LIGHTBULB SUN

Apart from the joke of the title we got a strange change, from a most-psychedelic group to a Heavy Prog (Rush-like or more exactly Dream Theater-like), it is the last album where we see Maitland and to complete the picture the last album mostly-unknown for the mass (yes, they are strong, they are good, they have sold themselves to the television and now every child that doesn't understand a single note can hear them and say that it's good! What a waste of musicians.) anyway let's talk about this lightbulb and maybe to switch on it.

We see 10 song, a suite of 13 minutes and a pop part that I skip every time I put it on (yep 3rd track, anyone want to cancel it?) apart from the 4 chords of this album they have made a good work again, from the title track to the last we got a strong set of songs. Anyway She's moved on is the confirmation that they are evacuing the old style to become something different, even with the backvocal of Wilson and the nice instrumental part of guitar and drums it's like the reject of everything they were before something is missing and and the moving on is the mirror of their transition. Back to the disc: Last Chance... comes out when we lost any hope, the first part is a little guitar solo, while the second part is one of the few ambience part of these new PT a wonderfull song, after we got a reprise from the first part of Last Chance... (The Rest Will Flow), reworking it and making it greater. After comes the dark part of the album, more like a nice piece of music than a radio hit Wilson vocals here are almost perfect, nice part of instruments too, even if they repeat temself... the same thing on the intro of Russia On Ice (I skip Where We Would Be since I like the guitar, ok, but I don't like this way to play it and even it say nothing to me)... back on Russia we got a perfect intro, a good center of song with nice lyrics maybe too long for this kind of music (I think 10 minutes are more than enough for anything different of symphonic prog) but still nice and good. The last part of the album begin as the coda of Russia, is a pair between Wilson voice and guitar tant remember me some Yes atmospheres from alstest albums (Time Is Time & Nine Voices to be clear) the grow of the ambience sound make it epic, and it fits perfectly at the end of the disc.

Conclusion: a bit too pop here, that's the new mark of PT, a bit too bad since their music was good, but even with these flaws still good enough to worth 3/5. No bonus here too, cause I don't like Wilson's choice to become more pop than psych. Like or hate them, they are still PT and they are good!

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