The band was formed in 1997 by guitarist and vocalist Bryan Josh and has undergone a great many lineup changes over the band's history, too many to list in full. The earliest lineup of the band featured Heidi Widdop on lead vocals, but by the time they recorded their debut album For All We Shared in 1998 for Cyclops Records she had been replaced by Heather Findlay. The album features an eight-piece band including Iain Jennings on keyboards, Liam Davidson on rhythm and slide guitars, and Bob Faulds on violin. Angela Gordon appears as a guest musician, although she was subsequently to to join the band as a full-time member. Two further albums followed on Cyclops, The Spirit of Autumn Past (1999) and The Last Bright Light (2001). By the time of latter Bob Faulds had left the band, but they had been joined by current bassist Andy Smith. These early albums had a strong folk-rock and celtic rock flavour, with instrumental jigs sitting alongside atmospheric epics influenced strongly by the likes of Pink Floyd. The third album in particular remains a favourite with many fans, and recent live sets still drawn heavily from it.
The band then signed to Classic Rock Legends. The first release for this label, the largely instrumental Music Inspired by Lord of the Rings (2001) was not generally considered to their proper fourth album, that honour falling to Passengers (2003). This album marked a change in direction, to a polished melodic rock sound with the celtic and folk-rock elements much reduced, a direction continued with the follow-up Storms Over Still Water. They also released a number of live albums during this period, as well as the retrospective album Catch the Spirit, made up of re-recorded songs largely from from the three Cyclops albums.
2006 saw the band leave Classic Rock Legends to self-release albums funded by fan pre-orders, a business model pioneered by Marillion, and also saw the departure of founder member and significant songwriter Iain Jennings to focus on Breathing Space, to be replaced by multi-instumentalist Chris Johnson. Their first self-released album Heart Full of Sky was an eclectic mix of musical styles, and received a mixed reception from some fans. Conflicting commitments with other bands and a desire to work on a solo project (which ultimately became Parade) saw Chris Johnson leave at the end of 2007. 2008's Glass Shadows saw the band reduced to a core creative duo of Bryan and Heather, and the following tour saw another major shakeup of the lineup, seeing the departure of Angela Gordon, replaced on flute and keyboards by Anne-Marie Helder, and the return of Iain Jennings and Liam Davidson (who's left a year earlier). although neither Iain or Liam had played on the album.
2009 saw the band's first live release since leaving CRP, with the two disks Live 2009 - Part I and Live 2009 - Part II, and also saw the remastered 3-disk retrospective Pass the Clock.
At the beginning of 2010 Heather Findlay announced her departure from the band to pursue a solo career. Her final live performance with the band on 2nd April 2010 was filmed for a DVD release, released as "That Night In Leamington".
Heather's replacement is Olivia Sparnenn, who had sung backing vocals with the band since 2005 as well as fronting Breathing Space, and the band made their first live appearance with Olivia singing lead in April 2010. Their ninth studio album titled "Go Well Diamond Heart" featuring Olivia on lead vocals, again funded by fan pre-order, was released in November 2010.
In 2011 the band released another live album, Still Beautiful recorded on the spring tour. The band's tenth studio album The Ghost Moon Orchestra, is due for release in summer 2012.
Current lineup:
Bryan Josh - Lead/Backing Vocals; Lead/Rhythm/Acoustic/12 String Guitars; Keyboards; Piano
Olivia Sparnenn – Lead and backing vocals, percussion, guitar
Angela Gordon (Goldthorpe) - Flute; Keyboards; Piano; High/Low Whistles; Recorders; Backing Vocals
Iain Jennings - Keyboards; Piano; Backing Vocals
Andy Smith - Bass Guitars
Gavin Griffiths - Drums
Past Members:
Heather Findlay - Lead/Backing Vocals; Acoustic/12 String Guitars; Piano; Recorders; Percussion (left April 2010)
Liam Davison - Rhythm/Acoustic/12 String Guitars; Slide Guitars; Backing Vocals
Anne-Marie Helder - Flute; Keyboards; Piano; Acoutic Guitars; Backing Vocals
Chris Johnson - Lead/Backing Vocals; Keyboards; Piano; Rhythm/Acoustic Guitars
Stuart Carver - Bass Guitars
Bob Faulds - Violins
Kev Gibbons - High/Low Whistles
Allan Scott - Drums
Rob McNeil - Drums
Jonathon Blackmore - Drums
Andrew Jennings - Drums
Henry Bourne - Drums
Heidi Widdop - Lead Vocals
Guests:
Ben Matthews (of Thunder) - Lead and rhythm guitar
Troy Donockley - Low whistles, Penny Whistles, Uilleann pipes, Bazouki
Rachel Jones - Vocal, backing vocals
Chris Leslie - Violin
Marcus Bousefield - Violin
Marissa Claughan - Cello
Peter Knight - Violin
David Moore - Hammond Organ
Broken Glass
Mostly Autumn Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Foreign footsteps crashing down
On everything I should have been
Lord how will it end?
