G Clef Fusion – Geryon Claque Fermata
G Clef Fusion – Geryon Claque Fermata – Album Review
“The third full length album release by G Clef Fusion, is slightly more contemplative than previous releases and has man, many subtle and obvious references to three, multiple dimension perspectives, suggestion that things are not always what they seem and/or musical triplets and groupings of three.”
Yet you had the opportunity to make an album with nine songs instead of choosing ten? Okay then…
Wait…is it intended to be deeper than that? Like how ten divided by three is 3.33333333, ad infinitum?
I haven’t even pushed play yet and clearly this is all gonna be way, way above my head. Wish me luck!
On the bright-side of the scenario, I’m one of those dudes that only recognizes weird timing signatures and such, but I’m not nearly intelligent enough to actually understand them at all. So while a lot of the technical intricacies of what would make an album like this one great to listen to would be theoretically impossible for me to describe, they’re not entirely lost on me either. Like, for instance, I can hear all kinds of cleverness in a song like “Anaglyph Of The Soul” and certainly the skill it would take for G Clef Fusion to play it all on such a unified front. It’s Progressive Jazz – Fusion – as the name implies…and any time you see the ol’ label of Prog, you can be sure that what you’re in-store for is going to be a challenge to the average everyday listeners out there, if they haven’t already run away screaming. I dig the sound of the synths in this opening tune though, and the drum sounds are pretty damn excellent too. Feels like “Anaglyph Of The Soul” comes with lasers attached to it at the start of an old VHS presentation – obviously some folks are gonna dig that, others might not, but it is what it is. The reality is, G Clef Fusion does what it does very well & ultimately creates a brand of music that’s as compelling as it is interesting.
“Triple Off The Wall” has a Hammond-esque sound to the start of it, which I like. I have no idea if that’s actually what’s being played, but it has that same kind of familiar warmth to it. Lord knows I’ve lifted enough of them from slugging my old man’s B3 around from place to place as we moved all over town while I was growing up, but admittedly, he rarely had it plugged in for very long. Anyhow. “Triple Off The Wall” is very driven by the keyboards you’ll hear from start to finish…and once again, I think it’s very easy for listeners to appreciate the skill, precision, innovation, and imagination that G Clef Fusion plays with. From what I understand, it’s a dude named Chuck Moyer that is fully responsible for all that you hear, so credit where credit is due, that makes it all the more impressive. The picture on his main site shows him rocking a Keytar…so what do I know anyhow? Try strapping on a Hammond to your chest…it wouldn’t be easy…so I must’ve been wrong about my initial impression. Maybe that was the preset sound, maybe I’m way off, maybe all of those years of trying to lift that stupid thing around town have warped my brain beyond repair…we’ll never know. I’ll tell ya what though…I dig the way that G Clef Fusion has got the sound of this song movin’ around through your speakers, and I love the high level of uniqueness at the core of the ideas. This is adventurous & entertaining stuff, and I can get behind that.
I guess we have to believe that the whole thing is largely synthetic, based on G Clef Fusion being a one-man band driven by the Keytar and such. Of course, he’s able to do things in an analog style if that’s what he chose to do…honestly, I don’t really know. That’s kind of a testament to how far we’ve come with our drum sounds I suppose. What I can tell you, is that good ol’ Chuck has definitely got some great ideas on how to use the kit, be it synthetic, digital, analog or whatever…I thought everything I’ve heard so far has been impressive, and I really like the sounds he adds into “You Look Familiar” from the throne. It’s a track that’s got noticeable groove to it as well, which I dig, yessir. You can move to this tune, you know what I mean? Probably in a very, very awkward way, like an Elaine-inspired dance from the Seinfeld era…but hey man, no judgements here. We’re somewhat used to doing that here anyway – it’s not like this is our first rodeo to begin with, but we’ve also got experience with G Clef Fusion’s music from having reviewed the album Recondite Obbligato in the spring of 2023…so we’ve got at least a little bit of experience with the herky jerky movements of Chuck’s sonic structures & their anti-typical design. I just tend to roll with it now…”You Look Familiar” is fun & a testament to how into it this dude really is.
