GLASS SHADOWS

The big question with Glass Shadows isn't whether it's good, but whether it's prog. Instrumentally, it borrows a lot of the trappings from seventies progressive rock, but not the structures - long, complex, ambitious pieces of music really aren't Mostly Autumn's thing. Instead, they concentrate on creating short, melodic, richly textured songs ranging between the rocking and the folky, and very enjoyable they are too, as the band seems to have rediscovered its songwriting muse for the first time since Passengers.

But the problem, as always with this band (and neoprog in general) is the complete lack of adventure. Ironically, the one extended cut here (the title track) is just about the best thing they've ever done, and a whole album of proggier pieces could have been a gem.

To my ears, Mostly Autumn albums tend to fall into one of two categories: those that suggest they could be a pretty good progressive band if they tried just a little harder, and those that suggest their potential was never that great to begin with. Easily among their best albums, this falls squarely into the former category. But I'm still waiting for an album from them that's both genuinely good and genuinely progressive. Despite the sublime title track here, it seems less and less likely with every release.