Land Of Chocolate – Your Finest Hour
Land Of Chocolate – Your Finest Hour – Album Review
“This album is old enough to vote.” #TheyAreNotKiddingYall
Even though their sound actually traces back much further to the roots of Progressive music and its first clever combinations to include some Pop/Jazz into its whole Rock vibe, if we’re talking about the nineteen-plus years ago when Land Of Chocolate began to noodle with a few of the tunes you’ll find on Your Finest Hour, they would have fit in pretty closely with what Incubus was doing back around that time. Anyhow. That was indeed some time ago at this point…it’s hard to argue that the world hasn’t at least shifted from that sound at least a couple of degrees of Kevin Bacon if not the full six…but that’s the way the whole lifecycle of music and its ecosystem tends to work naturally. Like I was tellin’ ya…if you really wanna be real about it, you’d have to listen to a track like “Movers Shakers” with a much more objective ear – this band is way more of a bridge between the history of Progressive music & the present – I’ve got a ton of respect for what these guys do & how they go about doin’ it. Big vocal harmonies, truly involved writing, smart structures, and relentlessly impressive instrumentation…you gotta wonder about what it was that made Land Of Chocolate stop making music for as long as they did considering the fact that if YOU could make music like they do, it’d be all you do, 24/7. “Movers Shakers” is a stellar beginning that gets the energy flowing…it’s interesting, it’s catchy, it’s innovative – all the right things you wanna find in a gateway in. There’s tremendous expression in the way they play…if you need any further convincing than what you’ll hear right at the start of Your Finest Hour, have a listen to everything happening between 3:00-4:00 on this tune and you’ll begin to understand. These dudes might have taken more than a minute or two (*cough *cough nineteen years) to make their third record, but it’s pretty clear right from the drop of track one that they came back with intent, purpose, and passion. Which is what you wanna hear; otherwise why come back at all, right? All the right pieces are in place though…the musicianship & ideas are seriously badass, the vocals and the lyricism is on-point as well.
The only thing I wasn’t really loving in “Movers Shakers” seemed to get resolved pretty quickly too. I’ll fully admit – I didn’t love the sound of the snare on the opening track, but I’d be the first to tell ya that Wesley Hare is an absolute BEAST on the kit overall. I can overlook the occasional sound here and there when I can love and respect how someone plays their instrument, you feel me? On “This Beautiful World,” the snare seemed to get a bit more beef to it, which I appreciated. I still feel like there’s some room there to make an even bigger impact with it, but we’re getting closer to what I’d be hoping for on track two already. What I really like about “This Beautiful World” aside from its insanely intricate and involved instrumentation, is that you can hear the band almost bend more towards something you’d hear in a Patton-based project more-so than the near-Incubus vibe at the start. I’ve got love for both, don’t get me wrong…I’m just saying that anything resembling Patton would likely include a heck of a lot more freedom to roam around and experiment. “This Beautiful World” becomes a seriously wild display of impressive musicianship that you can feel surging forward with the momentum it carries. It starts out great, but where it ends up will probably blow your mind, and the adventure they take you on to get there is really quite something y’all. At nearly seven & a half minutes in length, if you’ve got a musician’s bone in your body, you can’t help but appreciate the monumental effort they’ve put into getting a track as complex as this one is completely right, and how seamlessly they play together as a band. Jonn Buzby is quite the player when it comes down to it…he’s an equally strong keyboardist as he is a singer, and I think anyone with a fair understanding of the history of music and where a sound like Land Of Chocolate comes from would genuinely love what he comes up with in his parts. My old man for instance, a career musician and member of the legendary Canadian Progressive band Prizm, would be absolutely stoked to listen to all that’s involved in a tune like “This Beautiful World.” Indeed, to hear this level of dedication to the ART of making music is rare these days, but Land Of Chocolate proves that the spirit is still completely alive & well. As always, you just gotta know where to look for the good shit!
