Reviews:
| Kyle Allbright | 12-July-2009 | Not As Good As the Book |
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The Tangent employ a Flower Kings approach to executing a unique form of eclectic progressive rock that moves in an out of more traditional forms of symphonic rock combined with Gong-like space riffing and the deconstructive tendencies of Van Der Graaf Generator dissonance. Yet, this album is much more than that, as it seems these guys will stop at nothing to try something new in their music. The only problem with this is that it is sometimes difficult to locate any sense of real identity within this album; in other words, they are truly ‘the tangent’ in creating a collage of sorts. They implement a number of styles from the past that we are familiar with, and they rarely let up on the energy level. They are faster and more dynamic than most symphonic bands, but their music suffers in that it’s difficult to captivate a listener, and the do not reach the emotional heights encountered in forms of more traditional symphonic rock. Yet, they are hypnotizing in a way that demands attention. Regardless of their dynamic approach, they are able to maintain melody, and provide fluid transitions between seemingly incompatible passages. Each passage can be traced back to its inspiration, but I have heard very few bands that are able to interlace all these components in such a remarkable fashion. It took me some time to wrap my head around this album, and I had the same problems with their previous effort A Place In The Queue. Eventually, I grew to like both albums. A Crises In Mid-Life and Lost In London 25 Years Later are both examples of the eclectic symphonic style infused with Gong-like space jamming that I mentioned earlier. The Ethernet reminds me of early Genesis in a more “ballad-esque” mood; this song would probably feel at home on most of The Flower Kings albums as well. It’s a melodic song with a great chorus, but not as obviously complicated as most of their songs. Celebrity Puree is an instrumental track with many space rock elements coming to head with VDGG-like execution. This song segues into the next track Not As Good As The Book, which is a catchy song that reminds me of Lamb-era Genesis. Towards the end of the song we are treated to another VDGG-like doom-laden moment. What’s interesting is that the guitar does most of the work at pulling this off, and this is ironic because VDGG rarely used guitar. Towards the end of the song they segue into a nice acoustic guitar riff that makes me wonder how they can change the mood so drastically without making their songs feel awkward. A Sale of Two Souls is the most obvious VDGG inspired song on the album. Although Tillison’s voice does not sound like Peter Hammill, he provides an adequate execution of that vocal style. The saxophone also brings up early VDGG comparisons, circle-Least We Can Do or H to He. Bat Out of Basildon is a nice closer to the first disk. It starts out a little darker than most songs, but picks up steam. It’s really a positive song dealing with personal freedom, and it’s very uplifting, but not very progressive. In the end, it’s not a track I can take seriously without laughing out loud. The second disc contains two lengthy pieces that are as good, if not better, than the first disc. Four Egos, One War is what we’d expect from a lengthy symphonic suite. It’s another dynamic song with changing stylistic passages containing softer acoustic-driven riffs interlaced with harder rocking space and symphonic textures. It’s a great progressive song with some highly charged politicized lyrics. The Full Gamut is a perfect closer for this two-disc album. This may strike most progressive listeners as the best track on the album. It’s all here, from a VDGG and Genesis-like opening, to the incredible woody bass playing of Jonas Reingold. The combination of Jonas Reingold and Andy Tillison seems perfect for executing an eclectic and pastoral combination that is very reminiscent of the interplay between Michael Rutherford and Tony Banks circa-Selling Genesis. There are not any bad moments on this album. It’s solid. Yet, it doesn’t captivate my interest enough to take it to the upper echelon of experimental rock albums. It’s highly enjoyable, but not a personal favorite. However, any fan of the more eclectic experimentations of progressive music that enjoy a fusion of retrospective symphonic styles with certainly find a lot to love here. All the musicians in this band are top notch, as is the compositional prowess of Andy Tillison. If you ever wanted to know what would happen if you combined the sounds of Genesis, Gong, and Van Der Graaf Generator atop a sensibility of The Flower Kings, this is a band, and an album, that you will want to try. As a concept album, it holds up better than most, with very little deadweight, and very little filler. There is nothing boring about this album, but please give it the attention it deserves. Highly recommended!
Andy Tillison Diskdrive / keyboards, vocals | ||
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