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It takes a lot of guts to call your
band The Tangent particularly in the competitive world of
prog music. Combining elements of the Ian McDonald era King
Crimson with the introspective lyrics of Peter Hammill and
the vocals of Al Stewart and Greg Lake the Tangent continues
to plough new ground with a series of breathtaking compositions
on its new album “A Place in the Queue”. The album opens with
the gentle lyricism of “In Earnest” which slowly weaves its
spell pulling te listener in gently vs. knocking them out
and dragging them in. While it isn’t their best album it certainly
is their most consistent and unified. That probably has as
much to do with the fact that Guy Manning was involved from
day one in the recording of the album vs. coming in a bit
late to the game to contribute.
“The Sun Gets in My Eyes” with
its tongue in cheek tip of the hat to disco might be most
fans cup of tea, it’s surprisingly catchy. Clocking in under
three minutes it’s actually a perfect example of a single
from the year 1975. The CD runs around 79 minutes. While many
bands have gotten away from filling up a CD for its entire
running time (something that was a lot more common when CDs
were first introduced), the Tangent dives right in with 7
songs that are memorable if not always representing the band
at their best. It’s clear with some of the personnel changes
that this is a transitional album but one worth listening
to. The special edition of the album comes with an additional
disc of material that didn’t make the album and it’s clear
why—the second disc despite being enjoyable is far less focused
and not as clearly thought out.
While length doesn’t necessarily
insure quality (in fact it’s usually the opposite with most
songs with the material paying off less and less the longer
the song runs beyond the 5 minute mark), the title track of
their new album is an exception to the rule. With the jazzy
drumming of Jaime Salazar which recalls Michael Giles in his
glory day and a memorable series of melodies that intersect
creating a smoothly flowing track “A Place in the Queue” manages
embody the best elements on the album in one distinctive and
memorable track. The lyrics are more than a cut above most
prog rock bands blending the usual themes plus a biting wit
and sarcasm that’s arely as successful as it is here.
What’s surprising to me, though,
is how combing the core members from two popular prog bands
like Parallel and 90 Degrees manages to create something more
distinctive and memorable than either of the other band’s
efforts. Flower King Roine Stolt is no where to be found on
the new album so it’s left up to Tangent leader Andy Tillison
to carry the bulk of the creative weight in the band. That
will disappoint fans of Stolt and the Flower Kings as his
distinct vocals and guitar playing were an integral part of
the band’s earlier albums.
While the band has changed the
song remains the same since Tillison is still guiding the
ship. The songwriting continues to be top notch and this amended
line up certainly makes a worthwhile contribution with a fine
album. What’s best about this album isn’t necessarily what’s
on it as much as what it hints at for the future of this terrific
prog rock band.
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