
"This is unusual music, but then again, that’s an unusual name for a band. I wouldn’t say everything here is prog rock, but just about all of it is proggy. The mix of sound is sure to appeal to fans of classic rock the most. Although this album is a bit uneven, it’s all pretty good.
While I Still Can
Flute starts this. They launch out from there into a jam that’s part fusion and part hard rock. One instrumental jam on this makes me think of Santana a bit. Another calls to mind Jethro Tull a bit.
Me Again - Hard edged rock, this is a bit raw and rough around the edges. It’s part psychedelic garage band and part prog rock. I like the piano on the cut. The vocals leave me wanting a bit, though.
Frail Hurricane -This one really isn’t prog. It’s pretty much a metal cut more than it is anything else.
By the Water
I love this song. It’s slow moving and mellow. It lands between progressive rock and psychedelia. It’s very spacey.
All This Time - Another trippy tune, this is also part psychedelia and part prog. It’s more or less space rock, really. I dig the melodic guitar solo on this.
Wait for the Storm - More or less like folk prog, this benefits from the flute. It’s slow moving and mellow. It’s also very dramatic. The guitar soloing really brings a lot to the table, too. This is definitely one of my favorite pieces on this disc.
Can't Let You Go - Less proggy than some of the rest, this is still a cool song. It’s closer to an alternative rocker, but there are some intriguing changes. It’s a good cut, but not one of the highlights. The impassioned vocals do help, though.
Invisible - I like this song a lot. It’s another slower, mellower one. It’s trippy. It reminds me quite a bit of Hogarth era Marillion, perhaps blended with some RPWL and even a little Pink Floyd.
Hello - There is a cool electronic jazz groove going on here. There is a little voice (it sounds like a kid) as sort of a soundbite at times. This thing is really cool. Other than that spoken voice, this is an instrumental. ~
Just So Love You - This isn’t really very proggy. That said, there is enough jazz in the mix here to make this almost fusion. That comes closer enough. Overall, it’s a bluesy jam with a real jazz edge." - GW Hill, Music Street Journal
“The Interval Machine's Featured Artist of the Day is Hats Off Gentlemen It's Adequate.... The song we are featuring is titled 'By The Water' -- an ambient song that is amazingly haunting and deeply emotional. I really love this song so much. Excellent job!”
- Scott, The Inverval Machine, The Interval Machine
“Soaring guitars, rock vocals, and rock flute, I've still got a smile on my face after listening to 'While I Still Can'. Absolute Class!'”
- Stevie Bee, SM Radio
"Opening with While I Still Can which begins with the hallmark flute before evolving in to a strong jazz rock beat in which the flute alternates breaks with the guitar, epitomising precisely why Hats Off Gentlemen It’s Adequate is such an intriguing out-fit.
Following on is Me Again which is a darker piece bringing in piano to the fused guitar to layer a melancholy to the track which was inspired by living a bad day with Ehlers-Danlos syndrome.
Next is Frail Hurricane which is a remastered version of the title track of the first EP that skittles along with a scintillating guitar scything out of the speakers. A delightful vocal and instrumental combination.
By The Water slows the pace to a folk number with an evocative piano framing a track that registers on the bass notes with a continual backdrop of humming synth that plays a shadow like falling rain across the piece and the song works particularly well for me.
Raising the tempo, but not the sentiment All This Time is a reflective on social mores. Whilst the material may be of melancholia the compositions are something of an emotional a catharsis.
Wait For The Storm is once again hauntingly flute laden and a superb example of how to use instruments, levels and lyric in harmony to make a powerful imagery.
Can’t Let You Go emerges as an acoustic piece, though develops in to more rock centred number and whilst there is a certain similarity in vocal with Ian Curtis across much of Invisible – on this track is it highly prominent.
Invisible the title track is a progressive rock piece that does as you would expect progressive rock to do – last quite some time – it extends to over seven minutes of exploration in to space before inverting back to earth with a crumble.
Hello is specifically placed to give a lighter vein towards the end of the LP – focussing on what is achievable, rather than introspective critique.
Concluding with Just So Love You which shifts to a blues number that retains that up-beat momentum.
Invisible is a showcase for the memorable compositions and spread of musical styles which capture life from the inside of the soul and marks a strong debut LP for Hats Off Gentlemen It’s Adequate.
