Simon Hurst - Emergence

​Simon Hurst

Emergence
​self-released; 2024

​​​By ​Dino DiMuro

UK’s Simon Hurst has been self-releasing his personal brand of classically-influenced progressive rock albums for a few years now, a couple of which I’ve had the pleasure of reviewing. Thus, it was no surprise to me that his eighth album, Emergence, maintains that same high level of quality and inspiration.

Hurst began by playing orchestral flute, followed by stints in prog, punk, and blues bands. He also built his own studio and has composed songs and jingles for commercial use. His album tracks tend to be long and often remind me of Genesis from the early Collins era. Hurst says this new release is “a storytelling album, but this time it’s down to the listener to provide the narrative. While there are clues, it’s the listener’s imagination that counts. The only spoiler is that it does have an (ambiguously) happy ending.”

Hurst states that his music spans several genres, including rock, jazz, classical, and beyond. He performed all the parts, along with mixing and mastering in his home studio using Cubase Pro 11 with various virtual instrument programs. All the song titles here are based on words starting with "E."

“Entanglement” has an orchestral, organ-like quality that reminded me of The Phantom of the Opera. Musically, it starts out like an outtake from Brian Wilson’s Pet Sounds but then morphs into something akin to the first Collins-led Genesis LP (even the title sounds like Genesis!). The mix is quite amazing, sounding not like a live orchestra but more like a hyperreal Disneyland presentation. The concluding tom-tom rolls could have been recorded by Phil Collins himself. “Endeavour” feels like a mixture of a Paul McCartney piano-and-cello tune with a gathering of The Nutcracker Suitefairies. Purely magical.

“Encounter” at first reveals more of the jazz colors of Hurst’s palette, using flute samples and electric piano, then switches to more guitar and keys-based prog. There’s a strong bass melody that sounds like a supercharged Rickenbacker and lots of tumbling toms. As per the title, “Enchantment” has a spooky, Halloween-ish vibe with thick, lovely strings and portentous keyboards. Hurst’s melodies have a way of establishing themselves while making subtle key shifts that sound totally natural, much like Tony Banks. This is one of the longer tracks at seven minutes and takes us on quite a ride.

“Engagement” features more of Hurst’s elliptical melodies. You can follow them note by note if you’re really paying attention, but I sometimes find it easier just to let them envelop and elevate me. There’s a mathematical precision to the playing, and the tones again evoke eerie memories (I’m getting flashes of The Wizard of Oz) interlaced with the sweet sound of fuzz-reverb guitars. Once more, the basic melodies always seem to edge skyward, key by key. “Emergence” is an epic track, even by the standards of this album, clocking in at fifteen minutes. Again, I was reminded of Brian Wilson in parts, though Brian’s instrumental works tend to be in shorter sections. There are moments of crystal fuzz guitar, like Steves Hackett or Howe. At one point, I even detected a disco beat and half-expected Phil Collins to start singing.

​With someone like Hurst, who never delivers less than stellar music, I quickly run out of superlatives. Best to click the play button and discover for yourself!

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