LIFE IN THE WIRES

Frost* is the band that got me into progressive music, my favorite band, and I can easily say I haven't looked forward to an album this much since I was a teenager. For Frost, 3 years is a blistering pace, but that doesn't mean this album is rushed in the slightest. It's a fully formed idea that drags you along for the ride from beginning to end.

Skywaving/Life in the Wires, Part 1 (8/10) Continuing straight from Day and Age, and introducing the main theme. Feels pretty Falling Satellitesque, but I like Wires Pt 1 a lot more now that I hear its beginning. Speaking of, they definitely chose a familiar sound for the first single. Heavy intro, but the structure is basic Frost. However, a basic Frost song seems to be required to make you feel like you're flying through space and have hooks other prog bands could only dream of. This song is full of energy and the great solos that many people have been waiting for.

This House of Winter (10/10) Another song that compliment Wires Pt 1. The transformation from coda to brand new song is incredible. One of the many ballads on the album, but this one might be the best. The section where the drums kick in and weave into the piano is beautiful, followed by a great guitar solo and then the absolutely incredible ending. This is where the album gets really creative and proves that somehow this bunch of 50 year old men can make something that sounds brand new. The band is really used its full potential here, every instrument perfectly complements the buildup. The ending really is just incredible, it's where the concept comes to life and I was completely hooked.

The Solid State Orchestra (10/10) 2 great songs, but somehow this is where the album kicks into full gear. The "can you hear me" sample from Day and Age is followed by the most hype solo since Milliontown. This song has that pushing and pulling quality that makes the title song from Milliontown so good too. God, this song is just perfect, and it's also the kind of song that justifies the concept album status. So many of the songs here just paint the picture of this world so wonderfully. Each piano key falls like a raindrop, the cymbals flow through the song like currents of air, the steady guitar keeps everything steady and looking forward. This is where I also need to mention that Jem's voice is perfect for this album. The light airy quality of his voice floats in the sky. And all these beautiful qualities are only the first 2 minutes before the song starts building towards that solo! The rest of the song is just as cleanly shaped. Many of the keyboard effects are very clearly keyboard, but Jem's quality production that was missing from Experiments and Satellites is back in full force here and keeps them from feeling out of place.

Evaporator (10/10) Another perfect transition into another perfect song. This is unfortunately where these perfect transitions end, I feel they can actually be a bit rough in the second half of the album. Jem stated in interviews that this album is meant to fill 4 twenty minute sections of vinyl, but Skywaving to Evaporator feels like a 30 minute piece. Evaporator itself is just as good as the previous 2 songs, and its name really is appropriate. I imagine if one were to listen to this on a mind altering drug it would really feel like it was evaporating you. I honestly just wish this song was a bit longer, the chorus is the fun and energetic side of Frost that isn't as present on this album as on Milliontown. I ended up listening to this song over and over because I couldn't get enough of it. It's yet another song that feels completely unique and cohesive to both the music and the concept.

Strange World (4/10) This is a very sudden and honestly, hard to explain drop in quality compared to the rest of the album. I really wanted this song to fit with the rest of the album, but no matter how many times I listened to it I just couldn't pay attention. I hear that Falling Satellite sample at 3 minutes though! This song isn't hard to get through, it just feels like a big gap that divides the 2 halves of the album. I have to wonder if this is the best transition between Evaporator and Idiot Box that Jem could come up with.

Idiot Box (7/10) Another classic Frost song with that touch of heavy. All 3 singles seem to have that in common. I also have to say, wow, the music video for this song is godawful and I couldn't stop from laughing at it a couple of times. The song itself is just a simple and powerful prog rock song, although around 2:30 I think it gains more traction. The distorted power chords behind the keyboard solo is VERY Milliontown, probably a closer replication than any other song on Wires. Other songs take the good qualities and use them for fresh new goals but that section is really just straight from No Me No You. I do like the last verse and chorus.

Absent Friends (7/10) Now this song is perfectly serviceable, but it actually drags the album down a little by making strange world even more pointless. Just a simple piano oriented piece musically, but the emotion is all there and it services the concept well. Also, as I mentioned earlier, I do wish the transition to the next song was a bit smoother. Not much to say other than that.

School/Propergander (10/10) Man this song really hits home the shift in the mood that Idiot Box started. School is really sinister, probably the most evil Frost song out there. It's also a great groove, another song that justifies the concept album and also stands on its own beautifully. It's fitting that this has my favorite solo alongside the one from Solid State Orchestra, considering one introduces livewire and one introduces the all seeing eye. School and Propergander are really one song when it comes down to it, but if I had to separate them I think Propergander would only be a 9. It's got a pretty standard structure, but man I just love the chorus here. It's a really powerful song, with yet another incredible Jem solo. He just does em' like nobody else. I think I could listen to a 5 hour album of an endless Jem solo. This is also the most british song on the album, never thought a silly little whistle could sound so evil.

Sign of Life (5/10) Ah, another fault of the concept album. The need to tell a story just doesn't always quite fit in music, especially in the sections where that story gets a heavier focus. The first half of this song is much like strange world, but fortunately the second half has some interesting detail and a little more energy. This song's real purpose is to set up the ending, which is truly a wonderful experience that makes slow moments like this worth it.

Moral and Consequence (10/10) The deepest cutting groove of the album. Between this and some interviews with Jem, you can really tell Craig Blundell is glad to be a part of Frost and has become a vital part of the band. Wires and Satellites easily have the best drumming out of the discography. Anyway, this song was another great choice for a single. It's also got the most self-fellating from Jem, lots of references to past songs here. He compared the structure to Black Light Machine, having a vocal intro and an instrumental backend, but it's a very fresh take on Frost. That also ties into it being the best of the 3 singles, being something anyone who's been a fan of past albums can get into while also presenting a lot of new ideas. The polyrhythmic guitarwork connecting the 2 halves of the song, man, I'll never get old of that. The heavy keyboard grooves, the floaty chorus, the lighthearted bridge towards the end, and the absolute wealth of solos, this song just has something for everyone.

Life in the Wires, Part 2 (9?/10) I honestly haven't quite processed this song yet. Oddly it feels like a Frost version of Detonation by Steven Wilson, it just has that combination of heavy and eccentric atmospheric prog. Also, Jem's voice at 7:30 sounds like Stephen Bishop and that's really funny to me. This song is also where I have to say I don't think this album quite lives up to Milliontown. There's much more top tier prog, lots of ideas that are executed incredibly, but it's just missing that moment of pure elation. The climaxes of Black Light Machine and Milliontown are the best pieces of music I've ever heard, absolutely face melting and out of this world. I was hoping this song would push Wires into number one but it just doesn't have that moment that tears my brain out of my body.

Starting Fires (7/10) A great sendoff to an album that went beyond my expectations. Ties up the concept and the music, and let you walk away feeling fresh and complete. It's hard to rate ending songs like this, the musical ideas are all fully explored so it doesn't have any ability to stand on its own. That's quite standard, but I personally prefer the high energy raucous type of ending like Milliontown or Raider II from Steven Wilson. Even so, it can be nice to finally let go and walk away after almost an hour and a half. Life in the Wires sent me spinning for a day or 2, it was really a shattering musical experience that I needed time to recover from. Albums like this are true masterpieces, and I'm glad Frost can still deliver 18 years later. I don't know how they'll follow this up, I just hope this isn't their last. Here's to a future unwritten masterpiece by these modern legends.