“Veridical Imagination.” Veridical what? Hang on a second folks…time for me to get my Google on. Ha! Well whaddya know…apparently it means ‘truthful’ more or less. Learning is fun. I might not ever be the guy to actually understand musical timing, but I can always add to my vocabulary…and if anything, I’m freakin’ truthful to a fault. Sorry – I mean, veridical to a fault. You get it. Anyhow…”Veridical Imagination” is an interesting composition…G Clef Fusion adds in a noticeable wind instrument to drive the melody on the surface…via digital means I’m sure, but the effect is largely the same. Chuck has got himself a very well-mixed album here overall, that much I can tell you. That’s definitely an advantage of the digital/synthetic realm…it’s a lot easier to get an amazing mix onto your recordings without having to move a whole bunch of microphones around and deal with all that organic & analog madness. He’s probably gonna throw more than a few of you off the trail a bit as “Verdical Imagination” begins, at least before the sound of the synthetic flute comes in to guide ya…up until that point, there’s a good chance you’ll get a bit lost in the weeds trying to keep up with Chuck and G Clef Fusion on this particular track. That being said, for the longest song on the album, I felt like he makes solid use of his time and ends up giving listeners more to hang onto than he does in many cases when you’re looking at this song on the whole. I ain’t opposed to it – G Clef Fusion’s music is always going to be a challenge to what you think you know about music & that’s likely to create a bit of friction with some of ya…but I enjoy a challenge.
“Tea Among Cognoscenti” is fun! I can see the people out there responding positively to the upbeat demeanor in this tune, whether they’re typical fans of Jazz or not. The complexity of it is likely above most heads that are outside of the musical realm, but sometimes tone and tenor can take you a long, long way in the court of public opinion. “Tea Among Cognoscenti” fits somewhere squarely in between the complicated world of Progressive Jazz and the cloud levels of a Mario game where you’re floating along and grabbing all the coins you can. People will appreciate that though. Your brain doesn’t really get a break from the endless amount of math that’s involved in creating songs like this behind the scenes, but it does kind of get a reprieve in terms of how it’s presented to you in a more lighthearted way. That’ll carry a lot of weight with the average everyday listener, and I suppose if G Clef Fusion is looking to figure out which song to put out there as a single/gateway into Geryon Claque Fermata, despite the inherent irony of doing so, I’d probably be taking a good look at this song as the candidate.
I do think there’s an element of ‘if you like something by G Clef Fusion, you’re bound to like it all’ type of thing goin’ on here. As “Red And Blue” started out, I kind of marveled at how Geryon Claque Fermata really plays like one extended experience, as opposed to a whole bunch of individual songs, and I’d reckon that’s how most folks outside of the dedicated musicians out there will hear a record like this. Love what Chuck’s done with the keyboards on this one by taking it closer to the sound of a natural piano…love the definition of the bass…there’s weight to this song…intensity, and excitement as well. It’s a good range of expression and emotion combined, and clearly played with the endless passion and skill that he brings to each and every song you’ll hear throughout this album. Let’s be real here – Chuck is clearly happy to be elusive to the casual listener and even happier to not cater to them, but I do suspect he enjoys the possibility of converting the inconvertible…so if he happens to expand any one of your minds through the music he makes, I’d imagine that’s the very definition of success by his definition. “Red And Blue” is a little more low-key in its energy and a bit easier to comprehend for most I’d assume – at least by comparison to the majority of the rest. It’s not like he ever takes a track off to do things in an easier way. If you think it’s challenging to listen to, you can only imagine what it’d be like to create it.
“Naiad.” Okay. This is the third thing I’ve had to look up now…I’ve spent as much time on Google as I have listening by this point, but at least I’m leaving this experience more educated than when I started. Apparently a “Naiad” is likely a ‘water nymph’ – but it could also be a dragonfly or a mayfly or a stonefly. Lemme solve that riddle for ya…there’s practically never been a fan of Progressive-anything in music that hasn’t ALSO been a fan of Fantasy-based novels and/or RPGs and such…so yes…I’m going with the ‘water nymph’ theory. I’d probably put “Naiad” up there with my favorites on the record though – it’s got a fluid flow to it that is very much water-esque, a serenity and calm in its more atmospherically-inclined sound…G Clef Fusion uses more space inside of this particular song, and in my opinion, that’s a good thing. There’s always room for MORE of anything if you wanna stuff something full…but I think there’s a level beyond that where the use of space can be really enticing to listen to and become a true advantage in getting people to listen intently to everything else that surrounds that space. So yeah – I feel like “Naiad” does some stuff a bit differently than the rest of the songs on the album do, and at the end of the day, it’s the kind of difference that generates real interest and the attention of listening ears.
