- Label: 'Last Night From Glasgow'
- Genre: 'Indie'
- Release Date: '19.9.25.'
Our Rating:
Convalescence is the latest album by Legendary indie artist Patrick Fitzgerald, performing as Stephen Hero one of his alter egos, he was one of the key members of Kitchens Of Distinction and this album is full of the parallels he saw between the Aids pandemic and the Covid One, along of course with the vast differences in how the victims were treated. Patrick feels lucky to have survived both, while being considered a high-risk individual in both pandemics.
The album opens with Christopher And His Kind that has a laid back feel for this tale of Christopher's he has known, who were persecuted for their lifestyle choices and what they got up to between the 80's and now, he asks would they dare crucify Christopher, well listen and find out where the dark lyrics about the AIDS crisis unfurls, with memories of being a British kid hanging out in the Castro and on Christopher street by the Stonewall Inn, he lists several of the fallen, friends and heroes gone too soon.
Imagine Me Gone asks those questions of what it would be like once he has left this mortal realm, the flowers have faded and everyone has moved on, will anyone remember him, or play his old Kitchen Of Distinction records, or think about what it was like to see them at the Mean Fiddler all those years ago, guitars have an ethereal ghost like presence, before the strings come in to add reflective thoughts to his dark thoughts.
A Fingertip Apart you could be as far apart as the stars, but it's only a fingertip that separates you from a different fate, how things played out over time, the plaintive intoxicating synths signal how far apart or close you can be with someone over time.
Hard Mask is surrounded by claustrophobic synths, Stephen explains just how fragile he feels, trying not to be subsumed by all the fears around him.
Leave To Be Gone almost feels like a hymn, with the strings evoking feelings of loss and sadness, guitars rise through the centre, the vocals remind us of all those who left too soon. are gone for good, they no longer have air or blue light, they needed relief, but it never came.
Somehow We Live somehow we survive everything thrown at us, feeling glad to have survived all the trauma, gently evocative backing, drawing you into all the news being imparted to you in the lyrics.
The Map Room is somewhere Stephen considers a holy place, somewhere to reflect and pause for thoughts on what happened once upon a time in the Colosseum, taking us on a trip through roman history, the strings add emphasis to the thoughts for tragedies past, onwards to memories of more recent events, how many wrong turns can you survive in one life.
Blind Minotaur is full of wishes and hopes among the cheap plastic toys and baubles, strings evoke the last rays of sunshine in a disappearing world, will you find those ancient beasts on the mountainside, butting his head against the rocks.
Never Let Me Go no keep him chained up in your own personal dungeon, he'd rather get tender and gentle with you, than get all dark and twisted, but never let go of that love and the feelings of joy you have together, hold your loved ones tight, avoid those rushes of evil, poking through the beauty in this tune, it breaks down to the barest elements, the shackles have been removed and you are unbound once more, don't be afraid to flaunt your own personal freak flag whenever you need to.
The album closes with Exorcist Silhouette whose slow fraught piano intro echoes Music For A New Society, it's almost as claustrophobic, hold your crucifix tight, all those curses that tumble out for no good reason, other than the hatred at the core of your heart, let Stephen Hero defeat such hatred and exorcise all the despicable words you uttered. Instead whisper words of love and peace into Stephens ears once more and bring him some joy.
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