In April 2024, prog band Hats Off Gentlemen It’s Adequate returned to the spotlight with a two track release helmed by the rather thoughtful ‘One Word That Means The World (Arkhipov)’. The first new tracks to appear in over a year, the digital pairing re-acquainted fans with the Gentlemen’s rather quirky and adventurous musical style.
‘Arkhipov’ takes pride of place on the full length ‘The Uncertainty Principle’ – the British act’s eighth album – and has lost none of its original power. This dark, prog infused workout, inspired by Soviet naval officer Vasily Arkhipov’s historical decision to stand against action that could’ve led to a nuclear war, stands as a very inventive piece. In their own quirky way, Hats Off take the utterly bleak theme and contrast it with a superb musical arrangement that uplifts, but also supplies what some of the (many) prog snobs might term a “thinking person”s sound. From the outset, a bass groove helps to set a solid but very rhythmic arrangement in place, whilst busy – and slightly atonal – guitar work indulges in a mix of flowing notes and fret mangling that harks back to some of the band’s previous experiments. Settling into the track, a broader vocal steers the music through a mix of very melodic prog, vaguely goth-infused undertones and a few other retro sounds, including a bright sounding guitar which throws out sonar-like notes in an almost punctuating fashion. You’ll also discover a lead guitar break that fuses a few prog-ish indulgences with more of a classic rock tone. What’s most important here, especially given this duo’s love of a complex arrangement, is how strongly the chorus shines through. Malcolm Galloway isn’t the strongest singer in the traditional sense, but he’s still able to show a few prog vocalists a thing or three about melody, and during the main hook of this very strong track, his distinctive style allows a few longer notes to match a few soaring guitars, lifting an already impressive number. It’s safe to say that if you’re already a fan, you won’t be disappointed,‘Arkhipov’ may have found its way into the wild almost a year before the album itself, but it’s not a case of it being a track that outshines everything else.
With a record as varied as this, stylistically speaking, it’s hard to pick absolute favourites. However, the honour of “best track” goes to the lengthy opener, ‘Uncertainty’. With an intro powered by slow bass notes and reverbed guitar, the number wastes no time in advertising its classic sounding prog rock origins. Almost everything about the slow burning first movement calls back to the past in the best possible way, with echoes of later period IQ jostling alongside obvious nods to the Floyd, before a bigger melody starts to punch through with a bright sounding piano. Then, exploding into a world of jazz tinged drums and chopping guitar lines, the Gentlemen unleash their rockier chops, which, in turn, brings a more forthright vocal. There’s more of a 90s heart beating throughout these louder moments, but within the hard edged rhythm, a very 70s sounding keyboard solo is on hand to win over some of the old guard, before everything falls away to allow a soft bassline to link back to the intro. Then, when you think everything is winding down, another heavy drum crashes in, and a huge, almost bluesy lead guitar creates a classic sounding climax. As with a lot of material from this band, there’s a stronger sense of atmosphere at work here than any desire to share immediate hooks, but as a whole piece, this really sets an impressive mood. Almost equally as strong, the title cut offers a world of atmospheric synth work, sharing a hint of Tangerine Dream soundtracks, which sounds great when coupled with huge, sweeping guitar lines and moments which, again, show off a great love for classic era Floyd. On the negative side, this often feels like a piece that would benefit more from being presented instrumentally, but those who’ve followed the band this far shouldn’t have much of an issue with a slightly stilted vocal.
Those looking for something with a bit more punch should be sated by ‘Everything Changed’, a prog metal piece that juxtaposes Godsticks-esque chopping guitar lines with a spoken vocal to create a brilliant musical contrast. When the instrumental moments hit, there’s more of a smoothness, thanks to a soaring, bluesy lead guitar, creating something with more of a grandiose feel, like a distant cousin to later Opeth works. As always, though, the Gents aren’t about to leave it there, and a busy keyboard solo revisits the full on grandeur of 70s prog with a pinch of Greenslade, before the even busier ‘Utraviolet Catastrophe’ fuses jazz drums and proggy keys with cinematic guitar lines. In terms of modern prog, the fusion of frenetic bass work and Zappa-esque lead guitar suggests someone within the band’s ranks has a liking of The Flower Kings, but unlike those celebrated Swedes, someone here understands the value of keeping everything succinct. Despite clocking in at approximately three minutes, this instrumental number packs in just as much impressive fretboard dexterity and huge piano flourishes as the likes of The Flower Kings and Transatlantic would manage in three times the length. There are some superb melodies to be found here too, so there’s plenty within this small package to keep a lot of prog fans happy.
