THE LONG DIVISION

When this album came out four years ago in tandem with the 2012 Presidential Election, its relevancy could not be understated. In 2016, it seems that this album is just as poignant as ever -- a testament to both its genius and its resilience, at least from a topical perspective.

Thematically, The Long Division is packed full of wound-poking criticism that equally targets both sides of the US political aisle. Sung with fervor and performed with pop-hooky style, it's chock full of poetic narratives that would force even the staunchest demagogue to blush with embarrassment as disingenuity is dragged into the sunlight. The odd thing about this album is for all the common focus that occurs between certain songs, it's not really a concept album. Although I have read that the band never really considered The Long Division to be a concept album, I still feel it wants to be one -- even if it's not completely realized. Either way, the music itself is strong enough that the debate becomes a moot point.

I've always found it amusing when bands can "trick" listeners into singing and bobbing their head in odd times through crafty arrangement and catchy melody and that's one thing that 3rDegree manages to pull off right out of the gate with You're Fooling Yourself. On the other hand, those seeking more straightforward progressive rock nods will find them scattered throughout the album in places like the opening of The Socio-Economic Petri Dish (how's that for a proggy song name!?) and the breakdown of Memetic Pandemic. On a more songwriting oriented note, you'll be hard pressed to get the melodies from songs like Exit Strategy, Incoherent Ramblings and Televised out of your head. And after all that's done, the album wraps up with the decidedly Queen-y Nihilist's Love Song that drives the final "does any of this really matter?" stake into the political commentary.

Aside from a slight lack of cohesion (whether it was planned or accidental) and varying moments of disparity in production value, this album is a solid cover to cover listen that really captures much of the varying nuance that makes 3rDegree so inimitable.