DAY FOR NIGHT

This is not the first time I have heard Spock's Beard, but it is the first time I have heard an album all the way through. I do have to commend them on their instrumentals and the complexities of them, but I have always had a problem with the vocals. The voice is okay, it's just that there is not a lot of feeling in the delivery. After reading the reviews here, a lot of people are saying that it is sort of an OK album and a step down from normal, but I don't see anyone complaining about the vocals, and from the single tracks I've heard from them in the past, the vocals remain the same. So, I suppose I can get used to them, but it is also the reason why I haven't been a huge fan in the past or had any desire to explore them any further until now.

I do have to say though, after hearing this album, it has sparked some interest in me to now listen to more of their work. As has already been said, there are some tracks that lean more towards pop than progressive. But there is still plenty of symphonic prog in there, enough to make things interesting. The best things on here are the first two tracks and "Crack the Big Sky". The huge 21 minute suite has both strong and weak moments where it seems they are trying to mix pop and prog together, which has been done before and done better than this.

So, it's not bad, and since most consider it a weaker album, I will be checking out other albums. But I still have a hard time with that emotionless voice and how it contrasts with the dynamics of the awesome instrumentals. I'm giving this 3 stars because only 3 songs make a consistent high mark while the epic suite is hit and miss. Good, but not essential.