So…let’s see here… I think it’s fair to say that you can hear a bit of fluctuation in the way things sound and are produced to a degree…like, I could hear a bit of a flatter sound in their title track “Your Finest Hour” compared to the sparkle & shine you hear in the opening two cuts. That being said, I’m probably way more about this third tune than the others, and clearly I’ve already been thoroughly enjoying myself in listening to this band play. “Your Finest Hour” is a straight-up achievement though y’all, I’m tellin’ ya. From brilliant details like having a unified shout together when they sing “we’re all just background noise,” to the consideration being given to the words, to the inherent complexities that reside inside the music…good gravyboat lighthouse dear readers, dear friends – Land Of Chocolate is so ridiculously skilled it’ll drop your jaw as you listen. Buzby is endlessly impressive as their singer and deserves a ton of credit for continually creating such remarkable parts from the microphone – and like I was tellin’ ya earlier, his keyboard work is equally amazing. Much like how Gerald Wilson is continually reliable in the rhythm section on the bass, you won’t necessarily find either of them always playing a starring role in the mix, but if you’re really listening to what makes these tunes WORK, you’ll find them right up there with the main reasons, every time. These dudes probably grew up listening to a ton of what I did growing up, from Genesis, to Toto, to Tower Of Power, and while they’ve given their own sound a lot more of a modern-day edge to it, I feel like you can’t hide a really well-rounded musical education, you know? I get that anything described as Progressive or sounding like it is always gonna narrow the potential audience listening…that’s reality and the reason why Top 40 exists in contrast…but C’MON folks – if you don’t wanna celebrate the JOY of music-makers doin’ what they were meant to be doin’ in the sound of something as electrifying as “Your Finest Hour,” I truly think you’ll be missin’ out on something special. Land Of Chocolate totally freakin’ CRUSHES their title-track – and I. Am. Here. For. It!
I think “A Rae Of Hope” does well to serve the intended purpose of giving you a bit of a breather in that interlude type of way…it didn’t feel like Land Of Chocolate necessarily went out to try and conquer the world in this track so much as create a bit of space so that we can absorb all we’ve experienced so far. It’s got a whole bunch of beautiful melody, and noticeable depth to it in that regard, but I suppose in the grand scheme of things and context of this particular record, it’s more of an inconsequential tune by comparison. There are a few clashing notes here & there that’ll be bound to have at least a couple of listeners wondering if that was what they intended to play or not, but I’d say the clues to the answer to that question have been provided already. These players are so remarkably skilled that I’d be willing to bet next to nothing you’ll hear happens by accident, so I’d err on the side of purposeful. Players like this band has tend to enjoy things that aren’t exactly typical, and so you often end up with spots like you’ll hear around the fifty-five second mark or around a minute forty, or right at the end of this shorter tune that don’t seem like as much of a natural fit to our ears right off the bat – but that’s the beauty of the mystery of melody and Progressive music combined together – it challenges what we think we know.