Join the indie bands blog on twitter for more of the best new releases." - Indie Bands Blog
“'Brooding yet brilliant' ... 'outstanding production' [about Wait For The Storm]”
- Music Review Unsigned
"I just received the debut release, Invisible, from Hat's Off Gentlemen It's Adequate. This is no blues recording but it is adventurous and interesting. The recording opens with While I Still Can, a track that reminds me of early San Francisco rock. This has all of the clues, free flowing jamming, electric guitars and flute. Me Again has a bit of a heavier tone sounding more like what David Gilmore may have sounded like if he had been born in Seattle. Frail Hurricane has a much more of an arena rock sound with a little Billy Idol or David Bowie mixed in and overall is not my favorite, but there is something about this that catches my attention. Forgive me but I find myself singing along... Blow Me... Blow Me... Blow Me Away.
By The Water is a solemn track in the vein of the earliest of King Crimson tracks ... yes I hear the clean Hiwatt guitar sound that could easily be compared to David Gilmore. It's a cool track.
All This Time takes a pop direction maybe toward Chris Isaak. This could easily be the big seller on the recording with its subtle melody and contained vocals.
Wait For The Storm is a quiet folk like track with drums, light guitar and flute, almost reminiscent of early Traffic. Interesting. Invisibletakes a definite hint from some of the earlier Pink Floyd stuff with quiet background and prominent guitar work but in this case more prominent vocal track. Hello is a straight up electronica track. If you like electronica for electronica sake... that means, if you're not going to Jeff Beck it... this is what you get. It's enjoyable and a cool groove. Just So Love You completes a quirky but interesting recording. This track opens with a Steely Dan riff but turns into the simplest of soulful pop tracks.
Overall this is an interesting recording with a little something for everyone." - Bman's Blues Report
"Cross-Genre Song Builders from London - I think the reason I like these guys so much is because when I first listened to "While I Still Can," I was instantly brought back to prog rock haze of the mid-1970s. Don't get me wrong; I say that in a most reverent way. The bluesy vocals, the wailing guitar solos, the crashing percussion, and damn, that seriously rockin' flute (Flautist Kathryn Thomas of the award-winning Galliard Ensemble is to credit here - making it impossible not to elicit sweet Jethro Tull flashbacks)… it's all just so comfortingly familiar. And yet, modern production values and all the musical history and life history since that time influence their sophisticated sound.
HATS OFF GENTLEMEN IT'S ADEQUATE may feel at first like a kind of a Rip Van Winkle story, but they're fully acclimated to the present day.The main inspiration for songs on their recently released record, Invisible, is singer, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Malcolm Galloway's experience of living life with Ehlers-Danlos syndrome. It is a condition that, while not visible from the outside, can cause great distress and anxiety for the sufferer.
Though the lyrics can at times be rather dark and depressing, the music feels defiant and celebratory. In quieter moments, it's very pretty. Though I felt the need to immediately trumpet the unabashed prog rock of this fine band, I must say that they are not strictly beholden to any style. The songs on this debut album also dip into some acoustic Folk ("By the Water," "Wait for the Storm"), Classic Rock ("Can't Let You Go," "Me Again"), Blues ("Just So Love You") and even Electronica ("Hello")." - Julie Stoller, Ryan's Smashing Life
"Guitar work sounding like some of the solo offerings, or even “Wish You Were Here”, from a certain Mr. Gilmour.... with some great guitar work, and mellow under current, and those ever pertinent lyrics... For this reviewer it is music with real heart and meaning. As I mentioned in our other review, I have not seen “Hats Off” live, but I reckon they are unmissable.
If you like your folk rock rather rocky, rather folky, rather acoustic, possibly prog’y, as well as dark, bleak, and 100% heart felt, then they are well worth checking out. Hell, do it anyway!
…also loving the cover art; The Queen’s Scarecrow, (c) Kinga Britschgi. To see more of Kinga Britschgi’s stunning art visit –http://kingabrit.deviantart.com/gallery/" - Rock Regeneration
"Is it classic rock? Is it acoustic rock? Well, what it definitely is, is a flute, David Gilmore-esque guitar solos and lyrics reminiscent of War Of The Worlds weepy track 'Forever Autumn'. Oh and a downbeat vocal like a depressed Cat Stevens. Right, if you are still reading this and haven't ran for the alternative hills yet, then, well done and DON'T. Sit back, click on the video below, relax and surprise yourself at the fact that this combination works quite nicely indeed... So, there you go, classic rock? acoustic rock? Who cares when it's good music for a good cause.GO BUY IT." Ffion Davies, Alt-Sounds