Saturday 31 March 2018

Falling to Pieces (Nine Stones Close, 2010)

A very intense and intimate song from Nine Stones Close, a project leaded by Dutch multi-instrumentalist Adrian Jones. It comes from their second album titled "Traces" and includes some of the band's highlights, namely beautiful melodies and great guitar dreaming solos by Mister Jones. But there's more than this. I especially like Mark Atkinson's vocals, full of inner emotions and perfectly balanced between delicate and tense moments.

Nine Stone Close already have a considerable discography.


A prog ballad isn't an easy thing to do, believe me: Jones and his friends have to mix plain sung sections and instrumental breaks keeping the coherence of their song and they surely succeed there. "Falling to Pieces" has a melancholy, even pessimistic mood, but it also features a strong spiritual perspective, building up a sentimental trip through sorrow and hope, a strong emotional experience that only good prog can add to an apparently simple track.