IN THE LAND OF GREY AND PINK

'In the Land of Gray and Pink' was my first venture into the Canterbury Scene sub-genre. After many extensive listens I've come to the conclusion that this is simply an average album. I don't mean this in a bad way at all; in fact, pretty much all of it is great music. It's just that nothing stands out, it just plows along. The best example of this is in the epic 22-minute 'Nine Feet Underground.' The song has some great melodies, but it is too reliant on jamming over a repetitive rhythm.

The remaining songs have a fun mix of pop and prog, especially the cheery 'Golf Girl' and 'Love to Love You,' the latter of which does an amazing job of hiding it's 7/4 time signature. 'Winter Wine' and the title track are also great of course, but nothing really stands out.

Perhaps the best way to sum up what I think about this album is that it is consistently good, but lacks variety and punch. In this way, I am not excited by this album, nor am I disappointed.

7/10