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I bought this expecting a much better effort. I realize
I stand in defiance of the majority of reviews of this CD,
but it seems most reviewers prefer to shine sunbeams on everything
they review rather than be truly balanced and critical in
their approach to reviewing. ***
Having said that, I must say that the redeeming qualities
of this CD rest in some of the improvisations. Lyric in structure
and vast in length, the improvs on this effort are breathtaking.
The liner note states: "The main album is, kind of, a double
LP on one single CD. The Tangent recommend you take a break."
***
Those words should now apply to this band as well. It
may be time for the group to take a break and refocus. The
Tangent showed themselves as a group with such incredible
musicianship and varied influences in their first two CD's.
That could be what ails the band right now. With two such
tour-de-forces opening the career of this supergroup, the
third album has proven to be a challenge to match previous
efforts. ***
In this case, the results on this CD are less than admirable.
The long, ponderous solos do not make up for this atrocity
that has foisted itself on the prog scene. This is a CD posing
as prog much like a Kenny G CD poses as jazz. ***
This critique does not base itself on the absence of Roine
Stolt or Zoltan Czorcz, but on the sheer ho-hum-ness of the
compositions. Every song seems to want to drift into a Grateful-Dead-like
space jam, an attempt by Andy Tillison to be the "frontman"
of this otherwise talented group of musicians. If this is
the sound that the band will adopt, then The Tangent members
best give up now and redeem their individual careers in their
respective projects and solo careers. Theo Davis should leave
this group before it affects his standing as one of England's
best jazz saxophonists. Substance is everything in modern
jazz, and the Tangent's third CD fails to deliver. ***
Clocking in at 20 minutes, the opening cut wears down
the listener with off-structured noodling unworthy of the
Tangent heritage. It tests your patience with layers of filler.
***
The background vocals in the opening cut: these are direct
rip-offs of choral arrangements first developed by the likes
of Steve Babb and Fred Schendel of Glass Hammer. Earlier bands
in prog and neo-prog also demonstrate much better ability
when it comes to choral passages. The miniscule time that
Andy "allows" Sam Baine to sing relegates her to being a Tanget-ette.
If you love good choral enhancement, I would highly recommend
Shadowlands or The Inconsolable Secret by Glass Hammer instead
of this farce. ***
The track "The Sun In My Eyes" is disco. Absolutely putrid.
If you like prog, I would say that this cut will make you
run and "drive the big white bus." What is Andy Tillison and
the band thinking with this cut?!? I guess angering and testing
the patience of your established audience is "taking risks"
in prog today. While I agree that there are no rules in prog,
some vestige of musical integrity should exist. You wouldn't
want Lawrence Welk attempting ska, even though there are similarities
in the instruments of a ska band and the Welk orchestra. Likewise,
even though Earth Wind and Fire used synthesizers, disco does
not belong in prog. ***
The lyrics are overtly pedestrian for such an attempt
at progressive music. While the political scene today can
certainly serve as fodder, Tillison's lyrics sound like they
stem from Sociology 101 as taught by some pseudo-anthropologist
and neo-Marxist(No, Cro-Magnon man did not wipe out Neanderthal
because Neanderthal was a vegan farmer and Cro-Magnon was
a nomadic carnivore). I don't personally care what Tillison's
political affectations are, I just wish he would write about
them in a more poetic way. ***
Take this excerpt:
"We're all Yorkshire kids in London when it comes to being
heard/We give our all but no-one hears or notices one word/And
though a million voices tell us not to go and take Iraq/We
still went in, and we haven't come back." These lines are
not only provincial, they "crack the flow" of the song. ***
Let alone that Britain has not "taken Iraq," this is just
flat-footed doggerel. What happened to the transcendent lyrics
found on The World We Drive Through? ***
From The World We Drive Through: "And I think it's strange,
it seems so real/Strange, the way I feel I know that/Strange,
the more we grow, the more our minds will close/So we miss
much of what we were always searching." Now, those are great
lyrics! ***
Some of the keyboard licks are simply reminiscent of a
John Sousa march (check out the lame phrasing in "Follow Your
Leaders") or a Yanni CD. At other times, Tillison sounds like
a refugee from Rufus or The Spinners. ***
The artwork: Ed Unitsky's artwork is stunning and definitively
Roger Dean-esque. Well executed and inspired, the album art
is transcendent. For the original stuff that started all the
surreal prog album art, buy a 1970's-period Yes album. ***
The redeeming quality: You can identify portions of the
songs that remind you of the great prog bands of the past
and of the new work today. The liner notes claim that the
band is carrying forth the tradition of earlier groups. This
is true. Unfortunately, the Tangent's product is half as good.
Again...why not stick with the better bands? ***
Guy Manning's contribution here pales in comparison to
his last release, "One Small Step...". That CD is well worth
the buy. ***
If you're a die-hard fan of The Tangent's earlier efforts,
you are in for a great disappointment. Tillison and co. have
abandoned the chemistry that made the original band great.
Of course that chemistry is unavailable on this disc due to
a lineup change. ***
Roine Stolt has recently stated that he left The Tangent
because he felt that he needed to move forward and focus on
The Flower Kings. It seems that many artists expect him to
play that quintessential "Stolt" prog guitar. He relinquished
his role in the Tangent and Kaipa, his first group, most likely
to avoid a rut musically. If you liked Ropine's contribution
in the first two CD's by the Tangent, caveat on this CD. ***
Overall, the CD is a pleasant listen, but far from the
noble beginnings of this group. Many redeeming qualities,
but not your best choice in prog this year.
***Grade: C
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