THE FORM OF THE GOOD

Just like Wobbler's second album, the trouble with Deluge Grander's sophomore work is that it tries too hard to be progressive rock. The band does a great job incorporating all those symphonic elements I love, but does so at the expense of two paramount things I look for in almost all music: Melody and direction. There's plenty here to relish, including a few stellar passages, but none of it will be remembered after the final note is played. A pity- it could have been something grander.

"Before the Common Era" Distant, almost Gregorian vocals and beautiful strings form the elegant beginning. The piece maintains that sophistication throughout, but does so without really going anywhere, like the statue of a beautiful woman.

"The Tree Factory" As a side note, I think the title of this piece is quite creative- it lends something of dystopian air. The instrumentation, however, is (perhaps deliberately) weak. For example, the tones of the synthesizers are almost juvenile, yet somehow it seems to work anyway. After two minutes, a funk-oriented groove sets in, setting off a string of different rhythms, often linked together abruptly and with hardly anything one could call a transition. Effectively, this piece represents the exhibition of a very sophisticated jam band, but isn't exactly what I would call a true progressive piece. The whole affair is disjointed, messy, and lacks any direction whatsoever.

"Common Era Caveman" Lush synthetic sounds create a calm opening atmosphere. It bursts into what I can only describe as heavy Gentle Giant. It's a very busy piece and demonstrates the bands individual capabilities, but again, a coherent collectiveness is lacking.

"Aggrandizement" This leviathan of an instrumental shows promise, but repeated listens do it no justice. It is one of those works that is long for the sake of being long, not because there are compelling melodies or a gripping motif that is worked inside and out. And some of it, frankly, is terrible- the area around the ten minute mark is barely tolerable. That said, I will highlight what deserves to be highlighted. Approximately five minutes in, there's a really intriguing piano interlude. Some of the music is very similar to Kansas due to the violin work, and the keyboard business is interesting (although still ridiculously not memorable and sporadic). The solid bass playing is a constant.

"The Form of the Good" The title and final track opens with a galactic introduction, full of spacey synthesizer and dark tones. The first half is psychedelic electronic music, which doesn't get going until the second half, in which more inspiring symphonic rock assumes command. Here one hears some of the best music on the entire album, due in no small part to the fabulous, consistent guitar playing.