FIFTH [AKA: 5]

Considered the most difficult and inaccessible of all their studio albums, 'Fifth' certainly finds the jazz-prog ensemble at their most experimental though at the same time this is just as memorable as the likes of previous albums 'Volume One', 'Third' and 'Fourth' and follow-up effort 'Six', proving once again just what a versatile and innovative outfit Soft Machine were in their pomp. Those familiar with the group will know just what to expect here as cosmic saxophone breaks, brooding keyboard passages, oddly timed sonic signatures and mysterious, slow-burning interludes combine once more to create another scintillating late-night jazz odyssey. Those yet to experience this key British group are in for a real treat, whilst fans of Nucleus, Catapilla, Thde Keith Tippett Group, Miles Davis' electric period and Herbie Hancock are all urged to investigate immediately. All of Soft Machine's first seven albums are fusion classics in their own right and 1972's highly atmospheric 'Fifth' is no exception. Original, daring and most of all, brilliant.

STEFAN TURNER, STOKE NEWINGTON, 2012