Pattern-Seeking Animals – Grimalkin

Pattern-Seeking Animals released their first self-titled album in 2019. On the 21^{st of} August 2026 they will release their sixth album “Grimalkin”. Let that sink in! Is there a more prolific band in the prog world? This the third album of theirs that I have reviewed and that’s a mini record in itself.

The word Grimalkin first appeared in 16^th-century English as a variation of ‘graymalkin’ meaning ‘gray cat’. It also appeared in Shakespeare’s Macbeth as one of the witches’ familiars. It will forever be known as a cat companion with magical and supernatural associations.

The band’s personnel remain the same; Ted, John, Dave and Jimmy. As the saying goes, if it ain’t broke don’t fix it, but that doesn’t mean you can’t evolve. This album has some new musical directions and sounds plus some different instrumentation. Quite what the latter means precisely is unclear.

The first track on the album was chosen for the first single from the album. ‘Maybe All a Dream’ is also the longest track of the eight at just under nine minutes. After an intro of the movie soundtrack style that John Boegehold loves to write we hear some of those new sounds. This leads into a long, dreamy, slightly familiar sounding number. That’s probably mainly down to Ted Leonard’s vocals, which are instantly recognisable.

The journey through ‘A Flower Yet to Grow’ sees many changes in pace and mood. The lyrics seem to be about a close relationship cut short, possibly by tragedy. Five minutes in, there is a great keyboard and guitar section from John and Ted.

The inclusion of brass and strings somehow make ‘Jade Sky’ both upbeat and conversely laid back. The steady rhythm laid down by Dave Meros and Jimmy Keegan adds to that feeling. I get the feeling that the subject matter in some of these songs is darker than the music suggests.

The shortest song on this album is the one that surprised me the most. Entitled ‘Things I Don’t Do’, it is a heartbreaking ballad. The line “But things I don’t do, still remind me of you” should be enough of a clue of what to expect. Tissues at the ready for this one if you’re the emotional type. It’s just Ted, a piano and some soft backing harmonies.

The much more grandiose ‘Break Away’ will cheer you up. This lengthy, proggy pick me up is one of the stand-out tracks for me. It’s powerful, catchy, quirky, varied and a great start to the second half of the album.

Another single release was ‘Traveler on the Wrong Road Home’. The parts which have trumpet in them, invoke a South American jazzy, festival feel.  To counter this a softening violin section slows things down providing a break from the livelier infectious rhythms. There are no prizes for guessing what this song is about.

The lyrics for ‘Slowly Falls the Flying Man’ are a little mysterious, but I’ve always been partial to a bit a mystique. The line “Slowly falls the flying man who flew too near the sun” suggests the tale of Icarus from Greek mythology. It’s another long meandering song in typical prog rock style. Which is just how I like it.

As the last song, ‘I Dream the World’ arrives I still haven’t worked out why the album is called “Grimalkin”. It matters not because the album is enjoyable regardless. There’s no big finale, just a straight forward ballad to ease you out. It’s a pleasant end to another delightful multifarious collection of songs from the guys of P-SA.

I wonder if they can keep this work rate up, six albums in practically as many years is some going. The challenge is keeping them diverse and interesting, which so far, they have. All aboard the Pattern-Seeking Animals express, next stop in about a year?

Track listing:

1. Maybe All A Dream
2. A Flower Yet to Grow
3. Jade Sky
4. Thing I Don’t Do
5. Break Away
6. Traveler On the Wrong Road Home
7. Slowly Falls the Flying Man
8. I Dream the World