WIRED TO EARTH

British band, formed during the summer of 2008 in Swindon, when guitarist/singer Daniel Steinhardt invited guitarist Dave Gregory, a former member of the legendary Art/Punk Rock act XTC, to record an amp shoot-out with Daniel's band The Hi-Fidels, which also included bassist Mark Kilminster and drummer Doug Mussard.They actually found themselves as a pretty tight combo and decided to move it further under the name of Tin Spirits, initially covering prog songs and material from XTC's repertoire.But they soon came up with their own songs, which attracted Esoteric Antena and signed a contract with the label.The pieces of their debut ''Wired to Earth'' were recorded at various studios in the Swindon area and were released in 2011.

''Wired to Earth'' draws influences from the modern Prog Rock scene, containing also injections from the vintage Prog Rock era, especially during the twisting guitar moves and the elaborate vocal harmonies, while they also made an attempt to cover ''Back in NYC'' from Genesis' ''The lamb lies down on Broadway''.Their material is mostly based on sharp riffs, atmospheric guitar distortions and powerful rhytms, reminding mostly of acts in the vein of PORCUPINE TREE.RUSH are always a reference point, but the vocal parts are mostly in the vein of BIG BIG TRAIN and similar bands.The music is fresh and breezy with some good melodies and smooth guitar soloing among a storm of more dynamic leads and there are even connections to the classic XTC sound.Not very complex material as a whole, the true power of the album comes from the excellent vocals and the ability of the two guitarists to switch between atmospheric and heavier passages.The two longer tracks, ''...and go'' and ''Broken'' are good examples of guitar-oriented Art/Prog Rock with a beautiful lyricism and a certain comfort on both mellow and energetic guitar instrumentals.

Convincing guitar-fronted Prog Rock with series of great solos, riffs and rhythms, highlighted also by the sentimental vocal deliveries.Not very flexible, but still well-played and memorable stuff.Recommended.