▄█████▄ ░█████▄ ▄████▄░█▄ ░█▄ ▄█████▄ ███▄██ ▄██ ▄█▄ ▄██████ ▄█▄ ▄███ ░████░██▀████▓ ▀██ ▄██░▀█████ ████ ███▓ ██████▓██ ▓███████ ███▓░▀█▀████ ███▓ ███▓ ▓███░ ██ ██▄ ▄██▓██ ▓███▓██░ ▓███░███░███████████▄ ███░███░ ███░ ▄███ ███ ▄█▀░ ████████░██ █████████▄ ▓██░███ ███▓█████████ ███████ ███ ███░ ███████ ███▓ ░██ ██ ██████▓ ░██ ▀██ ███░███▓██████ ███▓███ ███ ███ ████████░███░ ███ ██▄ ██▓███░ ██▄ ██░██▓ ███ ▀▀████ ███░███ ███ ███ ███▓░███████░ ███ ███▓██ ███ ███▓██▓██░ ███ ▓████ ███ ███ ▓██▓ ███ ███░ ▓██████ ███ ▓████ ▓██▄ ▓████████ ███ ▓███ ███ ███ ███░███ ███ ░██████ ███ ░████ ░███ ███▓███▓ ███ ░███ ███ ███ ██▓███ ███ ███▓██ ███ ███ ▓██▄ ███░███░ ███ ███ ███ ███ ░█████ ███ ██▓░██▄ ███ ▓█▀ ▓██▄ ███ ██░ ███ ██▓ ███ ███ ░███▀ ░█▀ ██░ ██ ░█▀ ░███▄ ▀ ▀ ▓█▀ ███░ ░█▀ ██▀ ██░ ▄██▀ ░█▄ ▄███▀ ░██ ░ ██ ▓░ ▓░ ██░ ▓█░ ░█▀ ▀█░ ░█▓ ░ ██ ██ Artist: Geoffrey Downes & Christopher Braide ██ ██ ▓ █░░ ■█ Album: Skyscraper Souls █■ ░░█ ■ █▓▀ █ Year: 2017 █ ▀▓█ ░ █ ▓ Rel. Date: 2018-05-05 ▓ █ ▒ ▒ Genre: Progressive Rock ▒ ▒ █▄ ░ Label: X2X Records / Cherry Red Records ░ ▄█ ░ █▄ ░ Source: CD ░ ▄█ ░ █▓ Type: Album ▓█ ░ ▓ █ Quality: VBR, 44.1kHz, Joint Stereo █ ░ ▓ ▓ █ █ ░ ▓ ▄ ■ ■ ▓ ■ ░█ █░ ▀ █ Super-duo Geoff Downes & Chris Braide, known as █ █ the Downes Braide Association (DBA), release their █ █ new album Skyscraper Souls on 17th November █ █ through their own label X2X Records via Cherry █ █ Red. This is their 3rd collaboration and follows █ █ their two previous critically-acclaimed releases █ █ Pictures of You (2012) and Suburban Ghosts (2015). █ █ Both members have an immense body of work. Chris █ █ Braide is a British singer, songwriter and █ █ producer, now based in LA, who has written and █ █ produced songs for Beyonce, Lana del Rey, Paloma █ █ Faith, Britney Spears, Christina Aguilera, David █ █ Guetta, Sia, Afrojack & Marc Almondà to name a █ █ few. Geoff Downes is the prog legend who has █ █ played keyboards in The Buggles, Asia & Yesà he █ █ co-wrote the hits ôHeat of the Momentö and ôVideo █ █ Killed the Radio Star.ö █ █ Skyscraper Souls is a more traditional █ █ progressive/classic rock/band album than their █ █ previous material, but retains a strong pop █ █ aesthetic and features many great guest █ █ contributions, including Marc Almond, Andy █ █ Partridge from XTC and Kate Pierson from the B52s. █ █ The front cover artwork is by Roger Dean. █ █ The idea for the album started as a series of █ █ sketches Geoff had been working on after a break █ █ from touring last year. By the time he returned █ █ from the road he directed the subsequent pent-up █ █ energy into composition and the ideas literally █ █ poured out. As a kid, Chris had always loved █ █ expansive pieces like ôClose To The Edgeö and █ █ ôTubular Bells.ö While he is a huge pop fan and █ █ has written multitudes of pop hits for pop stars, █ █ his heart has a special place for those big studio █ █ epic productions. █ █ On this album, Downes & Braide were joined by █ █ drummer Ash Soan (Trevor Horn, Squeeze, Faithless, █ █ Del Amitri, Adele, Cee Lo Green, Will Young, █ █ Robbie Williams & Gary Barlow and many more) and █ █ bassist Andy Hodge. Chris says, ôHaving such an █ █ amazing rhythm section really brought the songs to █ █ life. With previous albums we always used drum █ █ machines and samples. There is so much warmth and █ █ movement in these recordings. They breathe!ö █ █ The fact that their æassociationÆ has always had █ █ to fit around their extensive commitments has █ █ never dulled their remarkable musical creativity. █ █ This album went a step further and was co-written █ █ remotely û at no time were the pair ever in the █ █ same room! Chris explains, ôGeoff would send me █ █ folders full of stuff such as the magnificent █ █ piano pieces which turned into æGlacier GirlÆ and █ █ æPrelude.Æ As soon as I heard the chords I was █ █ writing lyrics like a mad man and before long the █ █ album started to materialize.ö Geoff adds, ôThe █ █ ideas themselves were in a very rough format, but █ █ with the melodies & basic harmonies. Chris started █ █ playing around with these, and often, they came █ █ back with some radical changes, but Chris was █ █ always very conscious to retain my original idea.ö █ █ The pair feel Skyscraper Souls is their strongest █ █ album to date, which is no mean feat! This album █ █ contains constant motifs and themes that recur and █ █ flow throughout. Keeping strong melodies to the █ █ fore they have created a wonderfully interesting █ █ soundscape. █ █ █ █ Facts: █ █ Geoff Downes is the keyboardist in The Buggles, █ █ ASIA and YES. █ █ Geoff Downes co-wrote the hits æVideo Killed the █ █ Radio StarÆ and æHeat of the MomentÆ. █ █ Chris Braide is an award winning British singer, █ █ songwriter and producer based in Los Angeles and █ █ recipient of the acclaimed Ivor Novella award as █ █ well as ASCAP and Billboard awards. █ █ Braide has written and produced for many artists █ █ including Sia, Lana del Rey, David Guetta, █ █ Afrojack and recently produced Marc AlmondÆs album █ █ "The Velvet Trail". █ █ Skyscraper Souls is the duoÆs third album and █ █ features new ROGER DEAN artwork and guest █ █ appearances from Marc Almond, Andy Partridge, Kate █ █ Pierson, Matthew Koma, David Longdon and Tim █ █ Bowness. █ █ █ █ --- █ █ █ █ The third album from the Downes Braide █ █ Association, which is Geoff Downes (Asia/Yes) and █ █ singer/songwriter Chris Braide, who has worked █ █ with a whole host of artists including BeyoncΘ, █ █ Britney Spears and Marc Almond, who appears on █ █ this album. As a testament to modern working █ █ neither of the musicians were ever in the same █ █ room during the making of this album, not that █ █ youÆd notice! The sound and production is spot on █ █ and a real treat on the headphones. █ █ Unlike the previous two albums the DBA have a core █ █ band consisting of