NOW AND THEN

Now And Then poses a problem many other 70's American prog bands pose, how important should the amount of originality be when rating or if you should just rate it on its own merits. Overall there's a lot to like here for any fans of Yes and prog in a similar vein, but it's overall lacking in innovation and doesn't bring much new to the table.

Wonderer's Lament is a pretty enjoyable intro, soaked in mellotron and various synth drone effects. It gets the job done 3/5

Face to Face is the heaviest track, including lots of riffs, played in unison. Even though in comparison to the rest in the lineup this doesn't show as much technical skill, it still has some really enjoyable motifs. Vocals don't do much for me in this one. 2/5

Genius of the Dance is my favorite in the lineup and is very reminiscent of Yes. Very beautiful melodic bass lines throughout layered with sweet mellotron. There's a fantastic vocal layering section at the end where both of the vocalists are singing different lyrics. Even though there most likely isn't much meaning behind them, the lyrics are flowery and get the job done. 4/5

Solar Sailor is very strong song. Quite possibly the most technically advanced in the album. There's some really excellent guitar playing in this one. It's in a satisfying structure as well, causing every chorus to feel very significant 4/5

Winds of Time is almost all instrumental. There's a lot to like here, the piano plays a big role and coupled with the melodic bass lines this song is beautiful... But is too disjointed, so there's not too much you can latch on to on this one. The ending vocals are a satisfying end though. 3/5

The Alchemist's Suite is a bit confusing. The songs are really not all the connected and I think putting them in this structure hurts the good moments by clumping them together with generally meandering fluff. Prelude is a bit slow but It's short so whatever. Life Celebration is a very happy upbeat song and I like it. Some great synth stuff on here. Telesterion is at least 2 minutes too long and comes off as filler. Ressurection is ok but It too seems like It'd also benefit from a trim; the vocalist's voice just isn't good enough to carry those last two minutes. 2/5

Summerland Is different, It has a strong Zappa influence with a bit of general fusion thrown in down to the guitar tones. It's a delightful listen even though It can be a bit cheezy at points, there are some addicting bass lines and guitar riffs in this one. I'm honestly kind of confused about this song's placement in the album though, It seems more like a 2nd song than a 2nd to last but alas It's good. 4/5

Now And Then is a nice closer, with very sad string synths galore, reminds me of UK quite a bit. Good stuff. 3/5

3.5/5