly encapsulates the sound of ‘Halcyon Hymns’. Lyrically and musically the track has pastoral echoes of long hazy summer days in the English countryside. A spoken word narration (very English in tone) opens proceedings as acoustic guitars merge delicately with ward bass notes. An electric guitar picks out a lovely melody gently underpinning Chris Braide’s strong vocal and some rather lovely harmonies until the time is right for Dave Bainbridge’s escalating lead guitar lines to take centre stage adding power and urgency. ‘King Of The Sunset’ follows as Braide is joined by Big Big Train’s David Longdon who adds a fine harmony vocal. Lyrically ‘Sunset’ is dense and interesting with references to ‘Littoral Drift’ (Meghann Reipenhoff?) which artistically would tie in with the song’s closing instrumental coda as electric guitars crash over acoustic instrumentation like waves over rocks. ‘Your Heart Will Find A Way’ has an escalating positivity driven by the rhythm section of Andy Hodge (bass) and drummer Ash Soan working an almost funky groove which matches up wonderfully with the insistent electric guitar and sweeping keys. Full of positivity and energy ‘Your Heart Will Find A Way’ would be the perfect intro for anyone new to DBA.

Narration returns for the epic ‘Holding The Heavens' which is sure to appeal to old school YES fans. The occasional moments of narration initially seemed a little odd but prove to be an interesting addition that works in the context of the album. Or to put it another way, If it was good enough for Jeff Wayne… By comparison ‘Beachcombers’ is over in the blink of an eye but still manages to pack in ringing guitars, more narration, pounding drums and YES approved multi-layered vocals. Marc Almond pops up to add a vocal to the rather lovely ‘Warm Summer Sun’ an orchestral, piano ballad featuring gorgeous vocal harmonies. The breezy pop sensibilities of ‘Today’ hark back to 70s singer-songwriters and wouldn’t have been out of place in the hands of Elton John back in the day. I’m sure Davey Johnston or Peter Frampton would have been more than happy with the expansive guitar solo that closes the track. After the Sting like ‘Hymn To Darkness' interlude ‘She’ll Be Riding Horses’ is a glorious slab of summery pop that offers sadness but chooses to reminisce on the good times. The short but sweet ‘Late Summer’ perfectly captures the changing of the seasons before ‘Remembrance’ draws the strands of the album together. At over eleven minutes ‘Remembrance’ is epic in length, scale and ambition. The narration that had popped up previously now finds a perfect home, painting aural pictures so vivid they have the power to transport the listener back to those halcyon times. Images of childhood memories that remain despite the passing of time. For this listener it bought back memories of squeezing into the car for trips to the seaside with family members no longer with us, of Margate pier as we played the penny machines at sunset and who could forget those childhood staples Mr Whippy, Strawberry Mivvi and Orange Maid. ‘Remembrance’ will bring those memories flooding back.

Despite being born out of and recorded during lockdown ‘Halcyon Hymns’ resonates with positivity and hope for the future. Chris and Geoff effortlessly embrace their backgrounds in progressive rock and pop in a way that that is quintessentially English and deliver an album that deserves to find an audience far and wide.

Halcyon Hymns is released on February 5th, 2021 via Cherry Red Records in a CD/DVD configuration (DVD features music videos and Roger Dean album art sessions) and on 2LP White Vinyl on March 26th 2021.

Pre-order Halcyon Hymns:

CD/DVD https://www.cherryred.co.uk/product/downes-braide-association-halcyon-hymns-cd-dvd-edition/

2LP White Vinyl: https://www.cherryred.co.uk/product/downes-braide-association-halcyon-hymns-limited-edition-2lp-white-vinyl/

Buy on Amazon

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