Although a new band, a duo in fact, one of Fifth Daughter’s members James Howarth has collaborated with the KLF and Martin ‘Youth’ Glover and played bass live at Ronnie Scott’s Jazz Club. The other half of Fifth Daughter, Nicholas Whittaker, came up with a conceptual sci-fi story about a rural society on another planet whose people are obsessed with summer, but soon come to regret the endless days and lack of seasons. The album was completed between 2021 and 2023 and members of Nick’s progressive rock band Diagonal (who released four highly regarded albums between 2008 and 2021) appear as backing musicians along with ambient guitarist Will Howes.
“Stellar Season” is a very evocative and melodic album, well produced and played with a strong opening track introduced by a kind of wind chime soft percussion, wistful flute and gentle acoustic guitar before entering an Incredible String Band influenced vocal section (a connection also most evident on ‘In Love with the Sun’ and ‘Call for the Equinox’ with its haunting repetitive chant). The music has an effortless fluidity and a multiplicity of instrumental variation with Whittaker’s dreamy sax, flute, and recorder, Diagonal member Dave Wileman’s guitar as well as some exotic sitar (as on ‘Even Winter’) and percussion. One cannot also help but recall to mind Jade Warrior in places. A special call out to Luke Foster’s impactful drumming which adds much to a magical formula that will transport the listener not only back to the intoxicating blends of prog, psych and acid folk of the past, but also into the future on its imaginary journey to another world.
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