The ways the ins the outs
A bright light shining from a child
If the rain goes up or down
Anymore
I left my dreams in broken glass
The foreign scent of loneliness
Silent sorrow now
I'm running just as hard as I can
Giving everything I have
Everything that's left inside
Until the end
I try to fall in love
The wind just blows my heart
From side to side
And I'm falling in
I can see no way out
Nobody can reach me now
I can't tell
If the sun goes up or down
Anymore
I left my dreams in broken glass
The foreign scent of loneliness
Silent sorrow now
I'm running just as hard as I can
Giving everything I have
Everything that's left inside
I left my dreams in broken glass
The foreign scent of loneliness
No more sorrow now
I'm running but I just can't reach them
All the loneliness
The only thing that's left inside
In the first verse of Mostly Autumn's "Broken Glass", the singer is feeling overwhelmed and defeated as they hear "foreign footsteps crashing down" on everything they could have been. It seems like the singer is struggling with their identity and their sense of purpose, and feeling like they are falling short. They wonder how it will all end, and imagine a light shining from a child, perhaps representing hope or innocence that feels distant from them.
The second verse suggests the singer is experiencing upheaval in their emotions and perceptions of the world around them. They can't even tell which way the rain falls anymore. They then confess that they have "left [their] dreams in broken glass," which could represent shattered hopes or past failures. The scent of loneliness is foreign to them, which could indicate that they are not used to processing this feeling. Despite this, they are running "just as hard as [they] can," giving everything they have left inside themselves.
In the bridge, the singer admits to struggling with love and feeling swept up by the wind. They say that they are falling in, but it seems like they are unsure of what they are falling into. They see no way out and feel unreachable by others. In the final chorus, the singer repeats that they have left their dreams in broken glass and the scent of loneliness pervades. However, this time it seems that they have found a way to move beyond it, as they state that there is "no more sorrow now." They are still running but can't quite reach what they are striving for. The last line, "The only thing that's left inside," could suggest that despite all the challenges and hardships, the singer is finding a sense of perseverance and strength within themselves.
Line by Line Meaning
Until the end
Despite everything, I will persist until the very end
Foreign footsteps crashing down
Unknown forces are disrupting my life and causing chaos
On everything I should have been
The disruptions are hindering me from becoming the person I was meant to be
Lord how will it end?
I am afraid of how my struggles will conclude
The ways the ins the outs
The twists and turns of life, both internal and external
A bright light shining from a child
The purity and hope of youth shines through the darkness
I can't tell
I have lost my sense of direction and cannot distinguish between up and down
If the rain goes up or down
I am disoriented and unable to make sense of my surroundings
Anymore
This confusion and despair is ongoing
I left my dreams in broken glass
My aspirations have been shattered and I am left with broken fragments
The foreign scent of loneliness
My isolation and despair permeate my existence
Silent sorrow now
I suffer quietly with my pain and despair
I'm running just as hard as I can
I am pushing myself to the limit in hopes of overcoming my struggles
Giving everything I have
I am putting my all into my efforts to succeed
Everything that's left inside
I am drawing on my inner strength to persevere
I try to fall in love
I seek connection and love amidst my struggles
The wind just blows my heart
My emotions are unpredictable and volatile
From side to side
My emotions and desires are constantly shifting
And I'm falling in
I am giving in to my desires and emotions, despite the chaos they cause
I can see no way out
I am trapped and unable to see a way to escape my struggles
Nobody can reach me now
I am isolated and alone in my struggles, with no help in sight
No more sorrow now
I am shedding my pain and despair in hopes of moving forward
I'm running but I just can't reach them
I am striving to attain my dreams, but they remain out of reach
All the loneliness
My isolation and despair are all-consuming
The only thing that's left inside
Despite my struggles, I still have my inner strength and resilience
Contributed by Sebastian G. Suggest a correction in the comments below.