THE LONG DIVISION

To my ears and sensibility, 3RDegree's The Long Division is exactly the kind of prog album this decade needs. The band couples great musicianship with infectious hooks, adding clever, socially conscious lyrics and a healthy dose of lush vocal harmonies. Not only are the individual songs strong on their own, but the album also holds together as a well-crafted (and impeccably produced) thematic whole.

3RDegree pay clear homage to their predecessors while planting their feet firmly in the present and establishing their own bold identity. That identity isn't trapped in the repetition of a tiresome signature sound, though -- there's enough refreshing variety here to keep listeners guessing from one song to the next. The Long Division is at once intellectual and impassioned, virtuosic and melodic, complex and accessible, wickedly funny and deadly serious, slyly irreverent and wholly relevant. Above all, it's downright enjoyable and entertaining.