Last time we checked in with Kepler Ten, it was 2017 and the world was slightly less on fire. Back then, I mentioned how apt the band’s approach to progressive rock was, how it transported me back to a time where what I needed from my music was the ability to put a smile on my face or take me to another, fantastical place. Well, that need has only increased since then and, luckily for me, Kepler Ten have just released A New Kind of Sideways, their second album. On that album, the band continue their penchant for well done, tight progressive rock, skirting the edge of cliche and obtuse complexity for a heartfelt ode to the wonder of the genre. “Weaver”, the track and video I’m ecstatic to premiere here today, is a wonderful example of that. It expands on the sci-fi concept at the base of the album and showcases not only the band’s great approach to the basic instruments of the genre, but also their wonderful use of strings and their excellent vocals. Head on down below to check it out!
While this track is on the “slow burner” end of the Kepler Ten spectrum (since other tracks have a faster, more buoyant type of progressive music) it still has that brightness and charm that the band are so good at channeling. What should be immediately apparent as the source of this charm is something I’ve mentioned before, the core of why Kepler Ten works so well: James Durand’s excellent vocals. They open this track with an immediate show of force, quickly setting the epic stage for the story that unfolds on this track. Fast forward a bit and listen to the strings that pump “beneath” the track’s sound, embellishing the track’s rich guitar with another layer of grandeur, and you start to see how satisfying “Weaver” is. By the time the track is done, we’re left with a hunger for me, with an urge to continue to plummet into Kepler Ten’s A New Kind of Sideways. And that’s no mistake! As the band’s Steve Hales says:
“Following on from the Falling Down video we pick up the story as our desperate protagonist (James) regains consciousness in the wilderness, the strange machine that had enabled his escape from the nightclub, lying by his side. As he tries to make sense of where he is and what is happening some familiar figures appear through the trees… Weaver’s lyrics tell a story of control and manipulation which is brought to life in this second part of Kepler Ten’s enigmatic video mini-series.
The song is about how we perceive our everyday lives and how we are often working away for the benefit of others, unaware of the control they have over our behaviour. It is told lyrically through the story of a parasitic wasp preying upon a spider, and the video was originally going to feature plenty of insects, however when the opportunity presented itself to continue the story that we’d begun in the Falling Down video (and to run around the woods like kids for an afternoon) we couldn’t pass it up.”
If you’re intrigued by all of this, simply head on over to the excellent White Star Records to grab the full album. If you’re a fan of progressive music to any extent, you won’t regret it.