Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating 8.5/10
In a storm, any port will do, or so they will have you believe, a storm after all passes, it can be violent, it can be soul disturbing, but it is also Earth at its most beautiful, most tempting, to stand in amongst the rage, to find the sparks of illumination that carry lightning and thunder and to which we hope will be a sign, a portent of the mood to come. Any port in a storm, but perhaps it is more exciting to think of harnessing the energy that comes from using Parachutes In Hurricanes, from being swept along inside the ride of a wind that can throw you as high as you wish and still find the force to make you wish for more.
David Fitzpatrick’s first major solo work, Parachutes In Hurricanes is a power behind the goal, of constructing something that weathers the storm of an entity shrouded in awe and possible demolition of years of work, and when all is witnessed, comes out of the clouds, of the dark and the brow beaten with style, grace and the parachute fully deployed, the epitome of releasing yourself into the eye of the storm and coming back down to Earth with a wiser, more positive note in your heart.
It is in the taking of risks that we rise above the storm and see the landscape below in all its glory, we visualise how to shape our opinions, to comment and remark before informing via the medium of our choice. It is a landscape that comes with peaks and troughs but one that also can be a full field of colour, of generous abundance to inflame the spirits of others.
Who needs a port when a hurricane can display everything you wish to feel, to explore by seeing above the land, swirling with the ride of lyrics and music supplied and in songs such as Half a Mile, Lost On The Same Street, Bed of Roses, Money Isn’t Everything and All In Tonight, David Fitzpatrick chases down the hurricane and lets the rip cord go, soaring immediately, watching the debris fall away like plaster from a monument ready to be unveiled
A major first solo work that captures the heart and soul, the essence of the Milwaukee musician’s perspective and outlook, produced with insight by Gary Tanin, it is a winning combination that harness the power of the wind beneath David Fitzpatrick’s wings and gives it a home in which to roost.
David Fitzpatrick’s Parachutes In Hurricanes is released on April 27th.
Ian D. Hall