PYRAMID

I guess you got to be in a special kind of mood to appreciate this tastily comestible prog-pop fruit but only if you take into account APP's strongest assets: pristine production and expert musicianship as well as a sprinkling of exemplary tracks. Problem is there are always a few sucky songs that prevent their albums to be spectacularly revered by the prog community. This album has the difficult chore of following what was arguably a career high with the sublime "I Robot" and in many ways the expectations are unachievable. That being clearly stated, Pyramid has a few gems, a slew of enjoyable pop hits and the odd clunker.

The Killer tracks: "Voyager" is, as often the case with APP, a lovely overture, full of inspiration and mood. The sensational "In the Lap of Gods" is among the best instrumentals Parsons and Project have come up with, flush with abundant Andrew Powell orchestrations that defy the notion of brilliance. "Hyper-Gamma-Spaces" is a classic trance-dance-ambulance that has a riveting red-light beat and cool mood effects from the lush e-piano. The finale "Shadow of a Lonely Man" has Supertramp-like tendencies with some ELO style orchestrations and works well within those accepted confines.

The Pop tracks: "What Goes Up" is a typical time period musical anecdote, breezy rhythm and sultry lilt. T'was a minor radio hit. "The Eagle Will Rise Again" is an utterly ravishing melody, a lively chorus and deep emotion oozing from Colin Blunstone's expressive voice "Can't Take It with You" is enjoyable, with a hook chorus and some decent pop tendencies. "Pyramania" sounds like the Sparks, squeaky voice and quirky rhythms but it's brief and funny.

Clunker? "One More River", a totally uninspiring piece of formulaic nothing. A sax by numbers helps little to medicate the pain.

3.5 popular monuments