"This is the difficult third album with which they overshoot the mark and risk to escape their roots? but they don?t care". Andy Tillison, singer, songwriter, and keyboardist of the Swedish-British prog rock group The Tang... more »ent pulls his own leg and at the same time kiddingly prepares the gentle listener for a few changes. However, the innovations A Place In The Queue can offer, one and a half year after the brilliant The World That We Drive Through, will send every fan into raptures. A Place In The Queue is not really a concept album but all songs deal with the idea that our place in society is similar to a queue where everybody lines up. "We follow the person before us, we follow trends and religions, we act following the advertisements we see", explains Tillison. The music of The Tangent is, of course, a fresh, varied and melodic progressive rock combining tradition, innovation, construction and improvisation. And, most of all, enthusiasm for playing and approachability in an individual style ? and this is the true opposite of conformism. This Special edition comes housed in deluxe digipak format with a bonus disc containing an additional seven tracks recorded with the Queue sessions.« less
"This is the difficult third album with which they overshoot the mark and risk to escape their roots? but they don?t care". Andy Tillison, singer, songwriter, and keyboardist of the Swedish-British prog rock group The Tangent pulls his own leg and at the same time kiddingly prepares the gentle listener for a few changes. However, the innovations A Place In The Queue can offer, one and a half year after the brilliant The World That We Drive Through, will send every fan into raptures. A Place In The Queue is not really a concept album but all songs deal with the idea that our place in society is similar to a queue where everybody lines up. "We follow the person before us, we follow trends and religions, we act following the advertisements we see", explains Tillison. The music of The Tangent is, of course, a fresh, varied and melodic progressive rock combining tradition, innovation, construction and improvisation. And, most of all, enthusiasm for playing and approachability in an individual style ? and this is the true opposite of conformism. This Special edition comes housed in deluxe digipak format with a bonus disc containing an additional seven tracks recorded with the Queue sessions.
CD Reviews
Perhaps a tad too ambitious, but still plenty to love about
Squire Jaco | Buffalo, NY USA | 02/07/2006
(4 out of 5 stars)
"Tangent leader Andy Tillison buttered me right up before I even played a note of this cd. In his sleeve notes he starts waxing nostalgic about Yes' "Tales From Topographic Oceans", an album that had a profound influence on me as well some thirty years ago. But I fear that he also raises one's expectations about this new cd a bit too much when he implies (despite his explicit denials and sincere attempts to the contrary) that "A Place In The Queue" might eventually sit comfortably alongside the likes of "TFTO", "The Lamb Lies Down", "Pawn Hearts" and other masterpieces in the annals of prog.
With the departure of Roine Stolt, Tillison clearly steps to the forefront of the group on this cd. One gets a much more personal look at Tillison here; I do enjoy his self-deprecating humor and the insights into his musical influences that are conveyed in both the extensive sleeve notes and the lyrics of some of his songs (e.g. "Lost in London"). The tone of his distinctive British voice bears some passing similitudes with Greg Lake (who I never hear anyone complaining about!) and Hatfield/Caravan/Camel's Richard Sinclair at times. And he displays some fine keyboard chops throughout another very good Tangent album.
I view The Tangent as being in the upper echelon of current prog groups, largely because of Tillison's unique vision, his keyboard playing and his distinctive writing style; but also because they have prog's best bass player (Jonas Reingold), an excellent drummer (now Jaime Salazar) and they make interesting use of sax and flute (Theo Travis), especially in the jazzier sequences.
Yes, the guitars are good here too, but there are literally thousands of "good" guitarists out there. Let's be honest here, folks - you really can't replace Stolt's guitar (just as Yes could never adequately replace Steve Howe). Plus Roine used to carry some of the vocal duties, both lead and harmony. Sorry if you disagree, my friends, but Stolt's signature guitar phrasing and flourishes are regrettably missed on this cd, and one of the reasons that I can't give it a full 5 stars.
The other main reason is the same complaint I have with a few Flower Kings cd's: in the longer songs, they tend to get lost in some of the jamming and go off on too many tangents....oh wait, maybe that's the point....hmmmm. Anyway, I just felt that some of the epics could have been even better if they were a bit shorter and more focused (though I probably should be indulging the symphonic nature of the longer pieces!).
This cd tends to lean more towards jazz and Canterbury than the previous two Tangent cd's, with references to Van Der Graaf Generator ("DIY Surgery"), Hatfield and the North, and some Caravan (perhaps even Traffic at times?). Travis really pulls his weight on this album.
I keep seeing more and more proggers venturing into political territory since September 11th and the subsequent invasion of Iraq - TFK's "The Truth Will Set You Free" and IQ's "Harvest of Souls" come quickly to mind. This album has some of that too. Overall, I like the lyrics (the word "spreadsheet" makes it into a prog epic!), and I really like the keys and drums that drive the Yes-like "GPS Culture" and "Follow Your Leaders".
