FISH
WELTSCHMERZ
WW
CHOCOLATE FROG RECORDS
★★★☆
Having apparently been through the wringer recently, Fish has declared this will be his last studio album. Presumably that’s why restraint is sometimes lacking: at 84 minutes but only 10 songs long, and with every drop wrung from the experiences leading to his decision, he appears keen to ensure he’ll have no regrets afterwards. This, possibly, is its greatest flaw: some may lack the patience for its indulgences, well-earned as they are. Take one song at a time, however, and cynics may be persuaded, not least by Garden Of Remembrance, a touching, softly sung piano ballad which, inspired by his parents, explores dementia’s effects on both those suffering a life “where thoughts land like snowflakes” and those who still love its victims. (The video, it’s worth adding, seals the deal.) Walking On Eggshells’ increasingly stormy, complex prog appears to tackle the same theme – though it could also be about a bad relationship – but the slow building Little Man What Now addresses his own despair, and the early 80s Peter Gabriel sounds of The Party’s Over confront a flirtation with alcoholism. Calum ‘The Blue Nile’ Malcolm’s production, moreover, ensures Weltschmerz’s bombast offers a swansong as worthy as it’s both extravagant and personal.