Ash Soan (drums), Andy Hodge █ █ (bass) and Dave Colquhoun (guitars). Our esteemed █ █ managing editor David Randall is a big fan and he █ █ thoroughly enjoyed DBAÆs last album, 2015's █ █ æSuburban GhostsÆ. █ █ Opening with æPreludeÆ we get the first guest █ █ spot, from none other than XTCÆs Andy Partridge, █ █ who plays the guitar solo and adds his backing █ █ vocals. He also appears on two further songs on █ █ the album, making this one of definite interest to █ █ XTC fans given his rare musical appearances. █ █ There is a theme running through the album of █ █ going forward in life because you canÆt go back, █ █ although the uplifting music counteracts the █ █ sometimes darker lyrics. Mind you there is the odd █ █ bit of light hearted relief, as on the title track █ █ Chris Braide sings æThere is a voice inside us █ █ allÆ to which Geoff Downes responds with æHelloÆ █ █ via his vocoder. █ █ The title track is a mammoth eighteen minutes █ █ long, although it is like three pop/prog songs █ █ linked together and what a marvellous bit of █ █ guitar playing from Dave Colquhoun. The keys of █ █ Geoff Downes and Chris Braide weave in between the █ █ guitars and vocals of Chris Braide, who has a █ █ wonderfully melodic singing voice. █ █ More interest for prog fans as Big Big TrainÆs █ █ David Longdon guests on æTomorrowÆ, a song with █ █ its wistful melody and flute (played by Langdon) █ █ wouldnÆt look out of place on a Big Big Train █ █ album. Tim Bowness adds backing vocals to the pop █ █ refrains of æLighthouseÆ, again the musical █ █ backing reveals more on each subsequent play. █ █ Marc Almond puts in a suitably impressive vocal on █ █ æSkin DeepÆ, another singer who seems to get █ █ better with age and has lost none of his vocal █ █ prowess. █ █ Pop, prog and rock melded together in one █ █ wonderful album. DonÆt let this album become a █ █ ælost classicÆ. █ ▓ ▓ ▒ ▒ ░ 1. Prelude (ft. Andy Partridge) 2:14 ░ ░ 2. Skyscraper Souls (ft. Kate Pierson) 18:08 ░ ░ 3. Glacier Girl (ft. Andy Partridge) 2:38 ░ ░ 4. Angel on your Shoulder (ft. Matthew 6:48 ░ ░ Koma) ░ ░ 5. Tomorrow (ft. David Longdon) 4:20 ░ ░ 6. Lighthouse (ft. Tim Bowness) 5:40 ░ ░ 7. Skin Deep (ft. Marc Almond) 4:32 ░ ░ 8. Darker Times (ft. Andy Partridge) 7:19 ░ ░ 9. Finale (ft. Andy Partridge) 1:15 ░ ░ 52:54 ░ ░ ▒ ▒ ▓ █ ░ ▓ ░ ■ █▄ ░ ██ ▀█▄░ ▄▄▄▄▄ ▓ ░ ▄▄▄▄▄ ░▄██░ ░ ▀████▓█▄▄█████████▓░ ███ ███▓░ █████████▄▄██████▀ ▓ ▓▀▓ ▒███████▀▀ ▀████████▒ ░████████▀ ▀▀███████░▓▀▓ ■ ░ ▄█░█▀▀▄████▄▓ ▀█▀ █▓░ ▒▓█ ▀█▀ ▄████▄ ▀███▄░ ▄█▀░ ░███▀▀▀███▄ ▀█▒ ██▓ ██ ▓█▀ ▄███▀▀▀███░ ▀█░ █▀ ▓██▓ ▄███ ▀█▓ ████ ▒█▀ ▓███▄ ▓██▓ ▀█▓ █▀ ▓██░ ▒██████▓ ▀█ █▓ █▀ ▓██████▒ ░██▓ ▀█ ▒ ▄██ ░███ ▓███▓ ▀░██░▀ ▓███░ ███ ██▄ ▒ ░█▀ ███ ▄▀ ███▄ ▓████▒ ▄███▀▄ ███ ▀█░ ▓█▀ ▄██▄█▀ ░ ██████████████ ▀█▄ ██▄ ▀█▓ █▀ ████▀█▄▓░▄█ ▀██████▀ █▄▓░▄█▀█▄██ ▀█▓ ░ ▄ ██▀ ▀████▀ ▀█▓▀██ ▀████▀ ▀███ ▄ ▒ █░█▓ ██░ █░ █ ░██ ▀██▒█ ███░ ▒█░ ▄ ▓ ▒ ░█▒ ▓███ ░ ▓██ ░ ██▓ ██░ ░██ █▒ ░ ░█ ▀█ █▀ ▓ ░ ░