IN TIME

1. "Out of Time" (23:13) (40.25/45) : - i. A Moment in Time - arpeggiating piano chord progression and synth strings open this and are soon joined by Aly Carter's searing electric guitar and gentle drum and bass play before Tree Stewart's weirdly distant voice sings. Tree hits some lovely high notes in the second half of the third minute. (8.875/10) - ii. Temporal Disruption - hard rockin' motif takes over over which Aly and Tree continue to perform in styles and with sounds as before. At 4:25 Dave Greenaway's bass takes center stage as organ and drums steadily support. Electric piano solos in a bluesy-jazz way in the sixth minute. The motif is tied up nicely in the first half of the seventh minute before the music returns to a gentler, more familiar The Emerald Dawn motif for Aly to return to his searing electric guitar sound & play. Tree's electric piano play is a little annoying for remaining in a higher octave for her recurrent and repetitive arpeggi. (8.875/10) - iii. Ouroboros Affronted - At the nine minute mark, gentle, spacious synth washes and note play provide transition and support to nice tribal percussion pattern. Tree sings as if from a distance something quite ethereal and hypnotic over the next 90 seconds before a horrible sax sound enters to echo Tree's vocal melody. The tenor sax then moves into a solo over the same tribal dream music as drummer Tom Jackson begins to take a few liberties with some tasteful accents and flourishes. In the fourteenth minute Tree's synth sound tries to duplicate and duel with Aly's sax before taking over with a solo that uses an Egyptian-sounding melody style. Interesting. At 15:45 Aly tries to take over the Egyptian melody with his electric guitar before ramping it up with the rest of the band into the more high-powered next section. (9/10) - iv. Temporal Reconciliation - a return to a faster, more energetic rock 'n' roll motif over/within which both Aly (guitar) and Tree (synth) solo together--seeming to try to stay together in a mutually supportive melodic progression (which is tighter than I'm capable of describing though both quite individualistic). (4.5/5) - v. A Moment in Time Recalled - slowing down to arpeggiated piano chords over which Tree sings about making time last forever. At 20:10 the pace quickens though the instruments remain constant. Aly's signatory guitar makes a brief appearance between Tree's vocals--which pleasantly hit those high notes again in the 22nd minute. (I just wish there wasn't such a weird effect on her voice--as if it's being recorded in the basement of a large beer storage cellar.) This section of the suite is definitely like a song within a song--and could stand alone quite easily. (9/10)

2. "Timeless" (including "The Eternal River" & "Janus Divided") (14:42) Great groove to start. By now, this, their fifth album, I've actually gotten used to the effect they stubbornly insist on using on Aly's saxophone. The motif with the six-note guitar riff "solo" in the fourth and fifth minute is so boring: just a very standard chord progression that the whole band performs in tandem while Aly plays that riff in key. Then the long drawn-out poorly cinematic passage over which Tree sings (in her weirdly-effected/engineered voice) feels like something from a cheap old video game soundtrack. At 8:35 they kick into an actually cool jazz motif with flute in the lead over the jazzy bass and drums and thick Mellotron-like wave chords. Nice drumming from Tom Jackson. At 10:15 there is another shift, this time into a nice solid groove from the rhythm section over which Aly injects his Andrew Latimer/Mike Oldfield-imitative guitar (with its odd sound). At least the bass and drums are interesting and enjoyable. At the 12-minute mark there is another shift, this time into a very CAN-like rhythm pattern over which synths and oddly-effected soprano saxophone play. After a minute and a half of this the rhythm section doubles their time while remaining glued to their two chord commitment as sax continues to solo. All stops at the 14-minute mark to allow a long, slow sound decay. (25/30)

3. "The March of Time" (including "The Time Weaver") (8:17) Military drums establish the rhythmic foundation over which effected fretless bass plays wildly and synths add their stringy lines. At 2:30 things shift into a cooler, more complex prog rhythm pattern (again: nice drumming) over which the bass and keys continue to play some mildly interesting CAMEL-esque lines and riffs. The bass really makes a mark starting at the end of the fourth minute--and the drums remain tight and interesting. The soloing instrument over the top finally makes an impact in the fifth and sixth minutes with some odd portamento slides. At the end of the sixth minute the music reverts to what sounds and feels like an old/standard go-to form over which both Aly's searing guitar and Tree's repeating vocalizations play out to the song's finish.(17.25/20)

Total Time 46:12

Another band that has remained quite consistent from its start (over ten years ago)--almost stubbornly so. The sounds they've latched onto from the engineering booth have never sat well with me--and this album may, in fact, present the most grating sound rendering of their five-album career--some part due to the remarkably simple and repetitive constructs they use in forming their songs. While I thought I was hearing improvements with 2021's To Touch the Sky, all ground gained seems now lost in a landslide of disappointing regression. I swear, at times I keep thinking that I could make better of this music than they've allowed to be publicly marketed. If it weren't for the first suite (which makes up half of the album) this might be considered a total flop by me. The band knows of my complaints with regards to their sound choices--and have remained steadfast in defense of them. Though I like and appreciate their overall sound and style, the little things that I've noted continue to go against my own preferences. Thus, my less-than effusive review.

B-/3.5 stars; a good but ultimately disappointing album that I've rated down for being the band's fifth album of the sameness.

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