Another highlight, although stylistically different yet again, ‘Inside The Atom’ takes a busy rhythmic loop played via synth and overlays that with jazz drums and pulsing basslines. Some listeners might hear vague traces of Neu! in the way the melody takes on a repetitious approach, but another round of soaring guitars help to provide more of a link with previous tunes and a more “typical” Hats Off sound. Eventually, some of the busier elements subside to allow for some fantastic lead guitar work, shared in more of a trad prog fashion, before the rockier ‘Think Tank’ delivers a much chunkier sound and one of the best vocals on a Hats Off album to date. As always, though, there are rhythmic quirks and mood changes aplenty, often augmented by strong guitar lines, but the real strength here is provided via Mark Gatland’s bass: he spends the bulk of the number throwing out hard edged notes, providing an almost Morse-like rhythm that compliments the cerebral lyric and busy melody. Elsewhere, quieter sounds fill ‘Copenhagen’ with an ‘In Absentia’ era Porcupine Tree vibe, before a more metallic guitar provides an obvious link with ‘Everything Changed’, only to disappear in time to allow a beautifully toned lead guitar to deliver timeless proggy sounds, and the short ‘Living With Uncertainty’ fuses mid 70s Floyd tones with the groove of classic Porcupine Tree, seemingly a relative comfort zone for musicians who don’t always provide the smoothest of listens. Although this sidelines a lot of Malcolm and Mark’s more inventive traits for something that – at the risk of sounding snobby – feels rather more derivative, it’s still a melodic workout that should please a lot of people.
Nestled near the end of an already enjoyable album, you’ll find the very sedate ‘Between Two Worlds’, a number that’s arguably the album’s most accessible since it eschews the weirder aspects of this band’s art/prog/jazz blend in favour of a soft melody. Against a gently approached electric piano, a hushed voice takes centre stage. The chords emerge slowly, but their mellow tones lend a warm feel. The quieter aspects of the recording invite their audience to listen more closely, and by doing so, you’ll hear something wonderful unfolding. The unhurried melody calls back to the mournful elements of The Blue Nile’s masterpiece ‘Hats’ and specifically tracks like ‘Let’s Go Out Tonight’, but with a more natural tone replacing the world of 80s keys and synthesized drums, it plays far more smoothly. Against the unassuming keys, Malcolm’s voice takes on an almost sad presence, but this is perfect for the lyric in hand, exploring a feeling of uncertainty in the mind of a man waiting on the results of an MRI scan. Almost every syllable is layered in unease, from the moment he confesses he’s “worn down”, but the way he shares his feeling of wanting “to honestly say [he’s] fine” but “not wanting to leave” during the final moments of the song is a real gut-wrencher. It’s a genuine plea, and the fact that the band have chosen to share such feelings against a stripped down and stark backdrop as opposed to their more typical prog rock grandiosity makes the sentiment so much more effective. This has the potential to be one of the greatest Hats Off tracks to date, but it’s so very different from the bulk of ‘The Uncertainty Principle’, it’s actually in danger of being overlooked and undervalued by some of the fans.
Taking in huge swathes of classic and contemporary prog, bits of jazz fusion, a couple of Zappa-esque turns, a pinch of prog metal and a dose of arty rock, ‘The Uncertainty Principle’ isn’t a record that can be easily pigeonholed or clearly defined. In some ways, that’s what makes it great; it’s infinitely more interesting than Airbag going through the motions with a bunch of second rate Floyd cast-offs, often preferable to Muse assaulting peoples’ ears with shameless bombast, more melodic than most post ‘OK Computer’ era Radiohead, and more concise than pretty much anything with Roine Stolt at the helm. With all of that in mind, this is definitely a huge step forward for the band, and the kind of work that’ll certainly make some listeners question why Hats Off Gentlemen aren’t better known in prog circles. Of course, they might be happy holding onto their true underground status, knowing that those who find them will almost certainly be willing to put in the listening time required to love their work. In a world of push button music and potential audio overload, ‘The Uncertainty Principle’ feels like an old school treat; the kind of album that’ll take time to embed itself, but with that comes a well deserved long shelf life. If you consider yourself to be someone with a keen interest in cult bands and lesser known prog fare, you certainly need to pick this up.
March/April 2025
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