Fuel For The Fire – 40th Anniversary Edition marks a long-awaited new chapter for composer and pianist Alan Goldberg, revisiting an album first created in 1984. Original performances are joined by new guitar, live drums, orchestration, and expanded arrangements, connecting Goldberg’s early work with his present-day musical perspective. He last caught our ears last year with his fifth album, CreateBecome.
“Spark From the Dark” is aptly named, igniting the album with creative atmospheric allure as rhythmic pit-pattering arrives into a dynamic array of instrumentation, serving up both dreamy glistening synths and fierce rock-ready distortion. More expressive, free-flowing synth elements appear as the final minute approaches, adding further charisma to the inviting soundscape; there’s a sense of ’80s nostalgia apparent in the production’s soundscape, while retaining a sort of timeless creativity, and reminding why the album is well worth digging into on its 40th anniversary, whether you’re returning or a first-time listener.
The ensuing title track unfolds with initially subdued electronic flickers of light, then propelled by effervescent piano work that glides seamlessly into a whirring synth energy. The interplay of bright piano, spacey electronics, and flourishing percussion makes for another atmospheric achievement, while the epic “Chasing Stray Flames” enthralls across its 7+ minutes — featuring a first half with piano-set elegance and glimpses of sweeping strings, before a tour-de-force arrival into fervent guitar distortion and thunderous percussion.
Also catching our ears is album finale “Consumed,” incorporating strings with more somber effect, complemented eventually by chilly organs; the result is an introspective sound that blends the artist’s mastery of various instrumentation, from guitar to synths and keys. Delighting across its expansive, colorful instrumental sound, Fuel For The Fire – 40th Anniversary Edition is an enveloping overall success from Alan Goldberg.
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“Spark From the Dark” and other tracks featured this month can be streamed on the updating Obscure Sound’s ‘Emerging Singles’ Spotify playlist.
