2024 was a banner year for the progressive arts as evident by the many well attended concerts, music festivals, and album releases. The music was simply sensational and included many new acts as well as veteran artists. One just needs to peruse PROG Magazine’s fall edition (issue #156) to examine the end of year “lists” compiled by expert reviewers, listeners and the artist themselves to see the breath and scope of this landscape. Included in this protean year of magical music was a newcomer, Broken Sphere, who’s first album, The Gravity of Light was released on 19 December 2024, at a time late in the year when most of the “best of” lists were already determined. Pity, because this album is a burner and in my humble opinion, worthy of inclusion.
There isn’t much available on the Web about this relatively new group, and I hope this can be remedied by the band enhancing their presence by adding more information to their website and Bandcamp Page as well as reviews such as this in The Progressive Aspect, and similar platforms. This lacuna is natural and will disappear once the band evolves.
Broken Sphere is moniker for two extremely talented musicians, Yan David Doiron and Yan Sylvio Duguay, both natives of New Brunswick, Canada. They met up in high school where Duguay was playing in a band that covered tunes from the likes of King Crimson, Tool, Gentle Giant, and Yes. Doiron who played guitar, auditioned and was eventually added. Gigging in and around New Brunswick, they picked up a small following of fans. Other bandmates were actively recruited and joined but soon left due to musical differences. Further, life decisions and other professional interests of both men put the band on hold. In 2022, they rekindled their friendship and interest in progressive music and began playing once again, sharing new tracks and ideas. Doiron took some recordings they did previously and re-recorded them with his vocals. Feeling good about the results, they then recorded other newer tracks to complete the album. It took another year of mixing and engineering to fully realize the final product.
The Gravity of Light is dark, controlled, brooding and utterly sensational. Clocking in at 56 minutes, the music encompasses a vast array of styles and genres. The vocals are sublime and distinct and work perfectly for this album. The opening track, Mother Sylvia opens with thundering bass and a drum rhythm that is mesmerizing and epic. There is a sense of foreboding as Doiron’s almost monotone vocals syncopate with the crashing drums and bass. But it’s all controlled and designed to create this canvas of uncertainty. The music glides along with some keyboards but the star is the infectious and superb rhythm and interplay between the Duguay’s drums and the bass, which is just intoxicating. While listening to this track, I could not help but be reminded of the gorgeous vocals of some of the music of the Byrds. Talk about a disparate and varied influence!
Ladders is another stunning gem. Doiron’s dreamy velvet vocal delivery is a nod to the psychedelic glory of the late 1960s and early 1970s. Duguay’s guitar prowess provides the engine and fuel on which this track runs. There is a sense of build-up as the chorus repeats the refrain, “Over and Over and Over and Over again”, like a mantra, lulling the listener into a sense of peace, but as the track ends, and with three seconds of interval between tracks, Halo Face with that gritty bassline roars and crashes us back to reality. This is a rocker and allows the band to highlight more of the harder edged influences that made an impact on them, and it’s fantastic. As it slowly ends with just Duguay’s guitar in an echo-loop like effect, at 8:50, the listener is pulled immediately into the next track, a segue that is utterly magnificent and brilliantly realized.
Falling Leaves is my jewel for this album. It’s the glue that bridges and binds the album together. Duguay’s stellar acoustic guitar playing and Doiron’s vocals send this track into the stratosphere. It has it all to this reviewer. It could easily be confused for a Stephen Stills / Manassas – penned track just as easily as that of a Justin Haywood-John Lodge / Moody Blues tune. Its versatility is limitless, and it just fits so well here.
The title track, The Gravity of Light slows things down a bit as the album heads toward its finish. A kind of spacey interplay of piano, guitar with reverb, there is a sense of floating and calmness. A lovely intermezzo albeit short at 1:34. The last tracks, Red Herring and Ship of Theseus close out the album strong. Both relatively longer tracks, they are very similar in style to the opening track, Mother Sylvia, with strong emotive vocals, tight rhythm and basslines and incredibly layered atmospheric sound that finish the album with authority and conviction. The groove that opens and closes Red Herring has this retro feel and reminds me of Stone Temple Pilots, with its fuzzy amplified guitar and deep bass groove. Ship of Theseus is an epic with its evolving song structure and build-up. The descant harmony at the bridge is mesmerizing. I got lost in this song. The drum playing on this album, on every track, is phenomenal. Aside from the great Simon Phillips on Protocol V, I cannot think of another album I have listened to in the last 5 years that I was so taken by the drum playing.
The Gravity of Light is well-developed, superbly arranged and mixed first album for this new band. The overall sound they create is large and atmospheric but not overwhelming. The actual mastering, engineering and production of this album is exceptional and a testament to both musicians and their art. I am told the band is working on a second thematic or concept album. I cannot wait to hear it! If you like groups such as Motorpsycho, Elephant9, Needlepoint, or even Zopp or you just crave a dive back to early psychedelic rock, I urge you to give these guys a listen. You won’t be disappointed. I was absolutely chuffed the editors at TPA allowed me to have a crack at this!
TRACK LISTING
01. Mother Sylvia (11:00)
02. Ladders (6:52)
03. Halo Face (9:02)
04. Falling Leaves (5:52)
05. The Gravity of Light (1:34)
06. Red Herring (10:24)
07. Ship of Theseus (12:07)
Total Time – 56:53
MUSICIANS
Yan David Doiron – Lead Vocals, Guitar, Bass, Keyboards
Yan Sylvio Duguay – Drums, Guitar, Bass, Keyboards, Vocals
ADDITIONAL INFO
Record Label: Independent
Country of Origin: Canada
Date of Release: 19th December 2024
LINKS
Broken Sphere – Website | Facebook | Bandcamp | YouTube | X
