definitely a grower, however this is not as good as its predecessor (Prehensile Tales), imho.
there's a plethora of thrilling sections and great ideas, but sometimes it feels like they aren't
properly executed (especially in the shorter songs, like the title track, or Much Ado, which sound
a bit weak and lack some polish). the songwriting is sharper and darker (there's even more
strings this time around), which is cool since I like how these guys are trying new things in each
album; however, I think that the thicker, dense and catchy dimension is where they really shine
the most. mixing and procution is still top notch; this is what progressive rock should be all
about nowdays. great melodies, pleasant sounds and not too convoluted structures yet mainting some
amazing complexity. lot of bands "militating" in the scene (eg. The Flower Kings), especially the
retro ones, tend to overlook all of the above and it's a shame, considering how good these kind of
musicians are. in this sense, PSA should become pioneers in newer prog, they're way too underrated
and deserve a lot more (same goes for Spock's Beard)
anyway, it was a pleasure coming back to this one while waiting for the forthcoming Spooky Action
at a Distance. almost excellent, absolutely recommended! (7.5) |