And don't take "The Sun In My Eyes" too seriously folks. Remember, "nous sommes du soleil" from Yes' TFTO means "we are of the sun". This is clearly a tongue-in-cheek song played in a style that lies in direct opposition to the type of music that we unconventional 1970's prog lovers listened to. (It even clocks in at a radio-friendly 3-1/2 minutes!)
O.K., enough meandering thoughts about this very long and complex album. Perhaps I'm just as guilty about going off on tangents as I accused this cd of being! Rest assured that this is a VERY GOOD cd with a distinctive style within the prog genre....but it's also a slight step back from their previous two albums (in my humble opinion). Not quite worthy of the "masterpiece" label just yet....but this IS The Tangent! (You should still buy it for the frequent moments of prog-induced euphoria.)
I value interesting music that is played and recorded well. This cd's rating was based on:
Music quality = 8.4/10; Performance = 9.5/10; Production = 9/10; CD length = 10/10.
Overall score weighted on my proprietary scale = 8.9 ("4-1/2 stars")
"
Eh
Fluffy Sausage | Tampa | 09/21/2006
(2 out of 5 stars)
"I can keep this relatively short for those of you who don't like to read novel-length reviews. I had VERY high expectations for this album, from listening to "The Music That Died Alone" to hearing all the rave about it on this site. So I was pretty eager to listen to it after it arrived in my mailbox. And what I discovered was GREAT music, and HORRIBLE vocals. I'm sorry- every time Andy, and the others sing I shudder. What a juxtaposition to have excellent music spoiled by horrid vocals. I typically like and can stand singers that get bashed quite a bit (like Geddy and James Labrie) but this? No. Fantastic, rock, jazz, fusion sounds are throughout, but the singing just doesn't cut it. 2 stars."
Absolutely marvellous.....
Robert M Briggs III | Lake City, PA | 01/31/2006
(4 out of 5 stars)
"These guys really take you through the gamut and back again. Most of their songs clock in at anywhere from 10 to 25 minutes, and most of the grooves are so utterly contagious that it defies words.
If you've never heard The Tangent, this is a great place to start, as is their previous release, "The World We Drive Through". Imagine, if you will, such influences as ELP, Yes, Brand X, Booker T and the MG's, Supertramp, and you just scratch the surface of that which is the sound of The Tangent. Both musically and lyrically challenging, you can't help but come away with your lobes and your feet completely infected with their sound, as well as their wit and sarcasm.
The CD opens with the 20-minute long "In Earnest", and is a revved up, funky, quick-paced number with great Hammond organ playing. "GPS Culture" requires no warm-up. It comes out churning and doesn't quit for its 9 minute duration. "Follow Your Leaders" is the most lyrically fascinating of the tracks. Centered on consumerism and self-perception in a society that subtly tells us "we know what's good if you'll follow your leaders!", this is the tour-de-force of the album.
To fans of The Flower Kings and Parallel or 90 Degrees (the two bands - one British, the other Swedish - that the band's members are drawn from), this is "must have" music. Andy Tillison is brilliant on the organ, even if his vocals are not really stand-out. The horns, guitar, and rhythm sections are all top-notch.
Get it........ yesterday. FOLLOW YOUR LEADERS!!!"
More Foxtrot than Topographic?
Gavin Wilson | 06/27/2006
(4 out of 5 stars)
"I came across this group by accident, having followed the link on a reviewer of the 'Refugee' CD on the amazon.co.uk site.
Though I ordered this CD unheard, I have absolutely no regrets about the purchase. It's fantastic to hear a guitarist doing licks and solos in the style of both 1970s Larry Carlton and Allan Holdsworth, as well as a keyboards player who can do Manfred Mann, Dave Stewart, and Thijs Van Leer. That's a lot of the fun in this recording -- spotting each of their influences. (If you go to the band's Web site, the home page shows the covers of the 12 LPs that best define their influences.)
The only downer is the vocalist, who sounds flat to my ear for much of the time. On the opening track, he's quite promising, sounding almost like Phil Collins in his 'Trick of the Tail' days, but it quickly deteriorates on subsequent tracks, with a feeble Richard Sinclair vocal that serves merely to highlight the banality of the lyrics. (The general sound, by the way, is much more early 70s Genesis than Yes.)
But I'm very prepared to forgive the vocal shortcomings, because musically this is otherwise a superb prog album. I just want to know when the next gigs in the south of England are going to happen!"
Good music, bad vocals
Rard13 | Chicago, USA | 12/03/2006
(3 out of 5 stars)
"Sorry, but the singing ruined it for me. This is a problem I have with many of the current generation prog groups. The vocals just don't measure up to Jon Andersen, Greg Lake, John Wetton, Peter Gabriel, Phil Collins & Colin Carter. I keep hoping though."
Track Listings (7) - Disc #1