In May 2024, as part of my segment on Graham Harfleet’s The Progressive Rock Show, on Progzilla Radio, I highlighted the sumptuous ballad, Hymn to the Ordinary from the brilliant first album, The Wisdom of Simple Things, by the band, Môr, as well as the track, Cheshire Ghosts, a haunting, emotional tale about the impact the English Civil War had on a provincial area of Northwest England, from the musician Peter Rand, from his 2023 album of the same title. My reasoning at the time was the connection of Rand and Môr; for those who don’t know, Peter is the driving force behind this relatively new band. A superb multi-instrumentalist, composer, arranger, and songwriter extraordinaire, Rand has his hands in a few musical projects as well as his own writing, producing and recording his own solo material.
Môr (which is the welsh word for “sea”) released their second album Tomorrow’s Relics, on 5 December 2025, and it’s magnificent. It is an example of why I love progressive music. The album’s seven-song cycle, coming in just over 43 minutes, is intelligent and highly accessible. It’s also melodic, profound, literary and relevant. One of its many highlights for me as a listener is the vocals of Ramlee Oak, which I find stellar and tremendously moving. His voice is rich, vibrant and compelling. His stylistic delivery adds to the music and doesn’t overwhelm it.
The opening track, Timeslip is a glorious organ-driven, drum thumping romp down the much beaten path of the concept of time and space and its rhythmic, transitory implications on human history and in our daily lives:
We’re conscious of its presence pure and…
Strong, like the tempo of a song, the pealing of a gong
Calling us to meditation
Natural laws, diapause, synchronize, syncopate
The Kalachakra Wheel spins on and…
On, as graceful as the swan, it arrives and then it’s gone
Drifting up the slopes of Meru
Alex Faddista’s engaging electric guitar weaves throughout the track, adding rich layers and fuels a sense of awe and wonderment within the song. Just magnificent and a harbinger of what is to come.
The Nine is the Greek mythological saga of the nine daughters of the gods Zeus and Mnemosyne, each of whom have a special talent which sets them apart from the others. This alluring track guides along with Oak’s vocals as more of a narrative creating a sense of awe and largeness, and allowing you, the listener, to peer in and watch the drama unfold. Musically alluring and cogent, this is one of those songs that creates a sense of time and place, as does the next track, Thirty-Six Barrels. An absolutely brilliant cinematic tune that relates to the Gun Powder Plot of 1605, the song is literary, historical and profound. Nothing that I have read about this event, from the works of Peter Ackroyd to Dan Jones, from Norman Davies to Keith Feiling, has brought home the incredible sense of dramatic historical intensity that this track does:
A cabal to commission and a plan to make
Renegade Jesuits, a dozen and one
High treason, regicide, a hit-and-run
They pledged their fidelity and drew their swords
An end to injustice and tyranny
A concussion in the course of history
An evening fire, fierce and bright, forever known as Guy Fawkes Night
Loose lips sink ships and walls have ears
A letter that foretold of a “terrible blow”
‘Twas only prudent that the king should know
Here again, we see and hear the magnificence of Ramlee Oak who not only sings but also is the artist behind the drum kit playing the martial-like rhythm perfectly and sets the historical stage with a sense of purpose and meaning. Peter Rand’s acoustic 12-string guitar strums in the track beautifully with confidence, clarity and precision. The standout instrument though is the bass played superbly by Oak which creates the driving and enduring framework for the song to progress. Talk about well-done history in musical form. I will be bold here and compare this track with a nod and bow to the Band, and their masterpiece of storytelling, Acadian Driftwood. It’s that good.
Quiet Time is a lovely vocal-driven acoustic number about taking time to listen to others but also acknowledging shortcomings, keeping balance and perspective as we all grow older (and hopefully wiser) as well as maintaining peace with others sometimes at the expense of ourselves and our own feelings. This tune highlights the sensational vocal prowess of Oak and his ability to sing solo as well as create exquisite harmonies. At 4:00 minutes in, the song arcs slightly with a chant like chorus into this Middle Eastern / Indian groove. Chris Matthews who plays the lead guitar on this track is just sublime.
