THE KINDNESS OF STRANGERS

On this, their third album, Spock's Beard dropped all of the experimental pretense from their previous album ('Beware Of Darkness') and put out an album straight from the heart. Musically, this album doesn't differ too much from the band's previous work, although the pop element is much more noticeable. Perhaps the biggest difference between this album and the band's previous work is the change in the subject matter of Neal Morse's lyrics. As predicted by "Waste Away" on 'Beware Of Darkness,' Morse was beginning to take an interest in morality and social comentary, rather than the Genesis-esque story telling that prevailed in the band's earlier work. The album's openning epic, "The Good Don't Last" is a perfect example. The song is more or less about how humanity has fallen from grace when we all had the chance to be perfect in God's eyes. Contextually, this theme isn't terribly surprising as Morse was going through a spiritual transformation that would eventaully lead him to leave the band in 2002. Fortunately, these songs don't come across as being too preachy, a quality I strongly admire in Morse. "In The Mouth Of Madness," "Cakewalk On Easy Street," "June," and "Strange World" are all shorter rock numbers with prog flare, and contain some more great Morse lyrics. For "June" the band pushes its amazing vocal harmony to the fore. Admittedly, I don't really understand what the song is about, but it is incredible to listen to. I distinctly remember getting goosebumps the first time I heard the song, especially when the entire band kicks in during the second half of the song. Even though I don't have nearly the vocal power that these guys have, this is still my favorite Beard song to sing along with! "Strange World" is song about glaring inequalities that abound in modern culture ("Advertising pays more than a lot, while the teacher sells pies in the parking lot"). This is an very smart and witty pop song. "Harm's Way" and "Flow" are two more epic-length prog numbers. "Flow" is a bit somber and has some of Morse's most overt religious references to date. Still, the song brings the album to a wonderful climax. Over all, the band is in top form on this album. This would be a great starting point for anyone who isn't familiar with the Beard. I rank this album number two out of the band's seven albums.