Έχοντας μιλήσει για “απόκοσμη” και “σαγηνευτική” μουσική της Αναγέννησης, παίρνουμε μια γεύση από το σύγχρονο ανάλογό της (αν μπορεί να ονομαστεί έτσι μια ηχογράφηση ηλικίας μισού αιώνα). Πρόκειται για το τραγούδι-έπος του Peter Hammill, εναρκτήριο του σημαντικότερου κατ’ έμε σόλο άλμπουμ του, του υπεράνω (δικής μου τουλάχιστον) περιγραφής, The Silent Corner And The Empty Stage, αντίστοιχο του Pawn Hearts για τους Van Der Graaf Generator. Αξίζει να επιστήσει κάποιος την προσοχή στη λιτότητα των μέσων με τα οποία χτίζεται η ατμόσφαιρα (ή μάλλον …ο κόσμος) του ‘Modern’ – η ουσία είναι όπως πάντα στις νότες. Having spoken of the “otherworldly” and “enchanting” music of the Renaissance, we now get a taste of its modern counterpart (if a half century-old recording can be called that). This is the epic song by Peter Hammill that opens what is, in my opinion, his most important solo album – the indescribable (at least by me) masterpiece The Silent Corner and the Empty Stage, the solo equivalent of Pawn Hearts for Van der Graaf Generator. It’s worth pointing out the stark simplicity of the means by which the atmosphere (or rather …the world) of ‘Modern’ is built – as always, the essence lies in the notes themselves.

Jericho’s strange, throbbing with life at its heart
People are drawn together, simultaneously torn apart
Foundations are shattered in the city inside the barricaded walls
Hiding behind their walls, lonely as night falls
Maybe the people waiting for trumpets?
Madelon’s strange, seventh wonder of the earth
Gardens ablaze in colour, slowly rotting in the dirt
Ah yes, but with your head on fire you know that you can’t really see
And the hanging gardens sing, but with a hollow ring
The life is false, it’s killing me
Don’t look back or you’ll turn to stone
Look around before your life is overthrown
Concrete slab on your back
The searching eye, it stabs
The three chimps cutting the timbers
Never even owning to a name
Like the inmates of asylums all the citizens are contagiously insane
Atlantis is strange, the explosion of an age
No-one really knows what to do and the city is a cage
And transnationals and concrete towers imprisoned in the social order
The city’s lost its way, madness takes hold today
I can’t live underwater
I can’t live underwater
I can’t live underwater
I can’t live underwater
I can’t live, I can’t live, I can’t live underwater