SONGS FROM THE HARD SHOULDER

At first I thought lyrically things were a bit too simplistic and mundane. But the longer you listen, the more it resonates. Songs from the Hard Shoulder is one of many recent albums that shines a light on life in the modern world, but it is different in that it does so by putting a positive spin on life during Covid (The Changes), and the feelings of alienation and exclusion (The Lady Tied to the Lamp Post). Neither sound too preachy, a common flaw of today's prog music, mainly due to the fact that Tillison regularly turns the spotlight on himself and his own mistakes. With the latter track, you can build up a strong mental image of what's going on, as the lyrics are very descriptive and "cinematic", but not so blunt that they just seem like a story put to music - still plenty of room for abstract and metaphor. Its the more sombre of the tracks, but as it is highly relatable and spins the story into one with a 'lesson' rather than just being miserable. In between those two lengthy tracks is another, The GPS Vultures, mainly instrumental and taking you on a journey through a fantastic blend of prog sub-genres, which are mixed together in some surprising and brilliant ways.

Highly recommend.

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