| Artist: | Pater Hammill |
| Title: | Everyone You Hold |
| Label: | Fie! Fie 9117 |
| Length(s): | 51 minutes |
| Year(s) of release: | 1997 |
| Month of review: | 10/1997 |
| 1) | Everyone You Hold | 5.59 |
| 2) | Personality | 6.04 |
| 3) | Nothing Comes | 3.56 |
| 4) | From The Safe House | 6.13 |
| 5) | Phosphorescence | 5.12 |
| 6) | Falling Open | 6.14 |
| 7) | Bubble | 6.30 |
| 8) | Can Do | 6.49 |
| 9) | Tenderness | 4.51 |
Personality is like the previous one, but has a bluesy atmosphere with rather unexpected tempo changes. The melancholic Nothing Comes contains violin and better yet a good vocal melody that reminds me strongly of Just Good Friends.
From The Safe House has a delicate melody with echo soundings in between. I would like to know what Hammill means with "send in clear". The song isn't very uplifting and sounds rather depressing, or thoughtful is maybe a better word.
On Phosphorescence the soundscapes return in full and the two daughters of PH figure as soprano's. The song has some nice touches and is as most on this album very quiet and peaceful. Still, on the whole I find the music a little too sweet and melodious.
Falling Open is a soundscape track with vocals in which nothing much happens, but the follow up Bubble is different. Huigh Banton plays the organ here, in a stately fashion, but this is the track of the album that is not only in the Fireships vein, but that also contains hints of the rich past of the artist. Especially the intermezzo is nice with organ and contrasting with that a soaring guitar.
Can Do is a lyrically optimistic (rare with Hammill) track that one should never complain that one "cannot do something" until you've tried. The track contains quite a lot of noisy, distorted guitar and I have to admit not liking it very much. The closer Tenderness is a sweet one and some people will find it a little too much for their tastes. In sweetness it is comparable to Gaia of Fireships (although I like Gaia much better). We close with the way we started: soundscapes.