Album of the Week: Architects of Grace – Moments in Time

Architects of Grace are the brainchild of Duncan Robert Illing who’s recorded his debut album pretty much on his own.

Well, apart from a notable figure behind the mixing desk for two tracks – one Dave M Allen, whose previous work concerns such ’80s legends such as the Cure, the Chameleons and the Psychedelic Furs.

And that’s a rather neat place to start. If you’ve ever felt that the Furs were under-appreciated, their legacy undermined by THAT film, and status usurped by other dark-hearted melodic guitar bands then this album should go down rather nicely.

Even if the work of the Butler brothers means little to you, Moments in Time is still required listening. Yes, it does sound like them, but this is not a derivative piece of work. These songs are capable of standing on their own.

We’re instantly drawn to second song Reflection. As well as having multiple guitar parts and enough time changes to get the likes of 65daysofstatic scratching their heads, it’s also home to a stunning vocal hook that makes the song a bit special.

Illing’s voice is powerful and emotive but also at it’s best when under a bit of restraint. It feels a little over-wrought on Oceans of the Heart, needlessly over-compensating for the sparseness of the music.

Like the album cover, much of the lyrical themes – or at the very least, the feel of the songs – are dark and introspective with appropriately moody music to match. Tonight is chiming and languid; Hot White Sun is a Smiths-y blast of jittery guitar.

Drums thump ominously throughout the whole piece, even on songs like Insatiable, where almost everything else has been stripped away.

Illing’s more likely to be the one huddled in the corner moping at a party than leading a conga line but if the man can keep writing gloom rock masterpieces like Damaged, he’ll keep the rest of us happy.

We spoke to him last week.

How was recording the album largely by yourself?

It was hard work and certainly a learning experience but thoroughly enjoyable. I did a lot of recording at my home studio, so it made things a little easier, grabbing time, not having a curfew when making progress and being able to focus. People came and went but I saw it through, it was quite a journey.

How did you get to work with Dave M Allen? Do you think his style has influenced the record or was it your sound that drew him to the band?

I’ve known Dave a while, and of course knew his production work having been into a lot of the bands he’s worked with over the years. However, despite introducing him to the odd band or two over more recent years, I’d never worked with him myself before.  With this first full collection of songs I had written I saw the ideal opportunity. I approached him with some of the recordings I had made and he liked the songs. We decided he would mix some tracks, however in the end he also did additional production on the two songs that I asked him to work on, mainly re-recording drums. Tonight and Oceans Of The Heart are the result of this session on the album.

The album cover feels quite old fashioned (though not in a bad way) – tell me about it.

I wanted a timeless and striking sleeve. At the same time I didn’t want to have some naff fake retro looking sleeve. I also didn’t want something that followed a contemporary trend or was off the shelf. Any timeless creation usually works well if it’s conceived well. I also wanted it to be a portrait. I’m very pleased with the result. At first we tried to re-create the photograph, but in the end I got in touch with the photographer and model and they loved the idea of Architects Of Grace using it for the sleeve. It sums up some of the album’s mood very well and looks striking too.

Will we be seeing you play shows in the near future?

Yes we are rehearsing as a four piece, but want to expand to a five piece as soon as possible. Does London have any decent bassists available???  Personally I’m looking forward to doing something live and bringing these songs from the album and others to life live, hopefully this summer.

Here’s album choice cut Damaged: