I can’t say that I am familiar with the music of Steve Garrett but that is no surprise given that the distance between the modern music scene and good old fashioned virtuosity has never been greater. Steve Garrett is clearly a musician dedicated to virtuosity with his album “Discover and Endure” effectively demonstrating that very fact whilst simultaneously presenting him as a man with just an electric guitar in an instrumental mood.
The compositions on this album were apparently inspired by stories of human endurance and, duly, there are no three minute pop songs here. Instead, the songs are extended and casually paced and seem to be a collection of extemporisations and improvisations gathered within a melodic structure designed to evoke mood rather than memory.
I have no doubt that many people below a certain age will regard “Discover and Endure” as being well named but I am equally certain that is not the audience that Steve Garrett is aiming for.
More mature ears may well find this album more to their liking.
Best song? “Midwinter Gathering”.
The verdict? A soundtrack for a documentary as yet unwritten.