Ten Day Voyage - To the Ides of August, Goodbye

​Ten Day Voyage

To the Ides of August, Goodbye
self-released; 2022

By Jamie Funk

Ten Day Voyage is the project of songwriter Jamie Gibson, based out of Guelph and Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The band's debut LP, To the Ides of August, Goodbye is a product of the collaboration between Gibson and producer Corben Grant, also known by Premium Chants. They mention “The album is primarily about Gibson's breakup, but is also about a religious awakening and the Mad Pride movement via the thoughts of R.D. Laing.” I really can’t define this album into a genre because there’s almost no consistency between the individual songs.

The album starts with “Overture” which is a stripped back song revolving around strummed major and minor chords and vocals. It’s a nice song all things considered and falls into a folk laced aesthetic that sounds like it’s from the late ’60s. 

There’s a full band on “It is No Longer I Who Live” which is an eight-minute song. I liked a lot of the melodies on this song especially when he sings “I see myself falling / I see myself falling into the dark.” There are some subtle pads here which add to the emotional resonance. It's a great song but the eight-minute run time did feel a little too long.

“The Great Mystery” is a heavier song with distorted guitar, drums and bass. It sounds like a different artist when comparing it to the first song. I was reminded more of modern garage rock like Car Seat Headrest. ”Ouroboros” is another change in direction. This song is a lot more experimental. It’s also one of the highlights. There are some pretty unique sounds here. The drumming was also top notch on this song.

“At Eternity's Gate” is this low-key and lush melancholy song. Electronic drums juxtaposed against warm keys. The vocals are more spoken. I found the lyrics haunting. The vocalist sings “I held a knife / I didn’t want to hurt nobody / It’s just that the walls were closing in on me / I held a knife.”

As the album progresses each song felt like a separate island and there was no real signature sound for the artist. “Templar Coltrane” is a straightforward rock song while “Blanket Love” seemed to have influence from shoegaze. I liked the lush soundscape called “Between Spaces'' which was a highlight.

As a producer for the last twenty years I would say the next step for the artist is to think about creating a signature sound. It was hard to connect with the artist because of how random this album felt. On that note the more experimental soundscapes are the strength. I think doing a whole album in that style would be food for thought.

​Overall, I thought this was a solid album. There are a lot of good ideas that I think the artist can expand on in his next release. I look forward to hearing more in the not too distant future.

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