THE MUSIC THAT DIED ALONE

To begin with I'll describe it as a very good and fresh sounding album. Tangent's homage to Canterbury music and all that its sound has done explodes into the room with gusto and energy of a jazzed up Canterbury scene (thanks to David Jackson's sax). Few modern day albums have attempted to repeat what grew from Wilde Flowers back in 1963 and I dare say that many will try. Perhaps the Canterbury sound is best left in the 20th century. I have a tendency to write the review while I'm listening to the music, I think that it's a good habit I have. That way any feelings, thoughts or opinions that I may not have noted earlier can creep into my head on the spot. There were some thoughts of rating this album 5 stars, however I'm a tough critic and don't give that away very often. If you go by the old prophecy of "nobodies perfect" then my prophecy for reviewing is that "no album is perfect". This one doesn't break the trend (although in the past a few have dared to defy this prophecy with sheer brilliance). In Darkest Dreams is the first part to this album and "Prelude - Time for you" opens with a demonstration of the impressive musical talent that forms The Tangent's line-up. Very upbeat and fast paced, In Darkest Dreams is modern-day music nostalgia that suggests Symphonic Rock buried within the jazz and piano. Most of it seems like pure fun that is had by the musicians. Such as "Prelude - Time for you", "The midnight watershed" and "A Sax in the Dark" and this certainly isn't a chore to listen to and enjoy. "In Dark Dreams" evokes a remarkable similar sound to Pink Floyd's The Division Bell (1994) in its relaxing, laid back vocals with the meandering sax and piano - the perfect "noise-filling" music at dinnertime. With "Night Terrors Reprise" fading out it's time to bring on The Canterbury Sequence! And with Guy Manning singing a lyrical tribute to such bands as Caravan, Hatfield and the North and Soft Machine it's hard not to warm to the music. "Up Hill From Here" is the stand out track on the album, but still doesn't cut it with the spirit of progressive music from '69-'74, which is what it's trying to evoke. The third and final part - The Music That Died Alone - dies on itself, in its limited capacity to be cool, calm and inspiring of something that can only be relived by imitators, self-parody or egotistical young artists. At least it's apparent in many of the tracks, within and outside In Darkest Dreams, that the artists are enjoying themselves and they do produce an energetic sound together. However, Simon Evans said it best when he concluded that ".although this album is a brave attempt to evoke the golden age of prog-rock, it merely ends up reminding fans of the genre what's been lost."