SECONDS BEFORE LANDING II

Seconds Before Landing has a prog soup whose ingredients include electronica, smooth jazz, and the dark sides of Sufjan Stevens, Bon Iver, and Wilco. The bands philosophy on their second release seems to be to throw everything they've got at the wall to see what sticks, and most of it does. All of this works to a theme of dystopia, but it doesn't always feel that way. "Hey Dad" and "My Perfect Girl" feel like missteps, but otherwise we have a good album chock full of ideas and directions, even if the theme suffers a bit. From the jazzy "Big Train", to the Gregorian-esque vocals opening "The Great Deceiver", followed by a wailing guitar, to the claustrophobically self- loathing "Don't Want To Feel This Way", to the nice electro-prog of the other good tracks, there's plenty to love here, and the album works in the end. If you loved "Corvus Stone II" and want a new and different buffet, try this obscure record out.