As for whether or not “Pop Music Kills Brain Cells” or not…I’ll leave that up to you to decide. I’m of the mind that there’s merit in every single genre, and that the best of the best is exactly that. Having said that, I also think that finding a song called “Pop Music Kills Brain Cells” on an album like this is definitely what ya call ‘preaching to the choir’ – if you’re out there listening to Progressive Fusion and such, or Jazz of any kind, chances are you don’t have a whole lot of patience for Pop or any of its million subgenres. So be it…that ain’t for me to judge. All I know is that my life has personally been enriched by every kind of music you can think of, and I never close myself off to anything. For all I know though, my brain cells have already been irreparably damaged by Pop music, so it’s impossible for me to tell what’s real or not – I might just be the ultimate unreliable narrator of my own life at this point, who knows? In any event, I enjoy “Pop Music Kills Brain Cells” as much as I have the rest so far…like I alluded to earlier, if you like something by G Clef Fusion, I don’t think you’re going to find anything that’ll make you wanna turn it off. “Pop Music Kills Brain Cells” is no “Naiad” & I’ll acknowledge that, but it’s still a good tune on the album.
“No Matter How Flat It Still Has Two Sides” is a great title! In fact, it’s probably my favorite one of the bunch, in addition to potentially being the most accurate assessment you’ll find in any of them as well. What can I tell ya here…hmm…I mean, look – I’m sure that Chuck is well aware of who his audience is and who it isn’t – I don’t need to explain to him that he’s making a style of music that is well beyond most listeners comprehension…I’m sure he already knows. You live by the sword and die by the sword when it comes to making anything in the Progressive realm to begin with, and if you happen to be in the vicinity of Progressive Jazz, you’ve managed to cut that narrow slice of the pie into the thinnest of slivers. The difference between a dedicated musician and the average everyday listener is easily exposed when hearing something like Geryon Claque Fermata – a trained musician would definitely be in awe of what they hear and the effort they know Chuck has put in, and a casual music fan would have no problem relegating this all to the background, if they even played it at all. Ultimately, Chuck knows this, and he’s clearly embraced which side of the audience he wants to cater to…so if you get it, great, I’m sure there’s plenty of room for you on his bandwagon…and if not, you’re free to go listen to your Pop music or whatever it is you choose to listen to. He’s really done an exceptional job from start to finish on how the music is produced & how it moves, and “No Matter How Flat It Still Has Two Sides” is yet another stellar example of his relentless attention to the finest details and why it makes a difference.
“When Shall We Three Meet Again?” Good question! I thought it was just me and Chuck up until this point. Who’s the third person? Oh the mysteries of life I tell ya…some we’re meant to uncover, and others will remain a mystery long beyond the years we have. In any event, I like that “When Shall We Three Meet Again?” had the feeling of being a finale tune. Again, hard to describe as to why that is I suppose, but chances are, if you have a listen for yourself, you’ll understand what I mean – it feels like this is the right spot to finish things off, and so he does. “When Shall We Three Meet Again?” has a bold and adventurous thread to its sound…really confident and outgoing, if that makes any sense to ya. Not necessarily in your face, but unafraid to go where the music is taking him…locked into the moment and really givin’ it the business, you feel me? Dude definitely knows the kind of music that he wants to create, and damn the torpedoes, he’s gonna make it come hell or high water or what anyone else thinks about it. I respect that. G Clef Fusion is a solid reminder that music can be about so much more than something catchy to sing along with, and that we all genuinely dance to the rhythm of our own beat anyway if we’re livin’ life the right way – you dig? “When Shall We Three Meet Again?” – which for the record, is actually a quote from Macbeth in which THREE witches figure out how they’re gonna meet up with the play’s titular character again, which I believe ends up being in act one, scene THREE, if I’m not mistaken…threes ad infinitum with the theme etc. , carry on. You see? It’s not ALL lost on me. I’m sure I missed more than half of the sly references and such that G Clef Fusion made on this album, but I’ve had a lot of fun listening, regardless. Thematic/concept records are always clearer to those that make them anyway, but it’s always awesome to pick up on a few random crumbs they toss us along the way.
Find out more about G Clef Fusion from the official website at: https://gcleffusion.com
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