Riven is Nick Harper's 9th studio album. A double LP set, presented on White and black 180g vinyl, It's a typically eclectic mix of songs and styles, but with a light and a dark side, split down the middle by the title track. So, up front we have 6 minute songs like 'Juicy Fruit Girl' - a staccato paean to late 20th century popular culture with a witty look at things like Postman's Knock, along with 'Love Is Due' a rambling acoustic love story set around baggage in airports and beyond, to lighter tunes like 'Sunshine' inspired by the birth of Harper's son and that round shiny thing recently a feature in the sky in the UK. On the darker side Harper lurches into a visceral strident attack on the gutter press in 'Plague of Toads' and swings a cynical folky kick in the nuts to weathervane politicians in 'The Incredible Melting Man'. In essence it is the work of an artist devoid of compromise and led by artistic whims rather than commercial dictates. With Tchad Blake producing (Tom Waits, Peter Gabriel, Crowded House, etc.) and Jeremy Stacey on drums (Noel Gallagher, Waterboys, Sheryl Crow etc.) and guest appearances from Jon Leveller (Levellers); Jakko Jakszyk (King Crimson, Level 42) Lily Harper (Roy's grand-daughter), the legendary invisible Aussie rock singer Dave Graney and vocal arrangements by composer Ben Jones Riven has a rich, lush sound throughout, but never loses focus on Nick's trademark soaring vocals and blistering (mainly acoustic) guitar work.

"Essentially Lies! Lies! Lies! is a comment on the state of the western world, from the manipulation of the masses for political gain, the rise and increasing normalisation of right wing attitudes, to religion, globalisation and everything in between. Lyrically and poetically he just says what many of us think, though the likes of Big Tony who drinks in The George and Dragon may well find himself seething into his pint of John Smiths!

Nick has always had the ability to capture a massive sound with just an acoustic guitar, loaded with rock intensity, folk infectiousness, jazz creativity and classical dexterity, well now he has a band to push that into even wider sonic realms. It's a triumph of an album, musically exploratory, lyrically direct and the perfect musical product for our times."

~ Dancing About Architecture.