The search for progressive music that is new (to me) has been quite the adventure; my stop in a random library aisle this week brings me to a band called The Tangent. They call themselves "real British progressive rock music in the spirit of the great masters..." OK; now I am extremely eager to hear what type of prog this band can bring to the turntable. Progressive music has taken many new forms of late, and while I once feared for prog's future, my now "not-so-upturned" nose has picked up many new aromas while walking the buffet line. I have learned to be more accepting of the newer progressive bands filling the airwaves and educating the younger, less experienced listener. So...off the soapbox and on to feeding the ears...
I decide to start randomly with a song called "A Place in the Queue." This is from The Tangent's third album released in January 2006. The opening instrumental piece has very strong hints of early King Crimson--you have my attention. Traveling deeper into this tune I am taken by the strength of the horns and how perfectly the piano, guitar, and drums all work together. The saxophone is a thing of beauty; this is all at once classic and new. The jazz/blues overtones are obvious, and the vocals weave eerily into your spinal cord. The darkness that follows is striking; this is a 25 minute ride well worth the price of admission. Time to dig deeper...
My second selection is from The Tangent's 2003 debut album "The Music That Died Alone." This cut is called "Uphill From Here." Again I detect classic prog mixed with a newness hard to pin down. I sense ELP, Van Der Graaf Generator, and The Flower Kings wafting through my headphones. The way the music comes together is really impressive; prog is indeed alive and well in the 21st century.
Liner Notes...The Tangent formed in 2003 and has been through several line-up and personnel changes. A complete listing of musicians who have been involved with The Tangent from the beginning up to the present is fairly cumbersome and much too long to include here. Without meaning to offend anyone I will say that the current line-up is Andy Tillison on guitars, keyboards, and vocals; Theo Travis on flute, saxophone, and clarinet; Jonas Reingold on bass; Gavin Harrison on drums; Jakko M. Jakszyk on guitar and vocals; and David Longdon on vocals.
The Tangent's ties to progressive rock weave through Genesis, Yes, King Crimson, Soft Machine, and Porcupine Tree--yet even this is an incomplete list. Suffice to say The Tangent is not a band for the timid or the unknowing...but it is a band for the student of progressive music. To listen to The Tangent is to take a crash course in prog; forty years of musical tapestry woven into a few hours of incredible sound. Make sure you savor the aroma as well as the taste, and always leave room for one more helping. Speaking of which...
I have to make another run at the buffet, and this time I come away with "Evening TV" from the latest release "Le Sacre Du Travail." This is the band's first attempt at a concept album and it is truly fantastic. This cut is but one piece of an album that looks at life through the eyes and mind of the average working stiff. If you start to think, "didn't the Moody Blues do something like this back in 1967?" you would be correct...but let me be the first to say that "Le Sacre Du Travail" is in no way a cover or rip-off of "Days of Future Passed." The commonality is in the theme but the comparisons should end there. This particular piece is amazing because I can feel myself walking in the shoes of every working man while getting caught up in what really is incredible music. This piece is a great backdrop for the emotional tumult that is the end of the day...
Once again fellow prog heads I am humbled and excited by the possibilities that still await me on my journey. The Tangent--coming off Beardfish--has really gotten my prog juices flowing and I am starting to feel the emotional rush I had as a teenager when I first heard King Crimson's "Epitaph." The possibilities are endless...
The cut below is "Evening TV" from the aforementioned "Le Sacre Du Travail." I know it seems I have abandoned my "post something other than what I reviewed rule" but this time I can explain...YouTube refused to cooperate and I had a hard time retrieving anything else...maybe the computer has developed a taste...regardless; The Tangent is able to make you forget the inconveniences that can ruin a good mood--all you want to do is sit back, relax, crack a cold one, and drift away. After listening to this tell me if you don't sense The Tangent channeling early Crimson, Yes, and Barclay James Harvest...
Next week prog fans I am going to force myself to cross to the other side of the prog library and dust off something totally new and different in flavor, texture, and aroma compared to what I have savored to this point. I love surprises and can't wait to hear what I find...until then...
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