Grahame Smith - Touch Of Magic

String driven bowman Smith releases first solo effort

As the violinist that put the string into String Driven Thing and gave life to Van Der Graaf Generator after the departure of organist Hugh Banton, Grahame Smith has the affections of a cult audience. This is the first of three solo records he recorded in Iceland following his departure from Charisma and it’s a fairly straight rock vehicle for his redoubtable talents. Smith’s playing is so stark and dominant that whether the rock is funky (Sudurnesjamenn), jazzy (Hvers Vegna Varstu Ekki Kyrr) or wistfully proggy (Blitt Og Lett) it’s the violin that you hear. In truth, that’s both Smith’s triumph and downfall. While the playing is often passionate, it sometimes sounds like a series of backing tracks which Smith seems content to sprinkle his magic dust on. Some moments defy this, particularly Hrafninn, which gels into a slow, proggy lurch, with the plucked violin counterpointing the Floydian sorrow to great effect. In all, though, it’s not got the strangeness or dissonance fans of SDT or VDGG would be looking for. Still it’s fair to say that no one ever really sounded quite like him and, as we know, sometimes that’s enough.

Ozit-Morpheus Records | OZIT CD 121

Reviewed by Jan Zarebski
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