Tangent, The: A Place In The Queue

The music world was completely taken by surprise in 2003 by The Tangent. The Music That Died Alone was so well written and so strongly performed, by musicians that had not even been in the same room together, that listeners were completely surprised. That is a tough thing to repeat. A Place In The Queue, the third release of The Tangent now comes with hype and expectations, two things that can stall any new release. But thankfully, Andy Tillison delivers the goods.

Unlike the many part format (partially caused by writing credits) of The Music That Died Alone, the two epics on this CD are recorded in whole. "In Earnest" kicks off the CD, setting the lyrical tone of following direction, with a full out assault that proves that even with out Roine Stolt this CD was going to rock. Of course any time Jonas Reingold is involved with any CD, you know it is going to groove. "In Earnest" sounds the most like prior Tangent releases, although all of these songs give a nod to the Canterbury sound. The twists that come in at the halfway mark, have Krister Jonsson and Tillison exchanging riffs, while Reingold goes wild. This may be one of the best moments in prog-rock in years, although like many Flower King moments, it is hard to keep that awe when spinning through 20 minutes of creativeness. A good song that probably could have been a little shorter.

"DIY Surgery", a Travis/Middleton song, not only proves that The Tangent are becoming a true band, but provides the jazziest piece they have ever done. It is a nice interlude to break up the CD and leads nicely into "GPS Counter". It and "Follow Your Leaders", which reminds me a little of the last Planet P Project release, are the most forward in regards to preaching against the current world leadership. "GPS Culture" is a keyboard extreme piece of music that (if you ratcheted up the vocals a full octave) could have been on a late 70s Yes album.

"Lost In London" and "The Sun In My Eyes" are the most accessible songs on A Place In The Queue. The former contains excellent flute counter melodies while the former almost sounds like it could get airtime on a rock station. Don't get me wrong, "The Sun In My Eyes" is a fantastic song, it just sounds a little out of place in the same way that "Up-Hill From Here" did.

Of course, in the true tradition of rock, the most ambitious song is saved for last. "A Place In The Queue" starts off dark and haunting with a soprano-sax line that is golden. An interesting trio of keyboard, guitar, and saxophone all play through with a unique sax sound. Guy Manning takes over the vocals temporarily, building the song on, until a tasteful guitar and then keyboard solo brings us back to the opening saxophone line. Once again, Reingold is outstanding throughout. The Tangent will never again be the wonderful surprise that shocked us 3 years ago, but as they continue to grow as a band and explore their combined sounds, they will still wow us. Highly recommended.

Track Listing
1. In Earnest (20:03)
2. Lost In London (8:08)
3. DIY Surgery (2:16)
4. GPS Culture (10:07)
5. Follow Your Leaders (9:21)
6. The Sun In My Eyes (3:44)
7. A Place In The Queue (25:19)

Added: December 26th 2006
Reviewer: Steve Ambrosius
Score:
Related Link: The Tangent
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Language: english

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