Is Trilobite the title of the record, or of the band, or both? Whatever, it is a fine wine, to be sipped and savoured so that all its many flavours might be revealed. Mark Ray Lewis is the mainman; already an acclaimed author, it seems unfair that he should have talent left over to produce such an inventive and intensely musical piece of work.
His lyric writing is fantastic, so poetic and atmospheric, dancing from the small detail to the big picture in the space of a few words; thankfully, the beautifully produced “Songbook” that is included with the cd lets you into the secrets of the words because his singing style is more of a murmur than anything, as if he’s talking to himself.
Michelle Collins, who sang with Nels Andrews on “Sunday Shoes”, provides backing vocals, but she too murmurs her lines, sounding like a spirit presence sitting on Mark Lewis’ shoulder. Several of these songs are just so poignant, stating emotional truths that are buried between the lines of people’s customary speech. “The Pumpkin Farmer”, for one, gets right inside the mind of the son of the soil, disappointed by a crop that goes half unsold and yet he is ready, literally, to plough on and start all over again.
And then there’s the music. Ten musicians and half an orchestra of instruments make for a lot of options, and most of the songs end up as a beautiful mosaic of sound, instruments coming and going, sometimes just playing a few bars of great delicacy like the pedal steel on “A Man of God”. Adding up to more than the sum of its parts, everything contributes to the atmosphere of the whole and I can’t think how many times you’d have to hear this album before every detail became familiar.
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Other reviewers, I know, have picked up on the pump organ and tuba that oompah their way unexpectedly through several songs, but for me the use of the string section is what stands out, the violin and cello bringing such strong character into the music whenever they appear. But there are such riches here that you can take your pick and then thrill to something different the next time round. Determinedly low-key, even the songs that could cut loose are not given rein; the beauty is in the detail and I would just love to see this performed with the full complement of musicians.
Boris McCutcheon covered “Caves of Burgundy” on his own recent album (Cactusman versus the Blue Demon) and showed you could conjure a radio friendly arrangement from Mark Lewis’ work; however, I’m not really expecting to hear Trilobite themselves much on the radio; you’ll just have to seek this record out and then enjoy.
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