Tomorrow’s Relics, the title cut, is a melodic, quirky, jazzy track, that reminds me of early King Crimson. A slow burner that begins with a few piano notes and sultry sax which peppers the tune throughout courtesy of Sven-Martin Kell. The song is about the brevity of our time and existence in this universe, existential musing about our history and really, our limited understanding of our past. Yet we keep going, keep evolving, keep trying to understand and make sense of it all:
Tomorrow’s relics, reveal our hidden history
That’s a helicopter on the wall at Abydos
Tomorrow’s relics, they cross the sky like Helios
In time, magnetic poles and alchemy reverse.
Corrupted back to lead, in dull gunmetal grey,
succumb to entropy; it’s always been this way.
Order must oxidize, and all oeuvre undone,
tomorrow’s relics forged in laps around the Sun.
Oak’s impassioned crystalline vocals combined with the almost haunting lyricism and mesmerizing rhythm is extraordinary and exquisitely delivered.
The final two cuts off the album, Risk Adverse and Ravenstongue take this album to even loftier heights. The former, begins with a retro groove that taps into that 1960s vibe with a jangling organ and pulsing drumbeat and Alex Fadista’s Metheny-esque guitar. Just sublime. At 5:30 into the song, the melody slows down to almost a ripple and tribal chant as if to reaffirm what has already been said and in deep philosophical wisdom, sums it up with these words:
They waited with their palms upturned, in purpose resolute
“Twas thought ’tis better to do naught, and nothing’s happened ever since
A single kiss, a leap of faith, that’s how the frog became the prince
A single kiss, a leap of faith
A single kiss, a leap of faith
As you can surmise, the lyrics combined with the enchanting vocals are just marvellous. Such amazing musical tapestries created by this band!
Closing out this impressive album, Ravenstongue, is based loosely on the book, Tales of Ravenstongue: An Historical Fantasy, by the author, D.G. Hunt, which Rand read over last summer and was quite taken by it. A glorious track drenched with sensational drumming, a wicked bass-line and out of this world guitar licks, it closes a brilliant musical adventure.
I came away from listening to this album (and may I say, many times) with a profound sense of wonder about existentialism and philosophy in general. There is a sense of time and space in the music and the historical relevance of the lyrics is just breathtaking. Tomorrow’s Relics is a tour de force of superb musicality and lyricism. Ramlee Oak is a sensational vocalist (and master musician) who sings with such emotion and limpid precision.
Vivid and accessible, profound, ambitious, and compelling, I simply loved this album. It is a magisterial follow-up to their first album, The Wisdom of Simple Things. In the apt words of Rand, “Our relationship with time is both tenuous and transient. With that as the backdrop, Môr offer you Tomorrow’s Relics.” Bravo!
It should also be noted that Rand’s other musical project, Imperial Measures, have released a brand new album to check out, entitled, Threefold, which I encourage you to explore. Like Tomorrow’s Relics and The Wisdom of Simple Things, they are all available through Bandcamp.
TRACK LISTING
01. Timeslip (5:33)
02. The Nine (8:09)
03. Thirty Six Barrels (5:12)
04. Quiet Time (4:50)
05. Tomorrow’s Relics (8:02)
06. Risk Adverse (7:44)
07. Ravenstongue (4:54)
Total Time – 43:04
MUSICIANS
Rammlee Oak – Vocals, Drums, Bass, Keyboards
Peter Rand – Guitars, Keyboards
Chris Matthews – Guitars
Alex Fadista – Guitars
~ With:
Chris Bouchard – Drums (2)
Sven-Martin Kell – Saxophone (8)
ADDITIONAL INFO
Record Label: Independent
Country of Origin: Multinational
Date of Release: 5th December 2025
LINKS
Môr – Facebook | Facebook (Peter Rand) | Bandcamp | YouTube
