Prehensile Tales by Pattern-Seeking Animals

Prehensile Tales by Pattern-Seeking Animals,  2020

A top-notch progressive rock album, very melodic with great compositions even where the progressive is not particularly complex, and with plenty of virtuosity that these musicians master so well. The rhythm section is simply fantastic, both in taste and technique.

The violin, flute, trumpet, cello, saxophone, and pedal steel are beautiful, enriching an already remarkable sound with new nuances and styles.

It's only six tracks, with a running time of about 55 minutes, and contains three songs lasting 8, 17, and 12 minutes.

As I mentioned in other posts, Pattern-Seeking Animals is a supergroup composed of Ted Leonard, Dave Meros, and Jimmy Keegan, all former members of Spock's Beard, along with John Boegehold (who also collaborated with them).

The band's name is beautifully translated as "Pattern-Seeking Animals," and the album title is beautifully translated as "Friend of All Creatures." The title comes from a verse in the Bhagavad Gita, a Hindu scripture over 2,000 years old, appearing in Chapter 5, Verse 29, at the end of a song about purifying the mind.

We've been talking about Pattern-Seeking Animals since the release of their most recent album,  Friend of All Creatures, which I consider one of the best of 2025, and we've gone back to this, their second, beautiful album.

- Raining Hard in Heaven is a typically progressive song, with great power in the eight-plus minutes that opens the album, one of the album's best tracks, featuring a remarkable balance between all the instruments.

The next three tracks are less progressive, though still beautiful.

- Here in My Autumn, with its instrumental parts and composition.

- Elegant Vampires stands out with its spectacular groove and beautiful, very captivating vocals.

- "Why Don't We Run" with a Mediterranean sound, an almost '80s pop song.

The more complex prog returns with the final two tracks.
- "Lifeboat," over 17 minutes of grandiose and emotional sound, truly spectacular.

- "Soon But Not Today," 12 minutes based on incredible composition and performance, spectacular tempo changes, perfect.

The first and last two tracks would make this a masterpiece for me, as I prefer the complexity of progressive rock. The three middle tracks make it excellent, but I think many who prefer less complex rock will enjoy it.

Overall, it's a beautiful album that I definitely recommend, but I have to say that I love all of Pattern-Seeking Animals' albums.

The Tracks
1. Raining Hard in Heaven (8:31)
2. Here in My Autumn (7:57)
3. Elegant Vampires (4:29)
4. Why Don't We Run (5:09)
5. Lifeboat (5.20pm) :
- i. Nearer Now to Heaven
- ii. FitfulDreams
- iii. Dull the Sword of Damocles
- iv. Never More Than Human
- see What Happens When You Die
6. Soon but Not Today (12:03)
Duration 55:29

Line-Up
- Ted Leonard - lead vocals, guitar
- John Boegehold - keyboards
- Dave Meros - bass
- Jimmy Keegan - drums, vocals