Year : 2015
Style : Progressive Rock
Country : United Kingdom
Audio : 320 kbps + all scans
Size : 128 mb
Bio:
THE TANGENT is a project originally formed by Andy Tillison, Guy Manning and Sam Baine of PARALLEL OR 90 DEGREES [Po90] as well as half of THE FLOWER KINGS including Jonas Reingold, Zoltan Csorsz and guitar virtuoso and former KAIPA member Roine Stolt. Of course to put further icing on the cake David Jackson of VAN DER GRAFF GENERATOR would lend his legendary sax to the band for their debut album. This started out as a mere project and was actually intended to be a Tillison solo effort before it became a full fledged band as Tillison felt the need to produce something more typically 'prog' than he'd been doing in Po90. Of course it has to be noted that this really is Andy Tillison's affair since over the years the entire roster (spare Tillison and Manning) has been changed due to many different circumstances, which has really not affected the supergroup as many would expect. Often asked about his changing line up, Tillison responds by saying that it's all part of a prog band's life and fans of the genre know all about line-up changes by now. THE TANGENT is quite a dynamic band in terms of line up even now as they recruit several members of BEARDFISH onto their team, having been impressed by them on the "Not As Good As The Book" tour. This does make for a very dynamic sound which leaves the band with a fresh angle for each album. Often touted as a 'retro' band thanks to their old school sound, the band does have a very 'classic' prog feel to them with Tillison's prominent synths. THE TANGENT has often been compared to YES and KING CRIMSON in style because of the mixture of Light and Dark with Stolt and Tillison (respectively) at the helm of the project. Highly melodic and very inclined to write sprawling epics THE TANGENT should satisfy the tastes of any prog listener who wants to go back to the roots of the genre while maintaining a contemporary message and feel.Their music is often cynical as Tillison has often been seen as 'the dark horse' of the modern progressive scene, his lyrics often poking fun at modern music and tendencies as shown in every one of their albums, but especially "The Music That Died Alone" and their newest effort to date, "Not As Good As The Book", which is a largely sarcastic and cynical look at the world that turned out to be not as good as we thought it would be. heir second effort, "The World That We Drive Through" continued the band's approach as on their first one but without the help of David Jackson on the sax. The first two albums can easily be seen to work in connection with each other even in naming conventions and the similar, striking artwork that graces both albums. If there's one thing that the second album did that really made it different from the first was establish that this was more than just a mere project, making cohesive suits (as opposed to split) and even changing their sound slightly (this one often seen as more jazz oriented) while keeping the general tone of the debut. "A Place In The Queue" remains a modern prog essential and proved that Tillison would be able to continue the band without the Flower King (Roine Stolt) on the roster.This band is highly recommended to anyone who is a fan of THE FLOWER KINGS and anyone who wants to hear what's new in the prog scene. This is music by prog fans for prog fans as Tillison himself proves to be just as big as a prog freak as any of us would expect him to be and seems to know just how to quench the progressive thirst.
Album:
Northern England based combo THE TANGENT are one of those bands that have been around for such long time, you almost take for granted how reliable they are with releasing albums. The group has, in 12 years, created eight studio albums ,two live DVDs and had tours that have taken them from Moscow to Quebec and mostly as a band that has never made an album using the same personnel as on the previous.April 20th is the date for the release of "A Spark In The Aether", the new delicious The Tangent album.Andy Tillison - the only member to be on every record and who is also the band’s leader - is back and with a few of the regulars; Swedish Flower King's bass legend Jonas Reingold, expressive guitarist Luke Machin (Maschine), Theo Travis on some winds and also experienced Swedish drummer Morgan Ågren "A Spark In The Aether" should be the most melodic, lively The Tangent album ever, and also the most accessible.Think Asia featuring John Payne blended with GTR, some Marillion, Neal Morse, John Wetton solo and a bit of Arena. Really melodious stuff.The album kicks off with the spirited title track. The unapologetic Prog-Synth in the opening announces this is going to be a prog album with lots of keyboards, so get ready. Tillison sounds refreshed and his vocals cut right through the music and demand attention. This upbeat track has a great chorus and at 4 minutes is a great way to kick off the album and set the vibe for what is to come.One of the best songs is second track “Codpieces and Capes” which is a look back at the history of Prog and what it means to a loyal fan. It's energetic and very Asia sounding.“Cleaning the Attic” is much more relaxed, and even has a WestCoast AOR feel! There's some Steely Dan, Venice and Chicago on its great groove and chorus, and incorporates a lot of instruments. The middle contains some of the most progressive rock moments in an album full of them, from the flute breakdown to the brilliant guitar solo.Of course one of the main tracks is 21 minute epic “Celluloid Road” which Tillison has described as a tour of America as seen through the eyes of a person in another country who only knows America from what they’ve seen on TV.The song goes through different cities and styles leading to a rocking section called “San Francisco”, which is also included as a radio edited version as bonus track on this Special Edition.With this album, The Tangent have recalled the glory days of Prog Rock with emphasis on 'Rock'. Indeed, it's an uptempo record that rocks most the time, with lots of melodies.The classic prog parts are refreshed with a modern bright sound, on many places sounding very '80s, recalling Asia and alike."A Spark In The Aether" is as entertaining an album to listen to as you will hear this year, widely recommended to all audiences, not only progsters.
Line-Up:
Andy Tillison (Keyboards, Guitars, Vocals)
Jonas Reingold (Bass)
Theo Travis (Sax, Flute)
Luke Machin (Guitar)
Morgan Ågren (Drums)
Tracklist:
01. A Spark In The Aether
02. Codpieces And Capes
03. Clearing The Attic
04. Aftereugene
05. The Celluloid Road
06. A Spark In The Aether (Part 2)
07. San Francisco Radio Edit (Bonus Track)
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