Fortune

Fortune opens with the appropriately titled 'Cadence' which seduces the listener into an ever evolving pattern who's simplicity belies what eventually develops into a cascade of distinctive guitar lines, marching drums and elegant melodies. Without pause we are led into the euphoria of the fairground-like waltz of 'Circus Circus' which clearly shows that the crescendos of 'Cadence' were a mere foretaste of what follows. 'Ladybird' radiates passion in a way that has become the Robin Guthrie signature in recent years, melody on top of melody, counter melody and harmony, while the achingly, slow and poignant 'Tigermilk' transports us back to a sense of uneasy calm, a respite, as by now one can start to imagine where this album may take us. The mind wanders, the mind absorbs and the mind extrapolates. No need for words, this music is becoming part of the listener. 'Like Water in Water' draws us back in to the present with its unearthly pedal steel guitars complimenting its ever intensifying descants and heavenly detailing. The melancholic intro to 'Lavona's Life' gives little clue to the final destination, where once again Guthrie takes the arrangement to a higher plane, before breaking it all down into a drunken carnival oscillation so far removed from its beginnings, just a few minutes earlier. The spiderweb like intro to 'Forever Never' allows a breathing space before the inevitable assault of harmony which progress toward a breathtaking outro of evocative guitar lines before gently fading away to clear a space for 'Perfume and Youth', with its gentle innocence and soft rhythm making way for an ever evolving spiral upward towards the hugely emotive guitar refrains which then themselves become surpassed layer upon layer until a saturation point is reached and everything breaks down and 'Kings Will Be Falling' appears and once again gives the impression that calm has been restored, but as ever, as part of an album of this magnitude, things are not always what they appear. After a gentle atmospheric intro, a veritable wall of sound evolves and carries us into, perhaps just as a reminder of what he's capable of when he chooses, a moment of cacophonic beauty, before leading us gently back, down, out and away from that avalanche then gently lays our heads on the pillow to unwind us all from the emotional journey we have just experienced with 'And So To Sleep, My Little Ones', which helps us do exactly as suggested in the title.

Fortune is ultimately a powerful emotional experience, where Guthrie guides us towards good fortune, but true to life, misfortune is never far away. Melancholia breathes side by side with euphoria and delight but it's all for the listener to subjectively tune in to the differing aspects with each listening, free from one dimensional lyrics that dictate how one ought to feel. This is personal.