Damn! Is it just me, or is “Helpless” like…you know…one of the bigger burns on love that you’ll hear in music this year? If I had to hazard a guess by listening to these lyrics and reading them online, I’d have to assume that lead songwriter Jonn Buzby has been freakin’ scorched by love at least at some point in time…which is fairly true of all of us…but “Helpless” will have you believing that the wounds are still fresh for sure. The final line of this track continually kills me…”I hoped better from you” is like…well – let’s just call it like it is – that’s about as big of a ‘Fuck You’ as you’ll find from an artist/musician, ain’t it? Make no mistake y’all…Taylor Swift might hog all the attention when it comes to writing songs about ex-lovers and whatnot – but she doesn’t completely own the market. “Helpless” is a track that cuts right to the bone of what love and long-term relationships can be about once they’ve soured past their due date – and you betcha…I think a lot of folks out there will relate to what’s being said here. From what I’m gathering in the lyricism here, you’d assume that Jonn was involved in a relationship that was fairly one-sided at the end of the day…and sometimes that takes a minute or two to realize. The fog of love can be a powerful thing…or at least, what we think love is. When we finally snap out of it and remember to value who we are and what we need, it can make you cringe to look back in the rearview and realize that such important things got away from you in the pursuit of love. Obviously, we have no way of really knowing whether or not Jonn’s writing from personal experience on “Helpless” – only he’d know the answer to that 100%. That being said…in my experience, it’d be remarkably rare to end up with a song as insightful, raw, open and vulnerable as this one is without it being based somewhat on a true story too. “Helpless” is the angrier stage of loss on display for certain…don’t let its mellow beginning fool ya. In the end though, we’ve gotta go through all the stages to truly complete the cycle and let the healing process actually begin. The main question I’ve got is…with music being such a natural companion for catharsis when we need it – was it the collapse of a relationship that brought Buzby back to making music in Land Of Chocolate? Don’t get me wrong, whatever the reason was, I’ll take it – this dude was meant to make music…but yeah…a track like “Helpless” will have you wondering about the content and the timeline of the band & whether or not there are some pieces of the puzzle in this tune.
I’m realistic about the prospects of Land Of Chocolate reaching the average everyday listeners out there, and hopefully they’re the same. I’d imagine they are…most folks that make Progressive music have an intense understanding that their music tends to be way the heck over the heads of most people. And yes – I even include myself in that! I can tell ya what does/doesn’t sound good to me, but I couldn’t tell ya a damn thing about what’s actually in the sauce to make it so tasty on a technical level. I feel like Land Of Chocolate have provided multiple access points along the way though. It might take some real listening on part of the people out there, but there’s at least a tangible catchiness to be found on the inside of every song along the way. “The Currents Of You” is a somewhat classic example of how the Progressive genre works…they’ll give you a bunch of spots that most people could hang with, surrounded by a whole bunch more that would probably throw them off. It’s a style of music that loves to complicate things, and people’s ears generally aren’t accustomed to that kind of involved listening, that’s the reality. But LISTEN to the way this track snaps into place will ya? “The Currents Of You” has a seriously engaging beginning to it, another highly relatable theme at its core in the lyricism, and another display of remarkable musicianship to be found as it plays on. Wesley’s rockin’ it once again…I might still feel like the dude needs a more punched-up snare sound, but regardless, this dude can PLAY y’all. Guitarist John Covach absolutely slayed this track too, particularly as “The Currents Of You” headed into and towards its fourth minute. That solo that starts up around 3:55 is nothing short of pure brilliance.
“A Deep Breath” is a solid cut. Land Of Chocolate has threaded some smaller instrumental tunes into this line, but make no mistake, they’re still entirely involved and reveal this band’s intense combined skillsets. “A Deep Breath” proves they’re never phoning it in. Just because a track is tinier don’t mean it can’t be freakin’ MIGHTY too! In many ways, “A Deep Breath” actually pumps out what could be one of their more accessible sounds to everyone listening…and it does make you wonder a bit about what ends up determining the length of their material, you know what I mean? What stopped them from pursuing another four or five minutes of this one? It’s never a knock on any band or artist to complain about a song being too short and us listeners wanting more of what we hear…but yeah…it does have you being a little bit curious as to why some tracks are longer than others. When it comes to the potential of a song like “A Deep Breath,” it’s freakishly vast…it’s almost like an act of rebellion to have kept this cut so short.
