Explaining the music of Soft Hearted Scientists one struggles to find the proper words. It’s much like trying to make sense of the pathways that lead from George Washington to Donald Trump. The task is to come to terms with the concept of a Welsh folk band, that for all intents and purposes, creates songs that take on the patina of Prog. Their newest double album, The Phantom of Canton, covers 16 tunes in 77 minutes, while creating an inspiring variety of sounds and substance.
At points the Scientists sound like late 60s and early 70s Caravan, reimagined for 21st century audiences, yet they play with a verve all their own. A perfect starting point is ‘Hello, Hello’, where the opening keyboards lead the way to a gentle assault on the senses as they attack a culture that is spent on the phone. “An hour of my time spent with you is sublime/ Let’s get together/ Instead of venting our spleen/ We are two Mexican beans/ That jump forever.” Guitars ring sweetly, while the drums and bass push things forward.
Writing all the songs, Nathan Hall, who along with Cardiff mates Paul Jones, Dylan Line, Michael Bailey and Frank Naughton, the other Scientists, have developed a collection that takes on alienation, lost love and the high price that is paid for taking on creative pursuits or any job at all. The Phantom of Canton is the second full-length release in the resurrected bands catalog since Hall put Nathan Hall and the Sinister Locals on hold. Even darkly shaded songs are rendered with bright colors, creating something less Pink Floyd and more akin to Stackridge (if your hearing has been shaped another band from the 70s).
Melody and emotion go hand in hand, while Hall’s lyrics pack the requisite punches. ‘The Laws of Physics’ deals with the problem of the head and the heart and which is in control. Initially solemn, it quickly ascends with a bouncy beat and bright keyboard phrases. When Hall sings, “He flicked the vees of gravity/ And flew into the sun/ He fought the laws of Physics/ And the laws of Physics won,” it’s obvious which has dominated.
The band joins forces creating the most unique blends, combining sad, longing keyboards and guitars with a dancehall piano on ‘Song for my Sunflower’. The romance of ‘Foxgloves Song’ is bred on a yearning bed of piano, as voices shift shapes creating a delicate sense of mystery. Lyrically the song creates a creature who can do no wrong, “Strawberries and cream a sweet interruption/ Her smile can stop volcanic eruptions.”
Amidst the sonic strains of acoustic and electric guitars, shaped with the sonic spices of keyboards, Soft Hearted Scientists’ The Phantom of Canton blends playful prog with choice lyrics creating an indefinable sense that music doesn’t have to be just one thing. Combining camps, they find ways to merge melody and marvel in the most unusually beautiful ways.