CHALLENGING STAGE

This is a very nice ep of semi-prog and alternative sounding music from Tom Brislin's band. Many will know Tom from his work with Camel, Kansas and Yes but he had his own band before he played with those bands.

The vocal style and use of piano reminds me a bit of Ben Folds at times but this is more interesting than most alternative stuff I've heard. I would say it's a cross between alternative and prog mainly because of the keyboards. There is a lot going on here but it's mostly in the background. There's also some humor in the tracks which you can tell by the song title of "a face for radio" and also in the track "sugar" which might be the only song I can think of about the downside to eating too much sugar. The final track on this ep "you can't get there" is definitely the proggiest track on the album, with lots of great instrumental play towards the end, and the main reason I am giving this four stars. All the songs are good though although they might be a bit contemporary and alternative sounding for many prog fans. One of the best eps I own for sure.