DISTANT MONSTERS

Occasionally, just occasionally, in over fifty years of listening, a record turns up which I can simply enjoy from start to finish, without any need to seek out the fast forward button. Think of...Forever Changes (Love's tour-de-force and, arguably, still the greatest LP ever released), Trespass, Stand Up (totally overshadows the later, much-trumpeted Aqualung, in my opinion), CTTE, Pollen, Life is Beautiful (Holly Lerski) (a criminally overlooked and under-rated indie masterpiece), Script, In the Region of the Summer Stars, Hurry up, We're Dreaming (M83) (magnificent, synth-washed colossus), van Occupanther, Difference Machine, Road of Bones..... you get the picture. I wouldn't go so far as to elevate Distant Monsters to the giddy heights of the aforementioned, but this is an absolutely cracking, sumptuous-sounding CD, with all eight tracks bang on the nail, beautifully paced, with foot-tapping rhythms, swirling undercurrents, soaring guitar breaks and memorable chorus lines...all in all, neo-prog heaven. Overall sound is not far removed from that of Red Sand, but that's just fine as far as I'm concerned. All in all, for sheer pleasure and enjoyment, this takes some beating. Release date saw it squeezed into back end of 2015, long after "Best of Year" polls had closed, but I reckon this might otherwise have knocked much of the competition into a cocked hat. Absolutely loved it.