Charles Imperatori (December 20, 2001):

"Promises, promises. Henry Fool make many and, on this evidence, it seems that they have kept them all. The challenge is a difficult one because Henry Fool, let's face it, are literally working against the grain of perceived notions and expectations.

Having Pendragon's drummer and a former member of La Host in the band somehow doesn't help. This fact somehow has raised the expectation that they would confine themselves within the well oiled formulas of the prog scene. But this is not so. Against this background of nostalgic conservatism, Henry Fool have produced a remarkably original and fresh album. On this debut release, they set out to retrieve, if possible, the strong sense of adventure which guided the early pioneers of progressive music. This to many would be quite enough for a first album, but to the band it's only the beginning. Henry Fool also promise to bring together several different strands of popular progressive and experimental music, just to remind everyone that music really shouldn't be divided into tiny little pigeonholes. So, do they pull it off? Yes they do.

As a starting point, the band delves into what it might have been like to be out there experimenting with sounds over thirty years ago. Many other bands have asked this very question, but have always stopped at marvelling at what was done in the past, which quite simply meant revisiting well worn paths with period instruments.

But to Henry Fool simple reproduction with vintage instruments quite simply isn't enough. Somehow they are aware of how the original wild excitement felt by rock musicians in the late 60s exploring with new technology and new ideas, rapidly became a static language in the space of just a few years. So they have to go the extra mile by proving that the ideas fired by that very same wild-eyed enthusiasm of the 60s can still be relevant in a contemporary framework.

Listen for example, how they pluck out a powerful keyboard led chord progression worthy of a Foxtrot era Tony Banks and throw it into a burning hot cauldron of metallic ambient fuzziness, and general post industrial mayhem (Bass Pig). It's the prog sounds of old literally kidnapped from their delicate home surroundings and repositioned in an entirely new setting.

This resetting of old traditions also continues on Midnight Days where Henry Fool get to play around with the pastoral, folksier elements typical of the early Genesis repertoire and firmly map them into modern relevant songwriting.

On Poppy Q this repositioning is evolved a stage further. Henry Fool here introduce cleverly distilled drops of floating ambient textures to make progression more ambivalent and fluctuating. There's a certain amount of Canterbury tinged musings and there's the evergreen mellotron reverberating melodrama at every turn. Gradually new elements are introduced so that the whole picture will eventually reveal itself.

Blindman One with a great sax to the fore is where Henry Fool revisit space age explorations of long ago. Raucous, chaotic in a Crimson cum Gong/Hawkwind sort of way, they keep pushing and pushing towards free expression but when a big melt down seems just around the corner they push hard on the brakes right on the edge of the precipice.

Elsewhere, Henry Fool declare more that a passing interest in ambient electronica. On Blindman Two they fall into a deep, very deep ambient soundscape of luscious, floating notes emanating from each single instrument as if they're circling each other under water.

But then things are brought back to the introductory theme of Midnight's day (Grounded) which is then amplified and expanded into a fully fledged symphonic pastoral beauty. Yes this is symphonic rock at its very best, but without the unnecessary pomp and circumstance. The finale it's all flute and guitar, quite romantic with just a hint of languid decadence. It's Henry Fool in its most symphonic guise.

Having explored and successfully repositioned the progressive tradition, they then swiftly move onto an altogether different level. Their stance is now far more questioning. The music somehow becomes more experimental and forward looking.

So with Friday Brown they adopt the inquisitive stance of a post rock band, without though the often overdone de-construction of the harmonic structure which is a common feature of many bands of that ilk.

Stephen Bennett¹s gentle washes on the electric piano and the delicate counterpointing from an electric guitar conjure a haunting image of a vast and shadowy land. It feels like Twin Peaks territory; an all too quiet landscape hiding unspeakable secrets. Whilst on The Laughter That Turned To Ice we have twittering birds, shimmering images of a band deftly moving on to electro-ambient psychedelia. It's almost a post rock take on fusion with plenty of sensual brushstrokes, gentle guitars and vox clarinet. It's dreamy, otherworldly-when music appears out of the blue.

Still undeterred by expectations, Henry Fool have plenty more to say with Jazz Monkey. The direction towards jazzier climates here continues in a languid fashion. Plenty of mood textures and gentle off kilter patterns. The vague steering towards Canterbury comes back again. It almost feel like listening to National Health flaking out on a hot Sunday afternoon in August.

But there's more in store what with the space age explorations on The David Warner Wish List where it's almost like they threaten to go completely free and the twisted pastoral landscapes of The Mellow Moods of Malcolm McDowell. Arguably the real gem of the entire album, it just seems to transport the band onto an altogether different level. Here Fudge's delicate brushstrokes help Henry Fool shuffle space jazz musings till the end of the universe and back. Imagine if you can, the likes of Fred Frithand Bill Frisell circling around each other with Labradford as a backing band and you might just get an inkling of what they sound like. But this is not to say that Henry Fool are an entirely instrumental band as a number of songs are judiciously scattered across the entire album. There is in fact of ideas in terms of instrumental music equally matched by rich, luscious songwriting. If we take a quick dip in to other songs Judy On The Brink, Heartattack or the aforementioned Blindman Two even, it becomes obvious that there is in fact a sharing of thematic ideas. The same melody and themes seem to appear time and time again, but each time in a slightly different guise, so that the listener is lulled into a sense of security where disparate influences are absorbed without fear and at the same time given more food for thought at each turn.

It is rare then to come across a debut album which is so well thought out in terms of concepts and ideas. One of those albums that just leaves you wondering what will happen next for this band as it really does have something for everybody."