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Jonas Lindberg & the Other Side: Miles From Nowhere
 Miles From Nowhere is the second release from Sweden's Jonas Lindberg & the Other Side, and debut for InsideOut Music. Now, though I've heard the name Jonas Lindberg, this is the first time I'm experiencing his music, and I will say I'm impressed, though not surprised, as Sweden just consistently continues to pump out great music of late no matter the genre. Lindberg & the Other Side play an epic form of melodic progressive rock with a healthy nod to the classics of the '70s but still sounding quite modern. For a frame of reference, fellow Swedes The Flower Kings, UK act Big Big Train, Spock's Beard from the US, as well as legendary groups like Genesis and Yes can all be cited as potential influences, but I hear a lot of their own identity coming though front and center. The band line-up for the album consists of:
Jonas Lindberg / bass, guitars, keyboards, lead & backing vocals
Jonas Sundqvist / lead vocals
Jenny Storm / lead & backing vocals
Calle Stålenbring / guitars
Nicklas Thelin / guitars
Jonathan Lundberg / drums
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Maria Olsson / percussion
With:
Simon Wilhelmsson / drums (2,4)
Joel Lindberg / lead guitar (6)
Roine Stolt / lead guitar (7 part v.)
As you can see, Mr. Flower King himself Stolt appears on one track here, and he fits right in as you would imagine. The album is made up of a few epic length tracks mixed with some shorter ones, but with multiple lead singers there is a lot of variety to be found on the album. Songs like "Astral Journey", "Oceans of Time", and "Summer Queen" contain lots of bombast, fueled by vintage styled keys and plenty of guitar firepower, while folky flavors permeate "Why I'm Here" and opener "Secret Motive Man". Of course, there is an album closing 25-minute epic in the form of the five part title track, and Lindberg's keyboard textures are simply marvelous on this one. Look for lots of melodic vocal passages, ripping guitars, and intricate drumming...the 25-minutes fly by, and it's a long journey well spent.
I think we have another new 'player' on the modern prog scene, and the name is Jonas Lindberg & the Other Side. Miles From Nowhere is an extraordinary listen, and an album I'll be revisiting often.
Track Listing
1. Secret Motive Man (7:26)
2. Little Man (5:49)
3. Summer Queen (15:52)
4. Oceans of Time (11:37)
5. Astral Journey (5:50)
6. Why I'm Here (4:26)
7. Miles from Nowhere (25:33) :
- i. Overture
- ii. Don't Walk Away
- iii. I Don't Know Where You Are
- iv. Memories
- v. Miles from Nowhere
Added: April 17th 2022
Reviewer: Pete Pardo
Score:  
Related Link: Band Website
Hits: 1216
Language: english
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Jonas Lindberg & the Other Side: Miles From Nowhere
Posted by Steven Reid, SoT Staff Writer on 2022-04-17 15:07:44
My Score:
If there’s one thing that’s vital when writing reviews, it’s also something that at times can prove to be quite difficult, because when everyone else out there is hailing an album as a near perfect masterpiece, there’s always at least the slightest temptation to simply nod along and agree. But, for me, what’s key is to stay true to what you hear and what you feel.
So yes, you already know that there’s only one way that this review can go, and that’s to say that while everyone else is bestowing greatness on Miles From Nowhere by Jonas Lindberg & The Other Side, I have to admit to thinking that this is a good, solid modern symphonic prog album, but one that lands in a place that I just don’t connect with. Let me explain…
No matter how hard I try, I can’t break down the manner in which the likes of The Flower Kings, Neal Morse, or his era of Spock’s Beard distilled the classic symphonic prog sound. The cleanness, particularness and ever so tidiness of what those acts - and many more besides - produce, leaving me in a place of appreciation that never quite translates into actually being moved by the music. And that’s exactly where I am here. Can I tell you why the soaring keyboards, strummed acoustic guitars and excellent vocals of “Little Man” leaves me knowing that Jonas and his band are extremely good at what they do, but that it doesn’t get me hot under the collar? Well, yes and no. I honestly can’t pick fault with it, or any of the other tracks that make up this lengthy excursion, but I always feel with albums that utilise these kinds of structures (and it has to be said this particular production style) that it’s a case of superb Part A being neatly placed next to wonderful part B and from there the pieces are lined expertly but without surprise and, for me, in a way that doesn’t come close to penetrating my own musical soul.
There’s no doubt that I’m out of step here - and in many ways out of step with myself. I should love this album, that I don’t doesn’t mean that I can’t appreciate it, and I do, but will it be something that I’m drawn back to? I very much doubt it and while that may make me a prog-reviewing pariah, it’s the truth of how I feel. It also explains my lateness in reviewing this album, because I’ve tried, tried, gone away and listened to other releases and came back and tried, tried, tried again, but always with the same result.
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