Oof! I tell ya…if you’re really listening to the words on this record, you will find some incredibly personal tunes in this lineup that pull absolutely no punches. And “Air” is one of’em, yep! I mean…if you’re missing the subtle rage in behind the not-so-subtle rage in a track like this, y’ain’t listening hard enough. Is it based on real life experience? Again, I can’t prove it to be completely true and only Jonn would know for sure – but YEP…I’m going with YES. Why? Because you just don’t end up with lyricism as real as he’s been creating entirely out of thin air – it comes from experience. A lot of “Air” deals with our perception of what things should be, our feelings of inadequacy, and by the time it wraps up, it dives into what it feels like to change into something we didn’t think we’d be. Not necessarily who we ARE, but how life tends to expose how we’re not enough of this or that in areas that count for someone else. We’re all measured in criteria whether we like it or not (we don’t!), but as Jonn will tell ya, “life is what we make” and we do have a whole lot of control over it in many ways…just not usually enough for two or more. The additions of others and the expectations that come along with it can complicate our lives exponentially, and it’s tough to avoid. Even myself…I’m enough for my own wife for the moment, but if I didn’t live up to my own expectations, hopes, dreams, and potential – would I remain that way? I think that’s hard for anyone to say…we kind of have to live through it to find out, and clearly one way would be more ideal than the other. Still, even when we try our hardest, there are some unavoidable failures that test the fabric of who we are. “I remember thinking there was something more” is a feeling that nips & nags at me daily here – I’m one of those people that is happy about everything other than myself. My life is perfect with the exception that I have yet to live up to a tenth of my potential. Tick, tick, tick – time ain’t on my side y’all…I’m forty-three now and I know that it’s crucial to make the moves I need to in order to not end up living with a lifetime of regrets by the end. The question is, will I? Will you? Will Jonn? I love tracks like “Air” – not only is it incredibly well-played & crafted, but it’s thought provoking.
Come take a trip with the “Traveltron 3000” will ya? Okay…I freakin’ love this song. There ain’t nothing like being advertised to in the middle of listening to a song, am I right!?! For real – “Meaningless Trip” ends up being one of the most insightful tracks you’ll find on the album all-around. I ain’t gonna lie to ya – there are MANY tracks on this record that will certainly having you feeling like Buzby could probably use a HUG or two, and as you can probably tell from its title, “Meaningless Trip” is definitely one of’em – but I am also gonna have to cop to being one of those people that feels like I understand where he’s coming from. I’ve written about this flaccid valley of malls we’ve created on planet Earth throughout these pages of ours so many times over the years…and I’d say it’s fair to conclude that “Meaningless Trip” goes into that a bit. I like that it’s a fairly interpretive tune…some of you might feel like it’s what is being sung about on the surface…like, maybe “Meaningless Trip” is really all about pursuing the sunny skies of somewhere else that’s not the grey doldrums of our everyday life – or maybe it’s a more all-inclusive comment on what LIFE ITSELF is like, based on the way we tend to live it. Specifically, you’ll find “Meaningless Trip” pokes its angst directly at Las Vegas at least at one point, and that’s a perfect example of the puffed up pointlessness of existence if there has ever been one! I’ve been once, like many of you I’m sure…the only difference is that I pretty much came outta there feeling like it was one place I’d never need to revisit, ever. All that plastic, glitz, gloss…it’s the landscape equivalent of seeing the Wizard Of Oz up close, and a gross representation of who we are and what we presume to want. Like empty calories, we don’t feel satisfied by places like that or a “Meaningless Trip,” because life was meant to be a whole lot more complex, involved, and well…meaning-FULL! So I hear where Jonn is coming from. I ain’t gonna be the guy to tell you that Your Finest Hour will be the happiest album you’ll hear this year the more that you dig into it, but I’ll be damned if it isn’t one of the most well-conceived. “When life goes astray, we rush to pack our bags and fly away” – you know you’ve felt like this many times. Running away from all of our problems, or flying away from’em, is a practically part of our DNA.
