DEAD AIR FOR RADIOS

I decided to pick this up based on the rave reviews and the strength of the song "On The Page." It is a good song though not a great one. Unfortunately nothing else on the album is as good or better. If I had to sum up Chroma Key's sound on this disc in one short phrase I would call it "prog's answer to smooth jazz." It's mildly upbeat, not too challenging but not ambient either. One of my strongest criticisms of this disc is one that I have of many prog albums: the overuse of samples and found sounds. (I guess this is the one dubious aspect of Pink Floyd's legacy.) Sometimes these are very effective. But other times it seems that bands use them to fill out the music and distract the listener from the shortcomings of their compositions. ("Hmmm this song isn't going anywhere.Hey maybe there's something on my answering machine!") This is the case with "Dead Air for Radios." The musicianship is top notch but even the best songs contain long boring instrumental sections propped up with a profusion of samples. "Hell Mary" isn't even a song. It's a long sample with a low soundtrack in the background. Stripped of the samples, "Dead Air" is like a vaguely attractive but plain woman. Not repulsive but nothing to fall in love with either.