Album review: RANDOM EARTH PROJECT – Songs of Plenty

June 4th, 2026 by petefeenstra

Self release [Release date 13.04.26]

What’s in a name? In the case of Random Earth Project, the project part finds echoes of Frank Zappa’s Project / Object idea, with various elements being interrelated in the search for artistic unity

On this their 3^rd album, REP’s search finds them pulling together different aspect of their oeuvre through musical motifs or riffs, proggy orchestration, startling art work and lyrical ideas which are stronger on macro concerns than small detail.

‘Songs of Plenty’ is an album that works hard to remain within the prog rock parameters that define the band’s output.

The music is rooted in the 70’s, but is given an 80’s sheen by the salient role of Carleton Van Selman’s use of synthesizer, while the confident production values add a contemporary feel, especially in the use of a dense layered sound and contrasting sonic splendour.

What’s actually missing and overarching theme, and sufficient lyrical meaning to bring clarity to Kym Blackman’s poetic bent.

Blackman’s vocals owe much to Anthony Newly and the early Bowievocal style, with echoes of The Strawbs’ Dave Cousins and Audience’s Howard Werth.

His phrasing works well when he’s required to be animated, but he has to battle with the twin problems of too much earnestness and not enough emotion, let alone core substance to his own lyrics

For while there’s repeated theme of surviving in a wicked world, he doesn’t always find a way to further explore his basic concept.

The musically overwrought title track for example, doesn’t go much beyond a semblance of hope in a mish-mash of related concepts.

It’s a case of over-egging the cake, as a bass figure, sax solo and guitar struggle to nail the basic groove.

That said, there are some excellent moments, most notably on the very Pink Floyd sounding ‘Turn The Tide’, which is lyrically stronger.

And though there’s the familiar dreamy quality of Richard Wright’s keyboard playing, David Gilmour’s guitar and even the late Dick Parry’s sax input, the band finally reveals its own capabilities when they belatedly stretch out with a grainy sax solo from Kim Cypher & Andrew Walker’s guitar interplay.

‘All Things’ is different again, but is equally good, starting with a bluesy intro leading to a retro psychedelic feel and some evocative stream of consciousness lyrics, while ‘Blue Skies’ is one of the few songs that suggest a resolution is in sight for the trouble narrator.

On the latter, the band piles on the intensity on the hook, but Martin Nico’s guitar is mixed too far back to make an impact, instead a violin comes to the front of the mix over synth stabs as part of a symphonic feel.

The above three tracks bring welcome clarity and flow, as evidenced by another excellent track called ‘Cars’, on which the music cleverly evokes the metaphor of a souped-up car as a personal fetish: “I just wanna be noticed I just wanna be seen Got to keep me serviced All shiny and clean.”

Mark Howes guests on guitar on the slighty creepy and noirish ‘Photograph’, on which the vocals fall back on Bowie’s early style of edgy phrasing.

The song also seems to act as a musical conduit leading to the more uplifting ‘Sail Away’, which is another song about escaping the cold hard world.

But rather than getting bogged down in depression, it gathers momentum on the back of a powerful synth solo, and by the 3.25 mark, a slight tempo change launches the band into an intense jam and eventually back to the hook, with two perfunctory cymbal splashes and out.

Lyrically Blackman use of prosody here gives both the song and the album fresh vitality.

“I’m not sure the world is good But I know that you are mine So let’s find ourselves a corner Where love can be entwined.”

‘What Have You Done’ on the other hand flatters to deceive, opening with a Camel style instrumental flourish anchored by a military style shuffle drum pattern, whilst the angst ridden vocals struggle to make much of some underwhelming lyrics about unrequited passion (or perhaps infatuation).

But then as if to illustrate the stop-start nature of the album’s sequencing, ‘Steppin’ reveals itself to be an outstanding track.

A beautifully crafted intro comprising cello, harpsichord and percussive chimes over a typically redolent Trev Turley bass line, leads to Blackman best vocal on the album.

He confidently extends a phrase into a sinewy synth line, meaning that even the eclectic lyrics sound impressive as part of a well arranged complex piece of music.

A melange of orchestral style strings, Glen Buck’s muscular drums and additional chimes add to intensity of a song, which ends with a cinematic orchestral flourish.

The band bookends the album with the big sounding ‘Bleeding Heart Brigade’, on a song which apparently calls for self resilience.

It’s delivered as mid-tempo synth-led piece with up-in-the-mix rhythm section and a big church organ on the first hook, and flanked by feverish strings.

However, there’s an overkill of strings in the mid-section which nearly sucks out the oxygen of the piece, but they recover to generate a big anthemic wall of sound not unlike Arcade Fire.

‘Song Of Plenty’ aims high and matches musical aspirations with innate ability, on an album built on fluid melodies within intricate arrangements, given extra purchase via some fine soloing.

There’s also a thoughtful use of guest artists, while the album’s conceptual ideas are illustrated by some well crafted art work in a 16 page booklet.

And while the album is probably 3 songs short of achieving its full potential, it flies the flag for different shades of classic and contemporary prog rock with symphonic traces, fired by plenty of imagination and genuine enthusiasm. ***1/2

Review by Pete Feenstra

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Power Plays w/c 25 May 2026

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THE SKBS The Prying Eye (indie)
AGAINST THE CURRENT Dead Man Walking (indie)
ICONIC Tears Keep On Falling (Frontiers)

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