A SEASONAL AFFAIR

Argos are a German quartet, who released their debut back in 2009 and this is the fourth. They have also brought in a few guest musicians, including Andy Tillison (PO90, The Tangent and others), so that they have three different keyboard players involved, but strangely this isn't an overtly keyboard based album. What this is, is something that is looking back into the Canterbury scene, but with an Eighties twist to it, as opposed to going back into Seventies or Sixties, which can create some almost jarring counterpoints at times. 'Divergence' reminds me of Thomas Dolby every time I play it, and I'm sure that's not the intention, as the latter part of the song is nothing like the former and when Thomas Klarmann repeatedly sings line 'How did it come to this?' I found myself agreeing with him and asking myself the same question.

This isn't a bad album though, far from it, but I did find it somewhat disjointed, and it is when they let the music naturally flow in more relaxed manner that they come into their own. It is almost as if they were trying too hard, and the result is something that is forced and therefore not as easy and interesting to listen to as it could be. The use of saxophone is inspired (care of guest Marek Arnold (Toxic Smile, United Progressive Fraternity)), as the flute from Thomas, yet while there are some wonderful moments on here, there isn't enough for me to keep revisiting it.