THE BRINGERS OF CHANGE – EYE OF THE STORM (Falling A Records) (2025)

I said of Mark Dunn’s 2023 album there was an 80s feel, and a more personal touch of the ‘New Romantics’ as well as some Afrobeat and that what I really loved about “The View from the Cheap Seats” is how Mark delivers some serious and personal music so entertainingly, and the deep, philosophical and spiritual convictions at its roots.

Mark Dunn has released another intriguing genre defying album. ‘Head Over Heels’ is romantic pop while ‘Hey Mariana!/ ‘A Terrible Thing’ is on the baroque/ avant garde spectrum. ‘Eye of the Storm’ is a strong opener with guest pianist Yasuko Fukuoka is described by Mark as “neo folk melancholy.” ‘Table for Two’ is in similar vein with added cornet, flugelhorn, trumpet and euphonium. The fate of humankind is never far from Mark’s radar e.g. ‘Pale Blue Dot’ and ‘A Terrible Thing’ is a musical play featuring the voices of Penny Rimbaud and Gee Vaucher; it concerns Oppenheimer and the atomic bomb. Maxine Marten provides backing vocals on ‘Blue and the Flying Boy’. Finally, the singer (every word can be discerned) backed by Guitarist John Simms decides it’s time to go back to ‘The North Country’ from whence Mark originates (County Durham) where many moons ago he was the bass player in progressive punk band Neon (with Tim Jones). Mark’s producer is Mel Jefferson who has worked with Björk and Jah Wobble.

While it should be noted that five of these tracks have appeared on previous Bringers of Change releases (Now remixed) “Eye of the Storm” is well produced and performed and captures and holds the listener’s interest from its start to its conclusion