I felt like with each iteration of the short instrumentals added into this lineup, those moments got…wait for it…PROGRESSIVELY BETTER – see what I did there? Alright…jokes aren’t my forte. For real though – I absolutely love the way Brian O’Neill plays this song on his guitar…every note is played with such significant conviction and weight behind it. I’ll be real with ya in saying that I have NO IDEA if there is ANY album on Earth that is worth waiting nearly twenty years for…but to be completely fair to Land Of Chocolate, this record has gotta be one of the most convincing arguments I’ve personally ever heard. “A Stark Reminder” is a fantastic instrumental tune that strengthens this lineup of remarkable material. As a whole, Land Of Chocolate is a verifiable force to be reckoned with, and while it might have taken them nearly two decades to finish this third album, it is filled wall-to-wall with captivating & compelling songs.
There’s really not much here anywhere on this record that should stop it from making a whole lot of ‘best of 2023’ lists, if anything at all. At track eleven, hearing them collectively crush it on “Poison The Root,” felt like we should force Land Of Chocolate to play their music with one arm tied behind their backs so that everyone else out there has a chance to keep up to’em! I’ve yet to hear any weak points from any corner of this band in their material, this is bulletproof stuff that makes criticism practically impossible. I love the dynamics and timing of a track like “Poison The Root” – it’s got a gripping structure to it, and for as complex as it is at the core of it all, the level of accessibility you’ll find here is actually quite staggering. This is the kind of Progressive track that’ll go on to entice a few folks that have been on the fence about the genre…there’s just too much to love about what you’ll hear in “Poison The Root,” and it could really open up the doors for listeners to widen their palette. Buzby’s vocals are once again completely killer, and they’re only rivalled by EVERYTHING ELSE YOU’LL HEAR. Good lord! Y’all regular readers here know that if I’ve got something to say, I’m gonna say it – but there’s really nothing at all I can pick on Land Of Chocolate for. These dudes have put together an extraordinary record, and they should be recognized for that. To think that a song like “Poison The Root” could make an argument for Your Finest Hour still picking up momentum in terms of accessibility should have us all doing a double take. This band is something else y’all, and this whole album is a complete riot to listen to; it’s what you could only hope a comeback record would be like to experience after being hidden for so long.
“Threatening To Unwind” is the only cut on the album that had me considering its inclusion, and I think that has more to do with placement than anything else. I’d have probably put this in earlier rather than later – it’s hard to follow up a song like “Poison The Root” and still feel like you’re furthering an album, you know what I mean? It’s still a good tune in its own right…kind of like mid-career King’s X to a degree, like something you’d find on Please Come Home Mr. Bulbous, which is more than cool with me. LOVE those guitar tones from John Covach, who steps back in for the last track on the album. Land Of Chocolate has been spoiled for choice when it comes to their guitarists – both Covach and O’Neill have been outstanding throughout the course of this whole record as they traded off in their appearances. I still dig “Threatening To Unwind” just as much as the rest I figure…but it did take me a couple of spins to feel like I appreciated it by comparison to the other tunes. Again, I think that comes down to our own expectations of a finale more-so than it does the actual material at hand…”Threatening To Unwind” is every bit as solid as the overall lineup, even if it doesn’t really take Your Finest Hour up another level at the very end before it’s all said & done. It’s another strong contribution to what’s been a noteworthy entry into this year’s wealth of tunes…Your Finest Hour could very well be THEIR finest hour – it sure sounds like it is to me. How you gonna beat that moment around the 4:10 mark of “Threatening To Unwind” as the guitar comes back in? You can’t! Or what about that triumphant “YEAH” we hear from Jonn around the 4:35 mark that echoes how they should ALL feel about this sonic achievement they’ve created? I freakin’ love it! This is substantial material through and through, made by incredible players that know their instruments inside & out, with a collective goal to make a record that proves they’re not only back, but perhaps better than they’ve ever been. Mission completely accomplished – well done.
Find out more about Land Of Chocolate from the official pages below!
Main Site: https://landofchocolateband.com
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/landofchocolate
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/5AT74qpNtfjzyOnItwK2Mx
Apple Music: https://music.apple.com/us/artist/land-of-chocolate/16019131
Bandcamp: https://landofchocolate.bandcamp.com
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